Danube River
This attraction is related to the countries:GermanyAustriaAustria , SlovakiaHungaryCroatiaSerbiaBulgariaRomaniaMoldova (Moldavia)UkraineDanube is the second longest river in Europe. It is ahead of the Dnieper, but inferior to the Volga. Nevertheless, the Danube is called the Royal River of Europe, because on its banks are the capital cities of Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava and Belgrade, with their enormous historical and cultural heritage. Cruise ships ply along the Danube. Along the river there are routes for cyclists and hikers wishing to explore in detail the numerous attractions of the Danube cities and natural parks.
Video: Danube
Contents- Highlights
- History of the river
- Border disputes on the Danube
- Source of the Danube
- Geography and climate
Interesting places - Bridges over the Danube
- Danube cruises
- Tourist routes
- How to get there
Highlights
The Danube riverbed stretches through several geographical zones with an exceptional variety of landscapes. Along the way, it crosses or delimits 10 European countries. Travelers going on a cruise along the great river, await acquaintance with a mass of man-made and natural attractions, the culture of many original peoples inhabiting the Danube shores. Along the Danube you can go on a trip by excursion train or bus, there are special bicycle routes and even walking trails, arranged for hundreds of kilometers.
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Traveling along the Danube, tourists have the opportunity to see monuments listed on World Heritage registers. In Germany, it is the medieval development of the Bavarian city of Regensburg, founded 2000 years ago by Roman legionaries, in Austria – the historic neighborhoods of Vienna and Salzburg. Downstream, tourists will be surprised by the magnificent panoramas of Budapest and coastal park landscapes. Closer to the mouth, on the territory of Romania, the monastery-fortresses in Transylvania belong to the World Heritage sites. It is in these foothills of the Carpathian Mountains that the gloomy castle of the legendary Count Dracula is located, where guided tours are offered and a terrific Halloween party is held in late October.
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The river journey ends at the Danube Delta on the northern coast of the Black Sea. A biosphere reserve has been established here, listed by UNESCO as one of the world’s natural attractions.
‘ The first stone bridge over the Danube in history, built by Apollodorus of Damascus between 103 and 105 AD under Trajan.
In the 16th century, the lower Danube was captured by the Ottoman Empire. The Turks, who built a string of fortresses here, left a significant mark on the architectural landscape and cultural heritage of the Danubian peoples.
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Despite endless wars and redistribution of territories between ambitious Western and Eastern sovereigns, the Danube served for centuries as the main trade artery linking Central Europe with the Black Sea. Sailing and rowing ships regularly delivered goods to the Danubian cities.
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At the beginning of the 19th century, most of the Danube floodplain was incorporated into the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1813, Prince Clemens von Metternich, a prominent Austrian statesman, advised Emperor Franz I to grant exclusive privileges to any entrepreneur who was able to transport goods and other cargo up the Danube without the aid of draught animals. Thus came the imperial decree that spurred the emergence of steam navigation on Europe’s great river.
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Thanks to the efforts of Hungarian Count Istvan Szechenyi, the first Danube steamship company was founded in Vienna in March 1829. In the first half of the 19th century, the downstream journey from Vienna to Budapest took 14 hours, while the return trip downstream took 48 hours. Such an innovation attracted not only merchants, but also curious travelers who became the first tourists on Danube river cruises.
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The historic steamship company founded by Count Szechenyi still exists in Vienna today. Since 2013, it has been known as First-DDSG. Curiously, its full name, hidden in the abbreviation, is one of the most complex words in the German language, consisting of 41 letters – Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän, which can be translated as “the first captain of the Danube Steamship Company.”
In the XXI century, the Danube added to its honorary titles the undisputed title of the largest navigable river in the European Union. An international waterway accessible to large river ships runs along its course for 2,414 kilometers. It stretches from the Romanian port of Sulina at the mouth to the German city of Kelheim.
