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, photo = File:SBB RABe 514 DTZ Rheinfall.jpg , photo_width = 280 , photo_caption = Rhine Falls with Rheinfall Bridge and Laufen Castle , location = On the border between the cantons of
Schaffhausen Schaffhausen (; gsw, Schafuuse; french: Schaffhouse; it, Sciaffusa; rm, Schaffusa; en, Shaffhouse) is a town with historic roots, a municipality in northern Switzerland, and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimate ...
and
Zürich , neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon , twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco Z ...
next to
Schaffhausen Schaffhausen (; gsw, Schafuuse; french: Schaffhouse; it, Sciaffusa; rm, Schaffusa; en, Shaffhouse) is a town with historic roots, a municipality in northern Switzerland, and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimate ...
, in northern
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, coordinates = , watercourse =
Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , source ...
, type = Segmented Block , elevation = , height = , width = , number_drops = 1 , average_flow = during winter,
during summer , world_rank = The Rhine Falls (german: Rheinfall , a singular noun) is a
waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several ...
located in
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
and the most powerful waterfall in
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
. The falls are located on the High Rhine on the border between the cantons of
Schaffhausen Schaffhausen (; gsw, Schafuuse; french: Schaffhouse; it, Sciaffusa; rm, Schaffusa; en, Shaffhouse) is a town with historic roots, a municipality in northern Switzerland, and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimate ...
(SH) and
Zürich , neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon , twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco Z ...
(ZH), between the municipalities of Neuhausen am Rheinfall (SH) and Laufen-Uhwiesen/ Dachsen (ZH), next to the town of
Schaffhausen Schaffhausen (; gsw, Schafuuse; french: Schaffhouse; it, Sciaffusa; rm, Schaffusa; en, Shaffhouse) is a town with historic roots, a municipality in northern Switzerland, and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimate ...
in northern
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. They are wide and high. In the winter months, the average water flow is , while in the summer, the average water flow is . The highest flow ever measured was more than 1250m3/s in 1999, previous to that the record was in 1965; and the lowest, in 1921. The falls cannot be climbed by fish, except by eels that are able to worm their way up over the rocks.


Geology

The Rhine Falls were formed in the last ice age, approximately 14,000 to 17,000 years ago, by
erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is d ...
-resistant rocks narrowing the riverbed. The first
glacial A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate betwe ...
advances created today's landforms approximately 500,000 years ago. Up to the end of the
Wolstonian Stage The Wolstonian Stage is a middle Pleistocene stage of the geological history of Earth from approximately 374,000 until 130,000 years ago. It precedes the Eemian Stage in Europe and follows the Hoxnian Stage in the British Isles. It is also appr ...
approximately 132,000 years ago, the Rhine flowed westwards from
Schaffhausen Schaffhausen (; gsw, Schafuuse; french: Schaffhouse; it, Sciaffusa; rm, Schaffusa; en, Shaffhouse) is a town with historic roots, a municipality in northern Switzerland, and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimate ...
past Klettgau. This earlier riverbed later filled up with gravel. About 132,000 years ago the course of the river changed southwards at Schaffhausen and formed a new channel, which also filled up with gravel. Part of the Rhine today includes this ancient riverbed. During the Würm glaciation, the Rhine was pushed far to the south to its present course, over a hard
Late Jurassic The Late Jurassic is the third epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time from 163.5 ± 1.0 to 145.0 ± 0.8 million years ago (Ma), which is preserved in Upper Jurassic strata.Owen 1987. In European lithostratigraphy, the name ...
limestone bed. As the river flowed over both the hard limestone and the easily eroded gravel from previous glaciations, the current waterfall formed about 14,000 to 17,000 years ago. The Rheinfallfelsen, a large rock, is the remnant of the original limestone cliff flanking the former channel. The rock has eroded very little over the years because relatively little sediment comes down the Rhine from
Lake Constance Lake Constance (german: Bodensee, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Lak ...
. The formation of the Rhine Falls is shown in a permanent exhibition at the
Museum zu Allerheiligen Kloster Allerheiligen (All Saints abbey) is a former Benedictine monastery in the Swiss municipality of Schaffhausen in the Canton of Schaffhausen. The church ''Münster Allerheiligen'' is the oldest building in Schaffhausen, and houses also the ...
in
Schaffhausen Schaffhausen (; gsw, Schafuuse; french: Schaffhouse; it, Sciaffusa; rm, Schaffusa; en, Shaffhouse) is a town with historic roots, a municipality in northern Switzerland, and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimate ...
.


