The Danube River

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I have always wanted to go on a River Cruise on the Danube River. I know I have mentioned that before on myLot. So, I wanted to find out a little more about this beautiful river. I didn’t realize, for instance that the Danube River was a barrier against invading armies for many centuries, since it formed the eastern boundary of the Roman Empire. However, today, the Danube is a thriving waterway that actually acts as a link between the ten countries through which it passes or forms a border of, beginning in the Black Forest of Germany where the Breg and Brigach Rivers converge to form the Danube. The ten countries are Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine. It’s the second longest river in Europe at 1,780 miles (2,860 kilometers.) The Volga River is longer. Along the banks of the Danube are ship-building towns and industrial entities and many barges go up and down this river. Some of the cities along the Danube are the capital city of Budapest, Hungary, which at one time was two towns; Buda on the right bank and Pest on the left bank. It became a single city in 1872. Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, and Vienna, the capital of Austria are also located on the Danube. I looked at the map of the Danube and was fascinated to see that the Danube flows mostly EAST until it finally reaches the Black Sea. About 20 million people rely on the Danube River for their drinking water. About 70 cruise ships travel between Vienna and Budapest and I was surprised to learn that the Danube River is a graveyard for many German ships that were sunk in the river to keep the Russians from gaining control of them, during World War II. There are also upward of 700 dams on the Danube Rivers tributaries in several European countries and in 1991, the Danube River was designated a UNESCO Heritage Site. Have you ever seen any part of the Danube? I want to go on a Danube River cruise. Have you ever been? Picture by Pixabay