Down the Danube
The Donauversickerung (Danube Sink), Immendingen, Germany: An ever increasing portion of the Danube's headwaters are being channeled instead into the adjacent Rhine River, because the level of the latter is much lower and the Danube's source geology is that of porous limestone. During summer low flow days, the Danube completely sinks away into underground channels, only to resurface 12 km south at the Rhine wellspring in Aachtopf. It is estimated that the Danube upper course will one day disappear entirely in favour of the Rhine, an event called stream capturing.
Photo: Rainer Haas (2008) | Text: Emma Brewin
Down the Danube
Great White Pelican, Danube Delta, Romania: The Danube Delta is home to the world's largest reed bed expanse, 625,000 acres in total, which attract the largest numbers of Great White Pelicans in Europe and 60% of the world's population of Pygmy Cormorants. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991, the delta continues to grow every year, as the river deposits 67 million tons of alluvia annually. River habitat environmental degradation due to urbanisation, pollution, canalisation, drainage schemes, and over-fishing have endangered these two species in the Danube River basin.
Photo: Mugur Paun (2008) | Text: Emma Brewin
Down the Danube
Naturpark Obere Donau (Upper Danube Nature Park), Swabian Alps, Bavaria, Germany: All forms of the name Danube ultimately derive from the Iranian dānu, meaning ‘river' or ‘stream'. Other major European river names from this root include the Donets, Dnieper, Dniester, the Don River, Russia and the River Don, England.
Photo: Rainer Haas (2008) | Text: Emma Brewin
Down the Danube
Jewish World War II Memorial, Budapest, Hungary: The river is integral to the culture of many of the cities and countries it passes through, but especially in Budapest, where it splits the city into the two, noticeably different, banks of Buda and Pest. Created by Hungarian artists Gyula Pauer and Can Togay, the 'Cipok a Dunaparton' (Shoes on the Danube) memorial commemorates Budapest Jews shot into the Danube by the anti-Semitic Arrow Cross militia during World War II.
Photo: Dave Coombs/Dario Celli (2008) | Text: Emma Brewin
Down the Danube
Swimmer on the banks of the Danube, Serbia: Serbia's stretch of the Danube, and the economic prosperity of many European shipping companies, was heavily impacted by the Balkan War in the 1990s, when NATO air strikes destroyed all three of the city of Novi Sad's road and rail bridges and blocked the river with underwater rubble and debris. Makeshift ferry services were used to cross the river for several months, and the last replacement bridge was finished in 2005.
Photo: Thom Davies (2008) | Text: Emma Brewin
'It's all about cooperation': Frank van Lamoen