.With the completion of the 170-kilometer-long Rhine-Main-Danube Ship Canal, the great river became a transcontinental waterway from the Dutch port of Rotterdam on the North Sea to the Romanian port of Sulina on the Black Sea.
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Border disputes on the Danube
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Opposite the Croatian city of Vukovar in the Danube riverbed is the island of Vukovarska Ada. Its area is 9 km². Serbia also claims the island, but calls it Sharengrad. This piece of land is one of the stumbling blocks in establishing good relations between the two countries of the former Yugoslav Federation.
.Source of the Danube
German guides show tourists several sources of the Danube. For example, one of them was privatized back in the XV century by the von Furstenberg family of princes. In the park of the ancestral castle of these aristocrats there is a spring from which a stream flows into the Brigach River. The spring is enclosed in a monumental marble pool. An allegorical sculpture “Donaukel” was erected near it. However, in the castle parks of the surrounding towns and even on one peasant farm in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, there are other such symbolic springs, for it is a matter of prestige to own such an attraction.
.The general legal battle over the source of the Danube has been fought for many decades in litigation between the towns of Furtwangen and Donaueschingen. Only recently have German hydrologists, geographers and politicians ended the irreconcilable debate over the true source of the Danube, recognizing it as a mountain stream in the forests of the hilly Black Forest. The source flows out of a crevice in the rock, 1078 meters above sea level, and turns into the river Breg. From there it is 2857 kilometers to the mouth of the Danube. In order to avoid further disagreements, in 2022 the government of the Federal Republic of Germany, showing tolerance, gave Furtwangen and Donaueschingen the honorary titles Donauquellstadt – “cities of the Danube sources.”
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However, since the time of the geographers of ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, the length of the Danube has been measured not from the source, as in most European rivers, but from the mouth. The lighthouse of the port city of Sulina (Romania), located in one of the branches of the Danube delta, is considered to be the marker of the zero kilometer. Now the ancient lighthouse, built in 1870, stands several kilometers from the Black Sea coast – every year the powerful flow of Danube waters carries millions of tons of silt and sand to the shelf. So if the dispute about the sources of the Danube is closed, the true length of the Danube with an accuracy of up to a kilometer is still under a question mark.
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Geography and climate
The Danube is one of the few European rivers that crosses the continent from west to east. On its long journey, the land topography forces the Danube to change its flow direction in bizarre ways. After passing through a valley between the Pilis and Börzön mountain ranges, the river reaches the Hungarian spa town of Vysehrad. Here, the riverbed forms an almost rectangular bend, directing the river’s waters southward. In Hungarian, this sharp bend is called Dunakanyar, which means “Knee of the Danube”. On the mountainous banks of the bend, the vast Danube-Ipon National Park awaits tourists, including picturesque islands of unspoiled nature.
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In the Budapest area, the course of the Danube reaches the Great Hungarian Plain, also known as the Middle Danube Lowland. It extends over 100,000 km² from the Dinaric Alps on the Adriatic coast to the Carpathian Mountains. Receiving the waters of the Drava River, the capricious Danube turns east again, heading towards its mouth on the shores of the Black Sea.
.The branched delta of the Danube is formed by three main branches and a multitude of channels, streams and lakes, covering 5000 km². It is Europe’s largest reed-covered wetland, inhabited by millions of birds.
The Danube is fed by hundreds of rivers and streams, with 60 of its tributaries being full-flowing navigable rivers. These include the Sava (945 km), the Prut (967 km), the Drava (749 km), and the Siret (706 km). The longest tributary of the Danube is the Tisza River (966 km), which originates in the Carpathian Mountains near the town of Rakhova (Ukraine). The Danube has a catchment area of 817,000 km².
.The Danube flows through several climatic zones of the European continent, due to the peculiarities of the relief. Winters in the river basin are moderately cold, in January the air temperature usually ranges from -5…0 °C. It happens that winds from the North Atlantic bring short-term frosts up to -20 … -15 °С, but the water in the riverbed freezes rarely. Summer in the Danube countries is warm, the air warms up to +23…+27 °С. In the lower reaches there is a strong heat, thermometer columns rise to +30 … +35 ° C. .
Interesting places
The long river washes the territories of ten European countries. Through a network of man-made canals, the Danube is connected by tourist waterways to rivers in France, the Benelux countries and the Baltic states.
>Germany
From the confluence of the Brigach and Breg rivers, the Danube flows through Germany for 618 kilometers. Between the towns of Immendingen and Ertingen, the Upper Danube Nature Park (Naturpark Obere Donau) is located on the banks of the river. The Swabian Jura plateau and the foothills of the Alps included in the park contain relict plants from the Ice Age, and the biodiversity of the region ranges from Alpine to Mediterranean flora.
The park has beaches, biking and hiking paths with a total length of 4000 kilometers, there are locations for climbing mountaineers. Traveling through the vast park is possible by tourist trains, those who wish to rent canoes.
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Caves with traces of Paleolithic human sites have been discovered in the park. Archaeological locations are open to tourists. One of these caves is located right next to the walls of the medieval castle of Ditfurt. Within the reserve on the banks of the Danube you can see the picturesque ruins of 89 knights’ castles and palaces. The oldest of them was built in the IX century. Several historic castles have been preserved in excellent condition, and descendants of aristocrats still live there today.
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In the city of Sigmaringen it is worth visiting the castle complex of the Hohenzollern princes, towering above the waters of the Danube. For tourists are open galleries with works of art, princely museum with a magnificent collection of antique furniture, weapons and armor XIV-XIX centuries. A separate exposition contains exotic weapons of medieval Persian warriors and Japanese samurai. The castle has a museum of the royal navy, a collection of princely carriages. The library keeps unique manuscript books and documents, the oldest chronicle tells about the events of the XII century. The castle cellars exhibit archaeological artifacts covering the period from the Neolithic to the Roman era.
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Other interesting Danube locations in Germany include the Augustinian monastery of St. Martin, founded in 1080 near Boiron. Regensburg is home to a Gothic cathedral laid out in 1275. The pointed spires of the towers rise 105 meters. Tourist routes lead to the city of Passau, where St. Stephen’s Cathedral, erected in 1668 in the Baroque style, is located. The world’s largest cathedral organ is installed under its vaults. The city of Ulm has another architectural attraction – a Gothic cathedral with the world’s highest bell tower (161.6 m). At the 143-meter mark there is a panoramic platform with views of the Danube and the distant peaks of the Alps.
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Austria
Back in the last century Austria was called the Danube Monarchy, because the empire owned 1300 kilometers of the great riverbed. Now only a small part of the Danube, about 350 kilometers long, flows through the Republic of Austria. But in its bend, like a diamond in the crown, shines charming Vienna, a city with many attractions. Within the capital, the banks are connected by 10 reinforced concrete bridges. All of them were built after the Second World War. The ancient Viennese bridges were blown up in April 1945 by retreating Nazis .
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Austria is home to the Wachau Valley, which is one of the most picturesque landscapes on the banks of the Danube. The historical and cultural monuments of this valley are listed as World Heritage Sites. Among them are the ancient quarters in the town of Krems an der Donau, the Melk Monastery built on a rocky promontory above the river and the Benedictine Abbey of Göttweig.
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Slovakia and Hungary
Slovakia’s capital Bratislava is only 45 kilometers from Vienna, downstream of the Danube. Here its waters are replenished by the Morava River. Near Bratislava, the Danube splits into two branches, forming Europe’s largest river island, 84 km long and 15 to 30 km wide. In Slovakia, it is called the Great Zitný Island. Until 1918, it was part of the Kingdom of Hungary and was called Čalloköz.
.Downstream, on the left bank of the Danube, stands the town of Šturovo. Here the river border between Slovakia and Hungary runs along the fairway. On the opposite bank of the river is the ancient city of Esztergom, former capital of the Hungarian kingdom before the Mongol-Tatar invasion in the middle of the 13th century. The cities are connected by a metal arch bridge, built in 1895 and named in honor of Princess Maria Valeria.
