Location:
The River Danube has its source close to Donaueschingen in the Black Forest, from where it flows eastwards through Southern Germany crossing into Austria just to the east of Passau. In Austria the River continues eastward passing through largely agricultural areas before arriving in Vienna, and on to the border with Slovakia close to Bratislava. The flow of the Danube is ever eastwards and after Slovakia the river forms the border between Slovakia to the North and Hungary to the South. The Danube finally passes into Hungary approximately 50 kms before Budapest.
Following Hungary, the river flows on through Serbia and Romania before entering the Black Sea near to Galati. For a large section in Hungary the river defines the border with Croatia, then again between Romania and Serbia and finally the border between Romania and Bulgaria.
The images in this selection are on the stretch of the Danube between Budapest and Passau, travelling upstream (West) in 2018, from Budapest to Passau.
Context:
There is a fascinating multiple river / waterway system that cuts across Europe from the North Sea to the Black Sea, and is navigable throughout is length, except when low water levels exist. This system begins with the Rhine delta at Rotterdam and follows the River Rhine past Cologne, through the Rhine Gorge and on to Wiesbaden, where the River Main is joined. After passing through Frankfurt the Main is followed as far as Bamburg on the Main-Danube Canal, which is taken through Nuremberg to join the River Danube at Kelheim. From this point the Danube is used the whole way to its delta on the Black Sea. On the way the Danube passes through Passau, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Belgrade, Giorgiu and on to the Black Sea near Varna.
The Danube is the second longest river in Europe (2,880 km), after the Volga (3,960 km) it has some very beautiful sections where the river passes through gorges or twists and turns. However, when passing through level plains, the river widens to in excess of 1.5 km, is shallower and loses some of its character. The Danube passes through, or touches the borders of ten countries, as well as four capital cities: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrade.
The Danube river has been commercialised as a trade route from early times but lacks the predominance of the Rhine or Rhone, in a European sense. Nevertheless, as a result of early use of the River Danube by the Romans, it became an established trade route by medieval times. Nowadays large river barges can navigate the Danube from Braila in Romania, where sea-going vessels transfer cargo into the river barges, to Kelheim at the eastern end of the Rhein-Main- Danube Canal. Smaller vessels can be used to tranship cargoes further on in Germany, as far as Ulm in Wurttemberg.
After completion of the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal in 1992, the River Danube became part of a Pan-European waterway from Rotterdam on the North Sea, to Sulina on the Black Sea, a distance of 3,500 km. In 1994 the River Danube was classified as one of the 10 Pan-European transport corridors in Central Eastern Europe requiring major investment over a 10-15 year period.
Hydropower generation mainly takes place in the upper River Danube and there are 18 dams for this purpose. The dams are equipped with locks to enable shipping to pass and are positioned so that the water drop is limited to maximum 10-20m. There are 15 dams in the upper Danube, between Regensburg and Vienna, which is where the fastest drop in the river bed takes place. An “in river” turbine is used as the power generator and nearly all Danube countries depend on hydropower; in the case of Austria this amounts to 60% of the requirement. The number of locks below Vienna is much fewer, 1 near Bratislava, 2 at Iron Gates in the Carpathian Mountains, east of Belgrade.
From the late 14th to the late 19th century, the Ottoman Empire sought control of the River Danube, leading to conflicts with the countries in the river’s vicinity. Throughout the length of the River Danube, Castles and Fortifications were built and can be seen today in various states of repair. Many battles of the Ottoman-Hungarian wars (1366-1526) and Ottoman-Hapsburg Wars (1526-1791), were fought beside the Danube. These long running hostilities and international protagonists led to racial, religious and ethnic issues which came to prominence, becoming the catalyst the First World War as well as the Balkan Conflict in the 1990s. For a significant period, the River Danube passed through the Eastern Bloc and it was only with the break-up of the former Yugoslavia, which led to multiple conflicts throughout the 1990s, that this situation changed. Towards the end of the Balkan Conflict in 1999, the Danube was partially blocked owing to the bombing of three Serbian bridges by UN forces; the debris was finally cleared in 2002 and a temporary pontoon bridge used until 2005.
On a cheerier note, the Danube has been the driver for much of the cultural development, with many architectural icons, such as the Bratislava Opera House or the Hungarian Parliament building, beside the Danube in Budapest. Vienna is recognised as a prime centre of classical music and dance, with much emphasis on the Baroque period, composers such as Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert all worked in Vienna. The Romantic period followed with Hummel, Rossini and Paganini active in Vienna, as well as both Beethoven and Schubert, who made the transition from the Baroque to Romantic period. The Blue Danube Waltz of Johann Strauss was composed in 1866 and it has been consistently popular, even though it was originally considered a limited success.
Leading visual artists have been associated with Vienna in the form of the Danube School (16th Century: Altdorfer, Grunewald and Huber), The Vienna Secession (1897: Hoffman, Moser, Wagner and Klimt) and the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism (1946: Fuchs, Brauer, Hutter and Lehmeden).
The cultural background of Budapest also features some well-known composers such as Liszt, Schmidt, Dohnanyl, Ligeti and Rozsa. Much of Hungarian Classical music is based around folk music which produces a strong identity with the country. Hungary also has a unique attraction in thermal springs, that have created a spa culture both in Budapest and throughout the country since Roman times. There are around 1500 spa sites in Hungary.
All in all the River Danube has a compelling character, be it history, multiculturalism, technology or fabulous buildings of all ages. There is a cycle trail the whole length of the Danube which starts in Donaueschingen and finishes on the Black Sea Coast, which is another illustration of the unique nature of the river and its environs. Our river cruise in 2018 took us upstream from Budapest to just beyond Passau, where low river levels cut the journey short. In 2021 we are signed up to return to the Danube to make the downstream journey from Budapest to the Black Sea.
Rick Spurgeon, 10-Jan-2021
River Danube Contact Sheets for Reference:
