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Explore Germany: Upper Rhine River Plains
Until the early 1980s, industry was a major source of water pollution. Although many plants and factories can be found along the Rhine up into Switzerland, it is along the Lower Rhine in the Ruhr Area, that the bulk of them are concentrated, as the river passes the major cities of Cologne, Düsseldorf and Duisburg. Duisburg is the home of Europe's largest inland port and functions as a hub to the sea ports of Rotterdam, Antwerp and Amsterdam. The Ruhr, which joins the Rhine in Duisburg, is nowadays a clean river, thanks to a combination of stricter environmental controls, a transition, from heavy industry to light industry and cleanup measures, such as the reforestation of slag heaps and brownfields. The Ruhr currently provides the region with drinking water. It contributes 70 m3/s (2,500 cu ft/s) to the Rhine. Other rivers in the Ruhr Area, above all, the Emscher, still carry a considerable degree of pollution.
[ source: wikipedia ]
Popular Destinations - Upper Rhine River Plains
Cologne
Founded by the Romans in 38 B.C., Cologne (Köln) lies on the Rhine river, and is the largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia. Besides visiting the awesome Gothic Cathedral, visitors will want to explore the city’s even older Romanesque churches, as…
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Koblenz
The history and sites of Koblenz, located where the Moselle flows into the Rhine, stretch back to Roman times. No visitor to Koblenz should skip a tour of the Saalburg—the most fully-reconstructed Roman fortress in Germany.
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Bacharach
Bacharach is a small German town, lying on the west bank of the Rhine, just south of Koblenz. From here you can take a roundtrip Rhine cruise and marvel at the ruined castles, drive to Bad Soden in the summer for a relaxing Saturday at an open-air jazz…
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Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwestern Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 300,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 35,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the American military). Wiesbaden, together with the…
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Bingen
Bingen am Rhein (or Bingen or Bingen on the Rhine) is a city located at the junction of the rivers Rhine and Nahe in the district of Mainz-Bingen, in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany near the city of Mainz. Bingen is a river port and railroad junction,…
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Mainz
Mainz is a city in Germany and the capital of the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It was a politically important seat of the Prince-elector of Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west…
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Rüdesheim am Rhein
Rüdesheim is a winemaking town in the Rhine Gorge and thereby part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. It lies in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. It is officially known as Rüdesheim am Rhein. It lies…
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Wiesbaden-Erbenheim
Erbenheim is a borough of Wiesbaden, capital of the federal state of Hesse, Germany. It was incorporated into Wiesbaden on April 10, 1928. The population is around 9,000.
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Brühl
Brühl is a city in Germany, located 20 km south of Cologne, in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis. The town of Brühl was the residence of the Prince Bishops of Cologne. In the 18th century the Prince Bishop Clemens August replaced a former ruined castle and built…
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Ingelheim am Rhein
Ingelheim am Rhein is located in the Rhineland-Palatinate on the western shore of the Rhine river. See the ruins of the Imperial Palace, built by Charlemagne and his successors in 785 A.D. Ingelheim is famous for its annual Red Wine Festival and Carnival-season…
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Most Popular Destinations in Germany
Germany has numerous cities of interest to tourists; these are the top nine travel destinations:
- Berlin - the reunified and reinvigorated capital of Germany; known for its division during the Cold War - and the Berlin Wall. Today its a metropolis of diversity with elegant clubs, galleries and traditional restaurants. It is also a haven for shoppers.
- Bremen - one of the most important cities in northern Germany, its old town will be of interest to travelers who want a slice of history.
- Cologne - Germany's fourth-largest city. Cologne was founded by the Romans and is 2000 years old with its huge cathedral, Romanesque churches, and archaeological sites. Cologne also well known for its carnival and its Christopher-Street-Day parade. Don't forget to try the local cuisine and of course the local beer, called "Kölsch".
- Dresden - once called
Florence on the Elbe
, and world-famous for its Frauenkirche and historic center which was destroyed during the war, the city offers more than what the average traveller can expect: Great festivals, all kinds of cultural entertainment, vibrant night life, and surrounded by beautiful natural vistas. Dresden hosts the Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Dresden State Art Collections) which is one of the world's most impressive museums and collections. The art collections consist of eleven museums, of which the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister and the Grünes Gewölbe are the most well-known. - Dusseldorf - Germany's capital of fashion, the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia offers a wide scale of fascinating new architecture. Right along the shores of river Rhine, the "Altstadt" and the "Medienhafen" are among the best places in Germany to enjoy a vibrant nightlife. Being one of the country's wealthiest cities, the atmosphere is very pleasant. Germans call it "the only metropolis ending with -dorf (German for village)".
- Frankfurt - Germany's leading financial center, transportation hub, seat of the European Central Bank (ECB), international trade fair center (Book Fair, Motor Show), hub of multicultural activity (30% Immigrants), and site of numerous world-class museums and theaters. It is also Germany's only city with enough skyscrapers to have a skyline.
- Hamburg - Germany's second-largest city, famous for its harbour as well as its liberal and tolerant culture. Don't miss the Reeperbahn with its night clubs and casinos. Hamburg is also popular for its many musicals.
- Hannover - One of Germany's newer
tourist cities
, having hosted various international events in recent times. - Munich - Bavaria's beautiful capital city and Southern Germany's primate city. Third largest city in Germany, Munich is the site of the famous Oktoberfest and the gateway to the Alps.
- Nuremberg - Second largest city in Bavaria, after WW2 over 90% of the old-town was destroyed. Today it has already been reconstructed, including the Gothic Kaiserburg Castle (Emperor's Castle of the Holy Roman Empire of German Nation). You can also visit the Nazi party rally grounds, the Documentation Centre and Courtroom 600 - venue of the Nuremberg Trails.
[ source: Wikitravel ]