Travel information from Central and Eastern Europe

Tourbrochure.com Europe Travel Info Albania Austria Belarus Bosnia Bulgaria Croatia Czech Republic Estonia Germany Greece Hungary Italy Latvia Lithuania Macedonia Moldova Monte Negro Serbia Serbia: Banat Serbia: Kosovo Serbia: Vojvodina Poland Romania Slovakia Slovenia Switzerland Ukraine Yugoslavia Tourbrochure.com Travel Form Danube River Cruises Venice Simplon Orient Express Train Venice Simplon Orient Express Game

The Danube River The Danube is a river in Europe, second longest and one of the principal traffic arteries on the continent. It is the only major European river to flow from west to east. It rises in the Black Forest region of Germany and flows in a generally easterly direction, emptying on the Romanian coast into the Black Sea. The delta of the Danube is a region of desolate marshes and swamps, broken by tree-covered elevations. The Danube is navigable by ocean vessels to Bräila, Romania, and by river craft as far as Ulm in Germany. About 60 of the approximately 300 tributaries of the Danube are navigable. The principal ones, in the order in which they merge with the Danube, include the Lech, Isar, Inn, Morava, Váh, Raab (Rába), Drava, Tisza, Sava, Siret, and Prut. Important cities on the river include Ulm, Regensburg, and Passau, in Germany; Linz and Vienna, in Austria; Bratislava, Slovakia; Budapest, Hungary; Belgrade, Serbia; and Galati and Bràila, in Romania. Canals link the Danube to the Main, Rhine, and Oder rivers. The Danube Valley between Linz and Vienna, Austria, is noted for its beautiful scenery. The Danube has always been an important route between western Europe and the Black Sea. Early in the Middle Ages Goths, Huns, Avars, Slavs, Magyars, and other migratory peoples crossed the Danube on their way to invade the Roman, and later the Byzantine, Empire. It served as an artery for the Crusaders into Byzantium (Constantinople) and from there to the Holy Land; later it eased the advancement (beginning at the end of the 14th century) of the Ottoman Turks into western and central Europe. In the 19th century it became an essential link between the growing industrial centers of Germany and the agrarian areas of the Balkans. By the terms of the Treaty of Paris (1856), terminating the Crimean War, a European commission was established to control the delta. The commission made a number of changes in the delta and in the lower reaches of the river beneficial to navigation. In 1890 the Austrian government began a series of improvements in that part of the river known as the ! Iron Gate. The Treaty of Versailles (1919), concluding World War I, confirmed the European commission, and set up another one to control the Danube above the delta. During World War II the commissions were abolished by Nazi Germany, which controlled all of the river from 1940 to 1944. After the war the Communist-bloc nations bordering the river formed a new Danube Commission, headquartered at Budapest. Cities on the Danube River: Passau, Linz, Vienna, Budapest, Novi Sad, Belgrade (Beograd), Rousse, Braila, Galati, Tulcea, River Cruise Lines: Jewel River Cruise Line Ships on the Danube RIVER CLOUD II: from Passau (Germany) to Budapest (Hungary) MS Amadeus I, MS Amadeus Rhapsody, MS Amadeus Classic, MS Amadeus Symphony, MS Amadeus Royal, MS Amadeus Princess,MS Deltastar, MS Donaustar From: Passau - Vienna - Budapest - Kalocsa - Budapest - Esztergom - Bratislava - Vienna - Melk/Emmersdorf - Passau The Danube River at Petrovaradin, Novi Sad, Serbia

Information request form Your Name: E-mail Address: Re-enter your E-mail Address: Subject: Destination: When will you travel: How many will travel with you: Your Message: Tourbrochure.com Amazon Books