Isteiner Schwellen

Today we went swimming at the Isteiner Schwellen (Istein Rapids).

These are rapids in the Upper Rhine at river kilometer 177 near the southern Baden town of Istein, which belong to the municipality of Efringen-Kirchen.

They run parallel to the Rhine Lateral Canal (Grand Canal d'Alsace), built in 1928, and until then were used as a waterway for shipping from Basel and to the north.

The "Schwellen" are the last remnant of a Jura massif (Isteiner Klotz), which originally blocked the Rhine's path to the north and south. Due to the straightening of the Rhine by Johann Gottfried Tulla in the 19th century, this section was made navigable. Today, the Rhine is about 11 meters lower at this point.Read more