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Near the city of Győr in Hungary, the Raba River flows into the Danube. Not far from Vysehrad, the Danube forms a bend where the eastbound channel suddenly turns south. After about 40 km the river crosses the Hungarian capital Budapest. Here, tourists can explore dozens of museums, many monuments, outstanding architectural ensembles, baroque cathedrals, royal palaces and other attractions.
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The main channel of the Danube and several of its branches within the capital city is crossed by 15 bridges. Among them stands out the ancient Chain Bridge, erected in 1849. In the Budapest area, several islands have been formed in the Danube riverbed. The largest of them is Margit, where the city park is arranged, hotels with thermal baths have been erected.
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Croatia and Serbia
At the confluence of the Vukovar River into the Danube is the Croatian town of the same name, where one of the largest river ports on the Danube was built. In August, Vukovar hosts a festival of filmmakers from all countries of the Danube region. The castle of Elc, built in the XVIII century, houses the exposition of the historical museum. In the first half of June it hosts chamber music festival concerts of performers from European countries. Another event that attracts thousands of tourists to Vukovar is the Spring Puppet Festival, in which local puppet theaters take part. Before Christmas, the town traditionally hosts a music festival for the prizes of the Croatian National Television.
.Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, is located where the Sava River flows into the Danube. It is one of the largest Danube cities with a population of over 1.5 million people. The historical core of Belgrade is the Old Town with the ancient fortress surrounded by the Kalemegdan Park. The fortification dates back to the Roman Empire, and the fortifications were expanded by the Byzantines and Turks.
.Belgrade is famous for its vibrant nightlife. Many musical nightclubs are set up on barges moored to the Danube and Sava embankments. Back in 2009, British newspaper The Times and popular travel guide Lonely Planet named Belgrade the best party city in Europe.
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Romania and Bulgaria
On the border between Serbia and Romania, the Danube flows through the Iron Gate Gorge, which separates the Southern Carpathians from the Balkan Mountain range. Here, stone rapids piled up in the riverbed, making navigation difficult. In 1969 the canyon was blocked by the dam of the Djerdap hydroelectric power station with a system of sluices raising ships 34 meters up to the level of the formed reservoir. National parks have been established on the opposite banks of the river – the Serbian Djerdap Park and the Romanian Iron Gate.
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In the lower reaches of the Danube, 470 km of the right bank belongs to Bulgaria. There are 12 port cities along its length. The largest of them are Vidin, Lom, Svishtov, and Ruse. Near the town of Silistra the Danube leaves Bulgaria and turns to the east, crossing the territory of Romania. This country owns about a third of the Danube’s course – 1075 km.
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Ukraine and Moldova
In the lower reaches of the Danube, 47 km of the left bank of the main channel belongs to Ukraine. Here passes the river border with Romania. The Danube further divides into several delta branches, 56 km of the Kiliya branch before flowing into the Black Sea is also part of Ukrainian territory. Here are the port cities of Izmail, Kiliya and Vilkovo, as well as the Ukrainian part of the protected Danube Delta with a variety of river flora and fauna.
.The smallest section of the left bank of the Danube belongs to the Republic of Moldova – only 0.34 km.
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Today, more than three hundred road and railroad bridges cross the Danube riverbed. Most of them were built after World War II. Only a few bridges escaped destruction during the war. Among them is the 450-meter steel railroad bridge in Steiregg, Austria, built in 1873 and renewed in 1925.
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The densest concentration of bridge crossings over the Danube is concentrated in the upper reaches, from Kelheim in southern Germany to the Hungarian port of Gönju. Here the river banks are connected, on average, by one bridge every 7 km. The first road bridge crossing the upper Danube near the German town of Donaueschingen, 100 meters below the confluence of the Brigach and Breg rivers, opens the account. From here, the main channel of the Danube begins.
