RHINE FALLS - SCHAFFHAUSEN
Rushing Waters of Switzerland
The legendary
Rhine River flows from its source in the Swiss Alps of Graubunden,
flowing
north in a cold blue-green stream past Chur and separating
Switzerland from Liechtenstein and Austria before emptying into Lake
Constance, where the waters hesitate in central Europe’s largest
lake, then continue again from the “Bodensee” heading west
toward Basel, then north again where the wide flat mighty river becomes
the artery of shipping where barges and cruise boats make their way up
and down from Alsace and the Black Forest through the German Rhineland
to the North Sea.
In days long past, before railroads, boats would carry
passengers and goods through the Alpine portion of the river, braving
rapids, rocks and sharp bends. In 1814, Mary Wollstonecraft reported
in her diary of her journey to Switzerland after eloping with Percy Shelly
(see Mary
Shelly’s London) that they had to disembark at the
Rhine Falls where the boats could not pass and had to continue their
journey
home to London on the other side of the violent cataract. The city of
Schaffhausen (ship houses) above the falls, grew from the need for this
boat cartage.
The Rhine Falls (Rheinfall) to the west of Lake Constance where the
Rhine River makes a sharp hairpin bend is the largest water fall in Europe,
in width and volume, though not height. The Riechenbach Falls at Meiringen
near Interlaken made famous in literature as the (nearly) final battle
of Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty (see Sherlock
Holmes Museum Reichenbach)
were impressive enough to inspire Arthur Conan Doyle. The waterfalls
of the Rhine, more a cascade than a fall, make more of an impression
for the volume of rushing waters, not the scale and scope Niagara, but
dramatic for the close up encounter provided by a boat ride to the vertical
rock which divides the waters. A uniquely designed tour boat makes the
three minute trip through the roiling streams to deliver visitors to
a tenuous stairway to the top of the pointy outcrop, dappled with shrubby
trees as torrents of water cut to either side. The boat ride to the rock
is one of the better bargains in Switzerland, only 6.50 (chf) for an
adult, half that for children, though at what age you want to take a
tyke out into a rushing river is up to you.
Easy
to get to as waterfalls go, the Rhine Falls are a ten minute city bus
ride from the Schaffhausen main train station (Bus Line 1) or regional
rail stop at Neuhausen. The train ride from Zurich via Winterthur actually
passes over the falls, be prepared from a quick look. The train trestle
was built in a time before preservation of the natural sights seemed
important. The Rhinefalls are surrounded by the suburbs where factories
once took advantage of the water force, though now more protected. Above
the falls, the Laufen Castle (Schloss Laufen) is being renovated with
a visitor center, reopening in 2010, where tickets and souvenirs can
be had with a new casual restaurant for snacks and views from above the
falls. A Youth Hostel (Jugendherberge) is located at the castle.
The Restaurant
Schlössli
Worth next to the boat departure dock in hundred year old building
with a modern cantilevered window floor
right on the water opposite the rapids offers an upscale cuisine experience
for a memorable meal with a panoramic view of the falls. Another dining
establishment in the Rhine Fall basin, the Restaurant Park am Rheinfall,
offers outdoor terrace view seating, April to October.
The volume of waters passing over the Rhine Falls varies throughout the year with the most impressive tumbling rush and roar in the late spring with the snow runoff from the Alps. Summers will be busy and crowded, while the late autumn through winter will be a bit gloomy and cold. Round trip boat cruises of 30 minutes or an hour from the falls downstream to Rheinau are offered from April through October. © Bargain Travel Europe
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Web Info
Schaffhauser Tourism
Rheinfall River Cruises
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SEE ALSO:
SORELL HOTEL RÜDEN - SCHAFFHAUSEN
ST. GALLEN BAROQUE ABBEY LIBRARY
NAPOLEON
MUSEUM - ARENENBERG
ARBON
ON LAKE CONSTANCE
LAKE CONTANCE CRUISES