Economics

The north side of the falls is a
mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Textile mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic unit of the Analytical Engine early ...
site. In the 17th century, a blast furnace for smelting
iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the ...
found in the limestone was built. It was in operation until the first half of the 19th century. In 1887 the ironworks applied for permission to divert between one fifth to one half of the river's flow for
electricity generation Electricity generation is the process of generating electric power from sources of primary energy. For utilities in the electric power industry, it is the stage prior to its delivery ( transmission, distribution, etc.) to end users or its s ...
. The
Swiss Alpine Club The Swiss Alpine Club (german: Schweizer Alpen-Club, french: Club Alpin Suisse, it, Club Alpino Svizzero, rm, Club Alpin Svizzer) is the largest mountaineering club in Switzerland. It was founded in 1863 in Olten and it is now composed of 111 ...
, the Schweizerische Naturforschende Gesellschaft (a nature group) and several scientific societies opposed the plan. In 1913 an international competition was held for the best plan for a shipping route between
Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (B ...
and Lake Constance. In 1919, a company wanting to build power stations in northern Switzerland were told that any such station at the Rhine Falls "must serve the economic interest of the public". In 1944, the Swiss Council of States granted permission to build the proposed power station. The permission was to become effective on 1 February 1948, with construction to begin in 1952. But in 1951, the Neuen Helvetischen Gesellschaft (New Swiss Society), under the leadership of Emil Egli, got 150,000 Swiss citizens to sign a petition protesting the project; among the signatories were 49 famous citizens, including
Hermann Hesse Hermann Karl Hesse (; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include '' Demian'', '' Steppenwolf'', '' Siddhartha'', and '' The Glass Bead Game'', each of which explores an individual ...
and Carl Jacob Burckhardt. The petition not only scuttled the power station project, but effectively prevented all future hydropower and navigation engineering projects on the upper Rhine to the present day. Today, the falls are still under consideration for
hydropower Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of ...
projects. If the full water flow were used, the power generated would average approximately 50 MW. The economic value of the falls as a
tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural ...
may be greater.


Tourism

The nearest communities are Neuhausen am Rheinfall just north of the Rhine Falls, where tourists can also view the
Wörth Castle The Wörth Castle is a fortification in the Swiss municipality of Neuhausen am Rheinfall in the Canton of Schaffhausen. Geography The water castle is located at the ''Rheinfall'', built on a small island in the Rhein river at the municipalit ...
(
Swiss German Swiss German (Standard German: , gsw, Schwiizerdütsch, Schwyzerdütsch, Schwiizertüütsch, Schwizertitsch Mundart,Because of the many different dialects, and because there is no defined orthography for any of them, many different spelling ...
: ''Schlössli Wörth''), and Laufen-Uhwiesen, with the Laufen Castle (German: ''Schloss Laufen'') overlooking the waterfall. Access to the other side of the river is possible through boat services or via a sidewalk on the railway bridge (''Rheinfallbrücke'') upstream of the waterfall. Aside from boat tours to the Rhine Falls' rock (''Rheinfallfelsen''), there are also
viewing platform An observation deck, observation platform, or viewing platform is an elevated sightseeing platform usually situated upon a tall architectural structure, such as a skyscraper or observation tower. Observation decks are sometimes enclos ...
s with views on the waterfall built on both sides of the Rhine River. These are reached via steep and narrow stairs (access by fee on the ''Schloss Laufen'' side). Elevators exist in some places. Guided tours of various lengths start from Laufen Castle on the
Zürich , neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon , twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco Z ...
side of the falls – a
youth hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory, with shared use of a lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and have private or shared ...
is also located in ''Schloss Laufen''. Various restaurants are located in ''Schloss Laufen'', ''Schlössli Wörth'' and the ''Rheinfall'' park.


