High Rhine

The High Rhine (German: Hochrhein) is the name used in Germany for the part of the Rhine River that flows westbound from Lake Constance to Basel.

The High Rhine begins at the out flow of the Rhine from the Untersee in Stein am Rhein and turns into the Upper Rhine in Basel. In contrast to the Alpine Rhine and Upper Rhine, the High Rhine flows mostly to the west.

The section is marked by Rhine-kilometers 0 to 165, measurements beginning at the outflow of the Obersee at the Old Rhine Bridge in Constance. It is the first of four sections (High Rhine, Upper Rhine, Middle Rhine, Lower Rhine) of the Rhine between Lake Constance and the North Sea. In Switzerland, similar names refer to different parts. In the western part, the Rhine marks the border between Germany and Switzerland, while in the eastern part, Switzerland owns also areas north of the Rhine, surrounding the German exclave of Büsingen.

The term High Rhine was introduced by scientists in the 19th century. Above all geologists tried to differentiate the High Rhine linguistically from the Upper Rhine. Until the 19th century, it was also known as the "Badisch-Swiss Rhine".

The Rhine Falls, which are the largest plain waterfalls of Europe, are in the municipalities of Neuhausen am Rheinfall and Laufen-Uhwiesen, near the town of Schaffhausen. They are 150 metres (490 ft) wide and 23 metres (75 ft) high. In the winter months, the average water flow is 250 cubic metres per second (8,800 cu ft/s), while in the summer, the average water flow is 600 cubic metres per second (21,000 cu ft/s).

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