Welcome to the Alpine Rhine portal! The purpose of this portal is to showcase Wikipedia coverage of the Alpine Rhine, to act as a focal point and navigation aid for articles about the Alpine Rhine area and to assist editors interested in improving article coverage and quality of this topic.
The confluence of the Vorderrhein and Hinterrhein to form the Alpine Rhine (left) near Reichenau GR
Near Tamins-Reichenau, the Anterior and Posterior Rhine unite to form the Alpine Rhine. Over a distance of just 86 kilometres the river drops from a height of 599 metres above sea level to 396 metres. The Rhine initially bends sharply to the north near Chur, the capital of Grisons. The Rhine Valley is a broad, glacially-shaped, alpine box valley. Near Sargans, an escarpment only a few metres high prevents the Rhine from flowing through the open Seeztal valley through the Walensee and Lake Zurich towards the River Aare. Below that its western shore is Swiss, to the east it borders on Liechtenstein and then Austria. The Rhine, which is very light in coloured due to suspensoids has filled the upper part of Lake Constance with large amounts of sediment ... « more »
The Bündner Herrschaft in the north of the Chur Rhine Valley
The Chur Rhine Valley (German: Churer Rheintal or, commonly, Bündner Rheintal) is that part of the Nordbünden region through which the River Rhine flows after the confluence of the Anterior and Posterior Rhine near Reichenau to the canton border at Maienfeld and Fläsch. The plain of Bonaduz and Rhäzüns is also part of the Chur Rhine Valley and forms its southern end. The valley is part of natural landscape of the Alpine Rhine. The Chur Rhine Valley is divided into three sub-regions ... « more »
The confluence of the Vorderrhein and Hinterrhein to form the Alpine Rhine (left) near Reichenau GR
Near Tamins-Reichenau, the Anterior and Posterior Rhine unite to form the Alpine Rhine. Over a distance of just 86 kilometres the river drops from a height of 599 metres above sea level to 396 metres. The Rhine initially bends sharply to the north near Chur, the capital of Grisons. The Rhine Valley is a broad, glacially-shaped, alpine box valley. Near Sargans, an escarpment only a few metres high prevents the Rhine from flowing through the open Seeztal valley through the Walensee and Lake Zurich towards the River Aare. Below that its western shore is Swiss, to the east it borders on Liechtenstein and then Austria. The Rhine, which is very light in coloured due to suspensoids has filled the upper part of Lake Constance with large amounts of sediment ... « more »
Schloss Sargans, at the foot of the Gonzen, marks the climatic boundary of the Chur Rhine Valley
A few kilometres downstream of Landquart on the left bank of the Rhine is the Sarganserland and the town of Bad Ragaz with its health springs. Here the River Tamina, whose impressive gorge is a tourist attraction, empties into the Rhine. The Chur Rhine Valley ends climatically in Sargans, know for its castle which stands on an eminence at the foot of the Gonzen. The Gonzen is also well known thanks to the Gonzen Mine which was active from the early Middle Ages. Sargans is also the base for the ski area on the Pizol, which is used extensively by the population of the South German Lake Constance area as a day trip destination. Here there is also an important watershed: an escarpment just a few metres high prevents the Rhine from flowing through the Seeztal into the Walensee lake ... « more »
Map of the Rhine Regulation as an official appendix to the international treaty
The Rhine Regulation (German: Rheinregulierung refers to the canalisation of the Alpine Rhine river along the border between Austria and Switzerland which was carried out in the early 20th century. The State Treaty on the Regulation of the Rhine (Staatsvertrag zur Rheinregulierung), agreed in 1892 between Austria-Hungary and Switzerland, put an end to the numerous flood disasters on the Alpine Rhine between Sargans and Lake Constance. Two cuts reduced the length of the river by around ten kilometres in order to raise the gradient, thuse increasing the flow rate of the water and preventing depositions of sediment. The organisation, Internationale Rheinregulierung (IRR), is the umbrella under which the two states of Austria and Switzerland coordinated the construction work and they continue to maintain the embankments even today ... « more »
View of Triesenberg looking downstream at the municipality of Schaan in Liechtenstein over the Alpine Rhine to the municipalities of Buchs SG, Grabs and Gams SG and the snow-covered mountains of the Alpstein.
Rheintaler Ribelmais, Rheintaler Ribel or Türggenribel (Vorarlberg: Riebel) is a ground product that is made from a traditional type of maize grown in the SwissRhine Valley and Liechtenstein. Rheintaler RibelAOP (formerly AOC) has been the only Swiss cereal product since summer 2000 with a protected geographical indication. The name Ribelmais comes from the traditional dish, Ribel, from which it is made. Maize plays an important role in the cultural and economic history of the Rhine Valley. The cultivation of maize in the Rhine valley began in the 17th century, it being thought at the time that it came from the Balkans, hence the alternative name for maize of Türggen or Türggenkorn. The Rhine Valley, which runs from south to north here, is influenced by föhn winds and thus has a milder climate than the surrounding area, which is why maize thrives here ... « more »
Vorarlberg Rhine Valley seen from the Gebhardsberg to the south. In the foreground is the A14 and Lauterach
The Vorarlberg Rhine Valley is divided into the Upper and Lower Rhine Valley (Oberes Rheintal and Unteres Rheintal), based on the direction of flow of the Alpine Rhine, and thus into the Vorarlberg Unterland and Oberland (or Vorderland) as well. The Unterland runs from the shore of Lake Constance to the Kummenberg, the Upper Rhine Valley lies south of the Kummenberg. The Unterland includes the entire administrative district of Dornbirn and all the territories of the province of Bregenz that lie within the Rhine Valley. In this region, which covers the urban areas of Bregenz and Dornbirn, live around 180,000 people, about half the population of Vorarlberg. As a result of the limited area it is one of the most densely populated regions in Europe ... « more »
In gentle föhn conditions enormous visibility distances are possible
The Alpine Föhn (German: Alpenföhn) is the name given to the föhn wind in the Alpine region. The name "föhn" was originally used to refer to the south wind which blows during the winter months and brings thaw conditions to the northern side of the Alps. Because föhn later became a generic term that was extended to other mountain ranges around the world that experience similar phenomena, the name "Alpine föhn" (Alpenföhn) was coined. The wind can cause heavy storms with top speeds of 150 km/h, resulting in damage to buildings. The south wind on the northern side of the Alps is also called the South Föhn (Südföhn), its opposite number on the south side of the Alps is also called the North Föhn (Nordföhn)... « more »