Public transport

Public transport Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typi ...
in Switzerland is famous for its density and its coordination between services ( trains, busses and boats) due to the clock-face schedule. There are several
train station A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing ...
s near the Rhine Falls. The closest ones, within walking distance, are on the northern side of the falls and on the southern banks of the river. Both stations are serviced by
S-Bahn The S-Bahn is the name of hybrid urban-suburban rail systems serving a metropolitan region in German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit systems, while smaller ones often resemble c ...
trains only. The town of Neuhausen has two additional S-Bahn railway stations, and Neuhausen Badischer Bahnhof (Neuhausen Bad Bf), which are further away from the Rhine Falls. , the largest railway station in the area, is even farther away (ca. ), but can be reached by frequent bus services operated by Verkehrsbetriebe Schaffhausen (vbsh) and PostAuto. The closest bus stops in walking distance to the waterfall are ''Neuhausen Zentrum'' (Neuhausen Central) and ''Schloss Laufen, Rheinfall''. As of December 2022, the following services exist from/to railway stations near the Rhine Falls:


Train

InterCity InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to regional, local, or commuter trains) generally call at m ...
(IC) (combined hourly service): *From/to : : two-hourly service between and *From/to Schaffhausen: / IC 87: two-hourly service between Zürich HB and
RegioExpress RegioExpress (RE) is a fast regional train service in Switzerland, run by Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS) or other railway companies (such as TILO, BLS, tpf, transN, THURBO or RhB). It is comparable to the Regional-Express in Germany, ...
(RE) / Interregio-Express (IRE): *From/to : : hourly service between and (calling also at and ) *From/to Schaffhausen: : hourly service between and Friedrichshafen-Hafen Zürich S-Bahn: *From/to : : hourly service between and *From/to : / : combined half-hourly service between and . The S12 continues from Winterthur to *From/to /: : hourly service between and . This service continues from Winterthur to and : *From/to Neuhausen Badischer Bahnhof: : half-hourly service between and *From/to : : hourly service between and (half-hourly service combined with of Zürich S-Bahn)
St. Gallen S-Bahn The St. Gallen S-Bahn (german: S-Bahn St. Gallen) is an S-Bahn-style commuter rail in Eastern Switzerland and neighbouring areas. The network connects stations in the Swiss cantons of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Glarus, Grison ...
: *From/to : : half-hourly service between and (via )


Bus

(vbsh) lines: Trolley bus line 1 of vbsh (direction: ''Herbstäcker'') is the most direct bus service between Schaffhausen railway station and the Rhine Falls. *1: every 10 minutes between ''Waldfriedhof'' and ''Herbstäcker'' (via ), calling at bus stops ''Neuhausen Zentrum'' and ''Neuhausen, Kreuzstrasse'' (near Badischer Bahnhof) *7: every 10–20 minutes between and SBB, calling at bus stops ''Neuhausen, Kreuzstrasse'' and ''Neuhausen Zentrum'' *21: half-hourly to hourly service between and Beggingen, calling at ''Neuhausen, Kreuzstrasse'' bus stop PostAuto lines: *634: hourly service between and '' Schloss Laufen, Rheinfall''


Boat

During warmer seasons, frequent boat trips are offered from the Rhine Falls basin to one of the rocks in the middle of the waterfall (''Rheinfallfelsen''). There are no boat lines between the Rhine Falls and Schaffhausen (or any other town along the Rhine River), but from April to October there are regular boat services along the scenic High Rhine (''Hochrhein'') between Schaffhausen (''Schifflände'') and
Kreuzlingen Kreuzlingen is a municipality in the district of Kreuzlingen in the canton of Thurgau in north-eastern Switzerland. It is the seat of the district and is the second-largest city of the canton, after Frauenfeld, with a population of about 22,000 ...
(
Lake Constance Lake Constance (german: Bodensee, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Lak ...
), operated by the (URh). Frequent bus services (vbsh lines 6, 8, 25) are offered between ''Schifflände'' and Schaffhausen railway station.