.Within the 860-kilometer-long central section of the Danube (from Hungarian Gönju to the Romanian port of Turnu-Severin), the average distance between bridges is 27 km. Along the 930 km of the lower Danube (Severin – Sulina), the bridge-to-bridge distance increases to 155 km.
.The newest bridge over the Danube was built in 2013. This 3,598 meter long reinforced concrete border crossing connects the Bulgarian city of Vidin with the Romanian city of Calafat. Before the bridge was built, there was a ferry crossing. Now the bridge crosses the river on the 4-lane highway E79 of the European Transport Corridor Miskolc (Hungary) – Thessaloniki (Greece), a railway line is laid, separate paths for pedestrians and cyclists protected by metal fences are arranged.
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The dams of 18 hydroelectric power plants have been built in the Danube riverbed. Sluices have been built on all the dams to ensure navigation. Narrow roads run along the crest of the dams, formerly used for cars, but now they are at the disposal of pedestrians.
Danube cruises
European travel agencies offer a wide range of Danube cruises from 4 to 22 days. Overview river cruises of 2-3 hours are organized in all Danube port cities.
From the upper Danube in Germany, you can cruise through 6 countries to the Iron Gate, a picturesque gorge on the border of Serbia and Romania. The trip will last 12 days and costs from €1,239.
.Summer cruises from the upper reaches to the Danube Delta are full of vivid impressions and interesting excursions. These long voyages last from 18 to 22 days and cost from 2349 €. The ship’s restaurant serves national dishes of the country in whose waters the ship is sailing.
.In late November – early December, 4-5-day themed cruises along the upper Danube River with visits to traditional Christmas fairs in coastal towns. For example, the German cruise company Nicko Cruises offers a trip from the river port of Passau on the route Vienna – Krems – Linz – Passau. The cost of the tour on Christmas Eve is from 359 €. Those wishing to celebrate Christmas on board a cruise ship go on an 8-day river tour on the Danube from December 19 to 26. The festive cruise will cost 749 € per person.
.You can also celebrate New Year’s Eve on board a ship sailing on the Danube: 9-day tours from December 26 to January 3 (from 1124 €) are available in the port of Passau.
.Since 2018, the international innovation project GRENDEL with a budget of 1.48 billion € has been realized in the Danube basin. Its goal is to modernize the Danube river fleet, transfer diesel ships to the use of alternative fuels, create new ship engines with low emissions, improving the environmental situation on the river. New passenger and merchant ship designs are being created with these requirements in mind.
.Tourist routes
The shallow headwaters of the Danube are inaccessible to cruise ships, but in these scenic areas local tour bureaus offer trips on the river by kayak and motorboat.
There is an international pedestrian tourist route along the Danube – Straße der Kaiser und Könige (“Road of Emperors and Kings”). The route starts in the German city of Regensburg in Eastern Bavaria, passes through Passau, Linz, Vienna, Bratislava and ends in Budapest. The same route can be traveled by excursion trains stopping at the most notable locations..
Popular among active travelers is the Danube Cycle Route, which runs from the river’s source near Donaueschingen to its mouth on the Black Sea coast. The length of the bicycle route, which passes through 8 Danube countries, is 2850 km. The route lies on both banks of the river, with separate lanes for cyclists on highways and road bridges.
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The busy Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (Budapest Ferenc Liszt), which receives flights from dozens of countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa, is also popular among Danube tourists. Only budget airlines Wizz Air and Ryanair with attractive ticket prices provide more than 60 destinations.
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The airport is connected to the center of the Hungarian capital by bus routes No. 100E (express) and No. 200E, bringing passengers to the nearest metro station Kebánya-Kispest. Electric trains run from Terminal 1 to Budapest West Railway Station, with a travel time of 25 minutes. There is a bus station at the airport, from where buses depart to tourist cities in Hungary, as well as to neighboring Danube countries – Serbia, Romania, Slovakia..
