The Danube is the second-longest river in Europe. Since the opening of the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal in 1992, 14 European countries have been linked by the Rhine-Main-Danube waterway. The total length of the waterway from the estuary of the Danube into the Black Sea and the estuary of the Rhine into the North Sea is around 3,500 km. The Rhine-Main river region and the Danube are connected by the 171 km long Rhine-Main-Danube Canal. A total of 65 locks have to be passed between Vienna and Rotterdam.
Fees must be paid for travelling on the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal like on all other national waterways of the Federal Republic of Germany. The amount of the fees depends on the goods transported. No waterway fees are collected on the international waterways Danube and Rhine
Lenght | 2,888 km or 2,845 km from the confluence of the Breg and Brigach headstreams at Donaueschingen |
Navigable lenght | 2.411 km (Sulina - Kelheim) |
Catchment area | about 820,000 km² (66% on the right bank, 34% on the left bank |
Northernmost point | Regensburg (D), river kilometre 2,376 – 2,381 |
Southernmost point | Svistov (BG), river kilometre 554 |
Kilometre marking | from the delta of the middle tributary, 0 km mark at Sulina |
Navigability of the Danube waterway
(a) Nautical characteristics of the Danube sections
Navigable sections of the Danube
(Source: via donau
Upper Danube | Middle Danube | Lower Danube | |
Lenght of section | 621 km | 860 km | 930 km |
Catchment area | 131.000 km² | 568.000 km² | 820.000 km² |
Gradient | 0,20 - 0,45 %o | 0,06 %o | 0,05 - 0,01 %o |
Elevation | ~ 250 m | ~ 70 m | ~ 35 m |
Stream velocities
Upper Danube | |
Kehlheim / Passau: | 2,6 - 8,4 km/h |
Passau / Gönyü: | 0,4 - 13,7 km/h |
Middle Danube | 1,5 - 10,2 km/h |
Lower Danube | 0,5 - 8,0 km/h |
Water levels at Vienna
(Source: via donau)
Danube | Danube Canal | Total | |
Regulated low water level | 830 m²/s | 70 m²/s | 900 m²/s |
Avarage water level | 1.700 m²/s | 190 m²/s | 1.890 m²/s |
Highest navigable water level | 5.070 m²/s | 200 m²/s | 5.270 m²/s |
100 yesr flow | - | - | 10,400m²/s |
Depending on the geological and climatic conditions as well as on the tributaries, there are typical differences in the annual average of the water levels in the three sections of the Danube. Generally, the highest water levels are recorded in the upper section of the Danube between May and August, and the lowest water levels between October and March. In the middle and lower sections of the Danube, low water levels are observed between August and October and high water levels in the months of April and May.
(b) Danube tributaries and canals
The tributaries of the Danube are:
- On the right bank: Riss, Iller, Günz, Mindel, Lech, Isar, Inn, Traun, Enns, Ybbs, Erlauf, Traisen, Leitha, Répce, Rába, Sió, Dráva, Sava, Morava, Timok, Iskar, Osàm, Jantra
- On the left bank: Altmühl, Naab, Regen, Ilz, Mühl, Kamp, March, Váh, Nitra, Hron, Ipoly, Tisa, Timiş, Jiu, Olt, Vedea, Argeş, Ialomiţa, Buzău, Siret, Prut
In Croatia and Yugoslavia several tributaries of the Danube are used for navigation, i.e., the Dráva with the Osijek harbour, the Sava and the Tisa. In addition to the Tisa, the Danube is the second waterway connection between Yugoslavia and Hungary.
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