The Rhine Gorge in the Rhine Valley

The Rhine Gorge is the name of the center of the Rhine Valley. It is a 65 km segment of Rhine River located in between the cities Bingen and Koblenz, in Germany. UNESCO listed the Rhino Gorge in the World Heritage List in the year 2002 for its exceptional grouping of historical, geographical, industrial and cultural reasons.

The rocks in the Rhine Gorge are said to be from the Devonian Period (416-360 million years back) and are also called the“Rhenish Facies”. The remnants of the rock structures mainly consist of slate. These rocks were folded during the Carboniferous period. Uplifting was done to the gorge recently where the walls were raised to a height of 200 meters along the river. From this area, an amazing view of the Rhine Gorge valley can be seen.

The climate at the Rhine Gorge is extraordinary because it differs from one region to another. For this reason a wide variety of species are found in this region. Agriculture is the main source here particularly, Viticulture. On the south side of the gorge, are a majority of the vineyards found in the Mitterlrhein region.

The river at the Rhine Gorge has also served as a major trading route to central Europe since the ancient times and a number of settlements were developed at the banks of the river. Several castles were built along the valley but they were destroyed during the “Thirty Years war”.

Today, the Rhino Gorge is famous for its landscapes and cruise ship which flows on the river and the Rhine in the Flames Festival which is celebrated every year and displays magnificent fireworks in the town of Sankt Goar, in the month of September and Koblenz city in the month of August.