Private transport

The Rhine Falls are easily accessible by car, coach, or bicycle. Large pay-parking lots are located on both sides of the Rhine Falls. The nearest exits on the A4 motorway are '' Uhwiesen'', '' Flurlingen'' or ''Schaffhausen Süd''.


History

Tourists have been awed by the Rhine Falls for centuries. In the 19th century, the painter
J. M. W. Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbul ...
made several studies and larger paintings of the falls, and the lyrical poet
Eduard Mörike Eduard Friedrich Mörike (8 September 18044 June 1875) was a German Lutheran pastor who was also a Romantic poet and writer of novellas and novels. Many of his poems were set to music and became established folk songs, while others were used by ...
wrote of the falls: :''Halte dein Herz, o Wanderer, fest in gewaltigen Händen!'' :'' Mir entstürzte vor Lust zitternd das meinige fast.'' :''Rastlos donnernde Massen auf donnernde Massen geworfen,'' :'' Ohr und Auge, wohin retten sie sich im Tumult?'' :(Hold your heart, oh traveller, tightly in mighty hands! :Mine nearly collapsed, shivering with pleasure. :Restlessly thundering masses thrown upon thundering masses, :Ear and eye, whither can they save themselves in such an uproar?) In 1840, author
Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an early example of science fiction. She also ...
visited the Falls while on a tour of Europe with her son. She described her visit in a travel narrative that she published in 1844, ''
Rambles in Germany and Italy ''Rambles in Germany and Italy, in 1840, 1842, and 1843'' is a travel narrative by the British Romantic author Mary Shelley. Issued in 1844, it is her last published work. Published in two volumes, the text describes two European trips tha ...
''. She says: "A portion of the cataract arches over the lowest platform, and the spray fell thickly on us, as standing on it and looking up, we saw wave, and rock, and cloud, and the clear heavens through its glittering ever-moving veil. This was a new sight, exceeding anything I had ever before seen; however, not to be wet through, I was obliged quickly to tear myself away.".


Gallery

Image:Rheinfall_Panorama_revised.jpg,
Panorama A panorama (formed from Greek πᾶν "all" + ὅραμα "view") is any wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography, film, seismic images, or 3D modeling. The word was originally coined i ...
of the Rhine Falls, April 2010. File:Rheinfall IMG 3772.JPG, A tourist boat near the falls. Rhine Falls, close-up.jpg, Close-up of the falls. File:Rheinfall - Schloss Wörth IMG 3787 ShiftN.jpg,
Wörth Castle The Wörth Castle is a fortification in the Swiss municipality of Neuhausen am Rheinfall in the Canton of Schaffhausen. Geography The water castle is located at the ''Rheinfall'', built on a small island in the Rhein river at the municipalit ...
. File:Rheinfall (Steg).jpg, Observation deck on the Zürich side. File:Rheinfall_Panorama_Switzerland.jpg, Rheinfall Panorama. File:Rheinfall LCD.jpg, Long exposure photograph of the Rhine Falls with Laufen Castle in the background.


See also

*
List of waterfalls by flow rate This list of waterfalls by flow rate includes all waterfalls which are known to have an average flow rate or discharge of at least . The waterfalls in this list are those for which there is verifiable information for, and should not be assumed to ...


References


External links

*
old pictures of the Rheinfall
{{Authority control Waterfalls of Switzerland Tourist attractions in Switzerland Block waterfalls Neuhausen am Rheinfall WRhine Falls