The Danube is the largest Western European river with well-established navigation. Barges and bulk carriers operate on the river during the entire navigation period, and motor ships of tourist companies make tours along the Danube in the summer months, from May to September. The river is very picturesque, a gift for lovers of leisurely cruises and travelers who try to visit the maximum number of countries in one go. The Danube is quite suitable for such a purpose; ten European countries are located along its route.

The countries through which the Danube River flows begin in Germany, where the source is located. The mountains of the German Black Forest give rise to a great river. The birth of the Danube is surrounded by mystery. After traveling about thirty kilometers, the river suddenly disappears. All the water, to the last drop, goes underground, seethes there and rushes about, only to burst out after 12 kilometers in the form of a powerful spring, which was given the name Aach Spring. In 1876, this spring was tested; it turned out that it was fed entirely by water from the source of the Danube.

But the most interesting thing is that the Aach Spring gives all its water to the Radolfzeller Aach River, which carries it into Lake Boden, and from this lake originates one of the largest waterways in Germany. Nevertheless, the available water resources are quite sufficient for the Danube itself. After the turn near Regensburg, Germany, the river gains strength, gradually becomes full-flowing and slowly flows on. After passing through Austria and the Vienna Trench, the Danube River flows for some time along the border of Slovakia with Hungary. Or rather, it becomes a natural border between the two countries over a fairly long period. Then, in the Budapest area, it turns sharply to the south.

Now the path of the wonderful European river lies to the south, along the way the Danube divides the Hungarian capital - Budapest - into two cities, Buda and Pest. It must be said that Buda and Pest, together with the Danube, form one of the most beautiful places on the entire globe. The Hungarian capital is also the world capital of therapeutic and health baths. Many have brought Budapest to one of the first places in the medical recreation industry, and the Blue Danube helped the city in this.

Once the Danube crosses the southern border of Hungary, it again becomes a natural border between two countries, this time Serbia and Croatia. However, the Danube River soon turns sharply to the left, leaving the border and meeting the beautiful old city of Belgrade. There, the Danube receives one of its main tributaries. Having replenished its strength, it flows further towards Romania. And again, for the umpteenth time, the Danube River becomes a natural border between the two countries. Along the entire length of contact between Romanian territory and Bulgaria, the border runs along the Danube.

And only a little before reaching the shores of the Black Sea, the Danube River turns north to touch the southernmost point of Moldova and walk a little across Ukrainian soil. It divides into several branches, forming a classic triangle of a river delta, passes the last few kilometers and calmly pours its waters, tired from a long journey, into the hospitable Black Sea.

. Water flow length, carrying its waters across the lands of Central and Eastern Europe, equal to 2872 km. The area of ​​the water basin is 817 thousand square meters. km. The water drop from source to mouth is 678 meters. The river bed crosses or is the border of 10 states: Romania (29% of the basin area), Hungary (11.6%), Serbia (10.2%), Austria (10%), Germany (7%), Bulgaria (5. 9%), Slovakia (5.9%), Croatia (4.4%), Ukraine (3.8%) and Moldova (1.6%). If we take all the tributaries flowing into the river, then 9 more states are added, accounting for 10.6%.

From source to mouth

Source

The water flow originates in the Black Forest mountain range. It is located in the southwestern part of Germany. In these places is the small German city of Donaueschingen (population 21 thousand people). On the outskirts of the city, at an altitude of 678 meters above sea level, 2 mountain streams merge together: Breg and Brigach. It is they who unite into a river, which is gradually turning into one of the most important waterways in Europe.

Upper, middle and lower reaches

The river is conventionally divided into upper, middle and lower reaches. The upper one is considered from the source to Vienna. This is a real mountain river. It flows in a narrow valley between the Alps and the Bohemian Massif, which is characterized by steep slopes. The width of the water flow to the city of Ulm is 20-80 meters. Downstream the channel widens and reaches a width of 100-300 meters. The current speed reaches 2.8 m/sec. In many places the riverbed is fenced and straightened by dams.

The middle course is considered from Vienna to the gorge, called the Iron Gate. In this section the channel runs along the Middle Danube Plain. The river valley is wide and varies from 5 to 20 km. The riverbed is quite winding and branched. The current speed is 0.7-1.1 m/sec. In some places, the water flow breaks through the ridges and forms valleys. In such places it narrows to 150 meters, and the depth increases to 20 meters. In the Kazane gorge the maximum depth reaches 70 meters.

The lower reaches cross the Lower Danube Plain. It is considered from the Iron Gate gorge to the mouth. In this place the Danube River is flat. A wide floodplain valley, the width of which reaches 10-20 km, branches into channels and branches. The width of the water flow reaches 2 km, the depth is 5-7 meters with a flow speed of 1 m/sec.

Estuary

At the mouth, the river forms a delta, which in its area is second only to the area of ​​the Volga. Its area is 4150 square meters. km. Of these, 3.5 thousand sq. km are located on the territory of Romania, and the rest belongs to Ukraine. The nature of the delta is marshy and cut by branches. There are 3 main sleeves or arms. These are Kiliyskoye, Georgievskoye and the main shipping route - Sulinskoye. The delta is 75 km long and 65 km wide. Each branch creates its own deltas and flows into the Black Sea separately.

Danube River on the map

Branches and tributaries

The river is characterized by branches. Some of them extend more than 10 km from the main water flow. The longest branches are considered to be the Moson branch, Dunera-Veke, Small Danube, Borcha and Shoroksharsky. As for the tributaries, there are 300 of them. Of these, 34 are navigable.

It should be noted that the water flow basin is asymmetrical. Its right-bank part accounts for 44%, and the right-bank part - 56%. Most of the tributaries are located in mountainous areas, and there are very few of them on the flat landscape. Most of the tributaries are navigable. Among them we can name Iller, Isar, Morava, Drava, Tisa, Prut, Siret and Gron.

Cities

Many European cities are located on the banks of the mighty water stream. Four of them are capitals. This is Vienna - the capital of Austria. Belgrade is the capital of Serbia. Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and Budapest is the capital of Hungary. One of the German cities is Regensburg in Bavaria. It stands at the confluence of the Regen and Danube tributaries. In Bulgaria this is the city of Ruse, it is considered the 5th largest in the country.

Danube in Hungary

Shipping

Shipping is available all year round. In cold winters it stops for a couple of months. More than 100 million tons of transport cargo are transported along the river every year. In 1992, the Main-Danube Canal was built in Bavaria. He connected the Danube with the Rhine through the Main River, and the water flow became part of the waterway from the Black Sea to the North Sea. In the lower reaches there are Romanian and Ukrainian shipping canals. Through them, large ships get from the river to the Black Sea.

River feeding

Feeding is rain, snow, glaciers and groundwater. Flood and low-water regimes are traced. The maximum water level is recorded in June, the minimum in the winter months - December, January, February. In the lower reaches, the maximum water level is observed during the flood period. These are the months of April and May. The lowest is recorded in the autumn months - September and October. The annual flow is 210 cubic meters. km. Water consumption is 6.4 thousand cubic meters. m/sec.

The Danube River is the most important transport artery in Europe. It is of great economic importance for most countries and supplies water to a large number of cities. Without this water flow, life in a huge region would simply stop.

Alexander Arsentiev

The Danube Valley has that unique beauty that fascinates all tourists who decide to travel from the provincial German town of Passau towards the Austrian territories. Inn and Ilts mix their waters with the main channel of the Danube (Donau), giving it fullness and significance.

Danube Valley has that unique beauty that fascinates all tourists who decide to travel from a provincial German town Passau towards Austrian territories. Inn And Ilts mix their waters with the main channel Danube (Donau), giving it fullness and significance. You will see a picturesque bend of the river near the city Schlögen. In addition to the beautiful landscapes, it deserves attention Wilhering Abbey and the capital of the state of Upper Austria city.

You can deviate slightly from following the banks of the Danube and turn into. Here too monastery, but more luxurious in architecture. The picturesque ruins of the reconstructed city date back to the time of Roman rule. Enns. Next with its Old Town.

To the region Wachau the road will lead fishermen through the town Grain. This region is a UNESCO world cultural heritage. The local landscape consists of neat, surprisingly picturesque villages drowning in the greenery of vineyards and orchards, reminiscent of illustrations from the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. Monastery buildings and ruins of settlements from ancient times can be found everywhere.

Baroque style is revealed in the outlines (Stift Gottweig). The panorama of the Danube can be seen from the hill. It seems that nature itself is conducive here to spiritual pursuits and thoughts about God. It is not for nothing that the concentration of monasteries in the Wachau region is so great. The imperial road runs next to Göttwai. Part of the Way of St. James runs from Göttweig to Melk.

The towns on the banks of the Danube amaze with their beauty (Spitz) And . (Dürnstein) also famous for its ancient ruins. Down the river it turns out (Klosterneuburg), where the majestic monastery complex is located. Further (Wien) with its architecture and museums.

To the east of Vienna, grandiose excavations attract attention; these are Archaeological Park Petronel (Archäologischer Park Carnuntum). Roman history comes to life here; if you're lucky, you'll see gladiator fights and Roman tent camps. Similar events are often held for tourists.

To appreciate beauty national park (Nationalpark Donau-Auen), it is better to rent a bike or a boat. And in Orth Palace (Schloss Ort) you should definitely visit the multimedia exhibition and climb the observation tower. In the town (Hainburg) at the edge of Donau-Auen the Danube leaves Austrian territory.

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Cruises on the Danube were popular back in Soviet times. True, at that time only a few lucky people were able to ride along this river in Hungary or Yugoslavia. But now everyone has the opportunity to be on such a cruise.

The Danube is truly worth the trip: it is one of the largest and certainly the most contrasting rivers in Europe. It originates in Germany, passes through Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, outlines the border between Romania and Bulgaria, flowing into the Black Sea between Romania and Ukraine.
There are several options for traveling along the Danube. You can start the cruise from the Ukrainian Izmail, board the ship in Vienna, Passau or Budapest. No matter where you start, you'll see the famous Wachau Valley with peaks shrouded in a blanket of clouds, formidable castles hanging on the edge of cliffs and rolling vineyards.

