THE RHINE A SYMBOL FOR THE DREILAND? An article by Lena Stiefvater and Julia Drephal.

Germany, a picture from 2013

The Dreiland mainly consists out of three nationalities: Germans, French’s and Swiss. Within this land there flows the river Rhine. It is a center of culture, of marketing and fun. For many people who are living within the Dreiland the Rhine is a main place within their life. They use the river daily to cross the borders, for example the bridge that joins Huningue in France and Weil am Rhein in Germany. In that way we could ask us if the Rhine could be named as a symbol for the Dreiland.

The Rhine

The Rhine is a river which is located in the heart of Europe. It begins within the Swiss canton of Graubünden within the Alps and it empties into the North Sea in the Netherlands. It is used as a border for several countries as France and Liechtenstein. It also marks a part of the border between Switzerland and Germany, Germany and the Netherlands and between Germany and Austria too.

This river belongs to the longest river in Europe. It is the second one after the Danube. The Rhine is about 1 230 km long and being accessible for ships with a large size. It has an average discharge of about 2 900 m3/s.

Unlike at the beginning of the XIV century there were a period of draught. The Rhine could be crossed to foot. But now there is enough water to practice numerous of activities.

Between Basel and Breisach, the river is split into a channel and into the original or old "Rhine". The channel is used for river boats float to transport the goods between Rotterdam and Basel.

Activities

The Rhine provides a large choice of activities that include the Dreiland. For example, there are lots of water sports that all people can try. One of them is water-skiing. An employee of one water-skiing station called Vogelgrund said that there is no difference between the number of people who come from Germany or from France. This station only organizes activities between these two nationalities. In this way, many competitions between France and Germany are in place.

But there also exist several other activities which bring German, French and Swiss people together. One good example is a boat company in Basel in Switzerland. This company organizes various events during the year and also a christmas flea market or the New Year party during the christmas season… All people can reserve for a diner evening, for professional meetings, for a marriage or for a karaoke evening…

The old Rhine is also used as relaxing place. There you can fish, swim, sleep and play at the beach. But there are not only water activities as along the channel, there are many established bike parks. Finally the Rhine is not only a center of activities but also an important economical and marketing center.

Marketing and Economical Importance

Since the Middle Ages the Rhine is a place of trades. The transport by waterway in the Rhine is used for solid goods, for liquid goods and also for passengers. The main ports are Rotterdam, Mannheim, Strasbourg, Karlsruhe and Basel. This water way is one of the most important ones in Europe.

The Rhine joins the three "Dreiland" countries. In this way, due to the bridges many people use the Rhine to cross the border for for shopping, to buy daily required goods or for work. Many people cross the Rhine to go to Basel because it is the biggest city. Basel provides all what people need: shops, restaurant, bank, doctors.

The Rhine is also used to produce energy in all the Dreiland. It is part of the hydroelectric power planst and nuclear power plants. The most public ones are Fessenheim and the power plants along the grand channel of Alsace.

In 2002 the UNESCO includes the 68 km of the valley of the middle Rhine between Bingen and Koblenz in the list of patrimonial worldwide for its exceptional universal value. This part of the Rhine is one of the most famous touristic areas in Germany.

The Rhine is one of the most important places within the Dreiland. People use it daily for various activities. Many people work on it to earn their money or use it for private activities to relax during their free time.

The Rhine also connects the countries together. Many possible activities bring people together from Germany, France and from Switzerland. The Rhine groups the different cultures together.

From an economic perspective the energy production and the possibility to transport goods are important for the countries.

Finally the Rhine could be definated as a symbol for the Dreiland. Without the Rhine, the Dreiland wouldn't be that what it represents today.

An article by Lena Stiefvater and Julia Drephal.