The Rhine: Background For Social Studies (1959)

[Music] the rhine river is one of the largest rivers in europe one of the great rivers of the world for 800 miles it flows through the heart of europe an important part of european geography and history [Music] the lives and activities of people in four nations are directly affected by the waters of this mighty river the rhine river begins in switzerland and flows generally in a northward direction about 800 miles to the north sea part of france borders on the rhine but for most of its length the rhine flows through germany and then through the netherlands to the sea three of its large tributaries are the moselle the mine and the ruler by its tributaries and a system of canals the rhine is linked with most of europe and also the surrounding seas by canal to the danube and the black sea by canal to the rhone river and the mediterranean sea by canal to the loire and the atlantic and by canal to the marn and the seine to the english channel let's look at the rhine itself more closely the river begins in the swiss alps in high mountainous country starting at its source in the high alps let's trace the rhine quickly through its three parts upper middle and lower rhine here near its source in switzerland the upper rhine is a fast mountain stream then flowing generally northward it broadens out as a beautiful mountain lake lake constance between switzerland and germany at basel switzerland this marker indicates three nations which border the river at this point france germany and switzerland farther along the river valley is wider this region which is heavily wooded is the famous black forest of germany at mannheim still moving northward we enter the middle rhine much of this part of the river flows through a narrow river valley at the city of cologne or kern in germany we enter the lower rhine much of this part of the river flows through level land to the sea flowing past the historic city of cologne the rhine is broad from this point northward to the sea the rhine is a vast waterway of commerce flowing through the netherlands the rhine reaches the sea and so from seaports in the netherlands to the mountains of switzerland the rhine is an 800-mile waterway of major significance to western europe but the river is more than a transportation route the rhine river represents two thousand years of europe's history it has been a boundary and a barrier for peoples and nations romans and teutons franks and saxons french and germans this statue representing the german nation stands overlooking the rhine the river so important in german history the rhine has affected not only people of the past but it affects millions of people today let's see how as we take a trip down the rhine we'll see the upper rhine first starting at basel switzerland basel is a river port at the head of navigation on the rhine barge traffic carries goods 800 miles between basel and the sea one of the products shipped on the river is wood lumbering is one of the ways people make a living in the heavy forests of the upper rhine region here too wood is carved by skillful craftsmen into clocks and other items to be sold the upper rhine is also a region of small farms this is part of a wooded region called the black forest named for its dark colored evergreen trees this is quaint and colorful country sometimes traditional costumes are worn in this land people have been living for many centuries roman ruins along the upper river remind us that the rhine was once a frontier of the roman empire we find more history on the upper rhine in strasbourg france these old houses on the rhine stood through the french revolution strasbourg is also another river port it connects eastern france with the industrial cities of germany and the seaports of the netherlands on its long journey northward to the sea this barge from strasbourg france will leave the upper rhine and pass through the middle rhine between mannheim and cologne germany here the rhine flows through beautiful farm country the wine country the country of legend story and music the people here are fortunate in living in a productive land with a mild climate on the steep terraced hillsides grapes are grown in great quantities most of the grapes are used in making world-famous wines yes the rhineland is a beautiful country which germans have always loved and not only germans tourists come from many countries to see the rhineland landmarks on the middle rhine include many castles and the lorelai rock which was immortalized in the poem by heinrich heine almost every town or village along the rhine is connected with a historic event or personality in the city of vorms this statue of martin luther reminds us of the important religious events in germany's long history the city of mines is proud of this statue of johann gutenberg the inventor of the printing press the historic castles on the middle rhine are a reminder of medieval times when barons of the rhine plundered the passing merchant ships farther downstream this modern bridge crosses the river at bonn germany after world war ii this city of bonn became the capital of west germany the government buildings can be seen along the river not far from bonn is cologne the rhine city famous for its cathedral cologne cathedral is a striking symbol of the middle ages north of cologne barge traffic increases as we move toward the city of dusseldorf with dusseldorf we are in the lower rhine from dusseldorf northward we'll see great industrial cities and ports the lower rhine flows through germany's great industrial region here more people are engaged in heavy industry than in farming or other activity just north of dusseldorf the rhine is joined by the rura river this is the industrial heart of germany the roar region most barges bring in metal ores and other raw materials to supply the factories and mills that have helped make west germany a leading industrial nation of western europe there are great plants producing industrial chemicals largely from coal tar the coal tar comes from coal which is very plentiful in the rhine rur area here is coal for smelting ores and powering factories these miners are among the many industrial workers and city dwellers who live in the rhine rural area this new community is an example of recent housing developments these families are a part of the new industrial germany north of the rhine rural region barges move through the flat country of northern germany here the rhine is bordered by farmlands once again north of these farms are meadows and canals of the netherlands it is the waters of the rhine that fill many of the canals in the netherlands moving northward through the level dutch farmlands we are approaching the north sea rotterdam is one of the largest seaports of the rhine the people of rotterdam can think of the rhine not only as a highway into europe's interior but also as a gateway to the oceans and the nations of the world we saw something of the importance of this river to countries of western europe we saw some of the many cities along its banks and we also saw rhineland farms and industries and commerce we can better understand western europe by knowing more about its greatest river one of the important rivers of the world the rhine