The most interesting. The palaces of Vienna and Bratislava, as well as the cathedrals of Budapest, do not need special recommendations. There you can also visit the famous concert hall where the Grand Orchestra of Paul Mauriat performed. But even more interesting on such a trip are small towns. For example, the tiny Austrian Melk, where the abbey of Benedictine monks from 1089 is located on a high rock. The fortress is huge - a walk through it can take several hours. The library and, of course, the wonderful view from the hill of the river and the city are especially impressive.

German Passau will probably remind you of a bright postcard from... Italy. When the town burned to the ground in the 17th century, local authorities invited Italian craftsmen to work. A special attraction is the Cathedral of St. Stephen's, which houses the world's largest church organ (231 registers, 173,888 pipes).
Esztergom, which was once the capital of Hungary, will amaze with its huge cathedral. The temple is famous for the world's largest altar image, painted on a single piece of canvas.

For dessert, there will be a trip to the ruins of the Künringerburg fortress, where, according to legend, King Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned. By the way, from the ruins there is such an amazing view of the river and green valley that you want to voluntarily surrender to the authorities and “languish” here in captivity for at least a year.

Well-maintained Danube embankment– an excellent place to explore the sights of more than 10 European countries. The river's length of almost 3,000 km makes it the second longest in Europe and the longest waterway in the EU.

According to scientists, the name appeared in the Proto-Slavic language from Gothic, where it was a transformed Celtic word “Danuvius”. Celtic tribes lived on the banks of the Danube, which was then known as the Ister, in the first half of the 1st millennium BC. e. The famous ancient Greek researcher Herodotus wrote about this in his “History”, dating back to the 5th century. BC e.

The depth in different parts of the Danube River ranges from 2 to 2.8 m, and its source is in the German Black Forest. In the state of Baden-Württemberg, near the town of Donaueschingen, at an altitude of about 700 meters above the plain, the confluence of the Breg and Brigach mountain streams occurs. It is here, near the fortifications of the local fortress, that a well-maintained spring gushes out, considered the source of the famous river.

Source of the river

General information about the Danube

The mouth of the Danube is a delta on the Ukrainian-Romanian border, where its waters mix with the waters of the Black Sea.

The river basin is more than 800 thousand km 2. Along its entire length, sharp turns of the channel are observed: first to the southeast in the German mountain range, and then to the northeast. Near Regensburg is the northernmost point of the river bed, after which it flows again in a south-easterly direction and passes through the Vienna Basin, the Middle Danube Lowland, the Southern Carpathians and the Lower Danube Lowland. The southernmost mark of the channel is located near the Bulgarian town of Svishtov.

Approximately 30 km from its source near Immedingen, this waterway almost completely disappears underground for almost 200 days each year, only seeping through the limestone rocks.

Depending on the terrain, season and climatic conditions, the level of the navigable Danube River fluctuates between 1-5 m.

Romania and Serbia

Geography of the river

Finding on the map where the Danube River is located is not difficult: it is an adornment of many European countries, as well as a natural border for some of them. People can admire its beauty:

• Germany
• Austria
• Slovakia
• Hungary
• Croatia
• Serbia
• Bulgaria
• Romania
• Moldova
• Ukraine

It is also important to know which countries the Danube connects through its fairly extensive basin. Additionally, these include Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, Italy, Macedonia, Poland, Slovenia, Switzerland, certain regions of which are included in the river delta.

Nature

Major tributaries

To get an idea of ​​the importance of this waterway for the ecosystem of the entire European part of the continent, it is worth studying in more detail which rivers flow directly into the Danube. There are quite a lot of them, both on the right and left sides. The right tributaries are considered (the area of ​​flow is given in brackets):

• Iskar (Bulgaria);
• Iller and Isar (Germany);
• Morava (Serbia);
• Lech (Germany and Austria);
• Sava (Bosnia, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia);
• Drava (Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Italy, Hungary);
• Inn (Germany, Austria and Switzerland);
• Raba (Hungary and Austria);
• Enns (Austria).

The left tributaries of the river are (the territory of flow is given in brackets):

• Prut (Romania, Moldova and Ukraine);
• Morava (Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia);
• Siret (Romania and Ukraine);
• Vág i Hron (Slovakia);
• Tisza (Serbia, Slovakia, Hungary, Ukraine and Romania);
• Ipel (Slovakia and Romania).

The longest tributary of the Danube– Tisza, whose length is slightly more than 960 km. This river flows through the regions of five states.

Tisza River

Excursion along the Danube

River cruises on this majestic river are very popular due to the fact that in 7-8 days you have the opportunity to see at least half of Europe. The cost of such a trip on a comfortable ship, depending on the travel conditions, varies from 800 to 2000 euros. The standard route along the Danube includes visiting the following cities: