TheRhône (/roʊn/ROHN,French:[ʁon]ⓘ;Occitan:Ròse;Arpitan:Rôno)[1] is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in theAlps and flowing west and south throughLake Geneva and Southeastern France before discharging into theMediterranean Sea (Gulf of Lion). AtArles, near its mouth, the river divides into theGreat Rhône (French:le Grand Rhône) and theLittle Rhône (le Petit Rhône). The resultingdelta forms theCamargue region.
The nameRhône continues theLatinRhodanus name (GreekῬοδανόςRhodanós) inGreco-Roman geography. TheGaulish name of the river was*Rodonos or*Rotonos (from aPIE root *ret- "to run, roll" frequently found in river names).
The Greco-Roman as well as the reconstructed Gaulish name is masculine, as is Frenchle Rhône. This form survives in the Spanish/Portuguese and Italian namesakes,el/o Ródano andil Rodano, respectively. German has adopted the French name but given it the feminine gender,die Rhone. The original German adoption of the Latin name was also masculine,der Rotten; it survives only in theUpper Valais (dialectalRottu).
In French, the adjective derived from the river isrhodanien, as inle sillon rhodanien (literally "the furrow of the Rhône"), which is the name of the long, straightSaône and Rhône river valleys, a deep cleft running due south to theMediterranean and separating theAlps from theMassif Central.
Before railroads and highways were developed, the Rhône was an important inland trade and transportation route, connecting the cities ofArles,Avignon,Valence,Vienne andLyon to the Mediterranean ports ofFos-sur-Mer,Marseille andSète. Travelling down the Rhône by barge would take three weeks. By motorized vessel, the trip now takes only three days. The Rhône is classified as aClass V waterway for the 325 km-long (202-mile) section from the mouth of theSaône at Lyon to the sea atPort-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône.[3] Upstream from Lyon, a 149 km (93 mi) section of the Rhône was made navigable for small ships up toSeyssel. As of 2017[update], the part between Lyon andSault-Brénaz is closed for navigation.[4]
The Rhône is infamous for its strong current when the river carries large quantities of water: current speeds up to 10 km/h (6.2 mph) are sometimes reached, particularly in the stretch below the last lock atVallabrègues and in the relatively narrow first diversion canal south of Lyon. The 12 locks are operated daily from 5:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. All operation is centrally controlled from one control centre at Châteauneuf. Commercial barges may navigate during the night hours by authorisation.[5]
The Rhône begins as themeltwater of theRhône Glacier inValais, in theSwiss Alps, at an altitude of approximately 2,208 metres (7,244 ft).[6] From there it flows southwest throughGletsch and the Goms, the uppermost valley region of the Valais beforeBrig. In the Brig area, it receives the waters of theMassa from theAletsch Glacier, the longest glacier of the Alps, and shortly after, it receives the waters of theVispa, the longest affluent in Valais. After that, it flows onward through the valley which bears its name and runs initially in a westerly direction about thirty kilometers toLeuk, then southwest about fifty kilometers toMartigny.
Down as far asBrig, the Rhône is a torrent; it then becomes a great mountain river running southwest through a glacial valley. Between Brig andMartigny, it collects waters mostly from the valleys of thePennine Alps to the south, whose rivers originate from the large glaciers of the massifs ofMonte Rosa,Dom, andGrand Combin, but also from the steeper slopes of theBernese Alps to the north, and theMont Blanc massif to the west. As a result, the Rhône Valley experiences a drier climatethan the rest of Switzerland, being sheltered by the three highest ranges of the Alps, making Valais the driest and largest wine region of the country.[7]
The Rhône flowing through the valleys of theSwiss Alps and arriving intoLake Geneva, in Switzerland
At Martigny, where it receives the waters of theDrance on its left bank, the Rhône makes a sharp turn towards the north. Heading towardLake Geneva (French:Le Léman), the valley narrows nearSaint-Maurice, a feature that has long given the Rhône valley strategic importance for the control of the Alpine passes. The Rhône then marks the boundary between thecantons of Valais (left bank) andVaud (right bank), separating two parts of the historical region ofChablais. It then enters Lake Geneva nearLe Bouveret, where the water flows west.
On the left (south) bank of Lake Geneva, the river Morge joins at the village ofSaint-Gingolph, and also marks the French-Swiss border. Westward, theDranse (unrelated to the Drance) enters the lake with its preserveddelta, and then theHermance marks another French-Swiss border. Between the Morge and Hermance, the lake is divided by the two countries along its centreline, with the left bank in France. The remainder of the lake is Swiss, including the entire right (north) bank. Here, the tributaries are theVeveyse, theVenoge, theAubonne, theMorges, among other smaller rivers.
After a total of 290 kilometres (180 mi) in Switzerland, the Rhône continues west, entering France and the southernJura Mountains. It turns toward the south, pastLac de Bourget, which the Rhône drains via theCanal de Savières. Continuing generally westward, the Rhône then receives the waters of theValserine, enters the reservoir created by theGénissiat Dam, and is then joined by theAin.
Mouth of the Rhône
ReachingLyon, the most populous city on its course, the Rhône receives its biggest tributary, theSaône, with an average flow of 473 m3/s (16,700 cu ft/s), compared to the Rhône's 600 m3/s (21,000 cu ft/s) at this point.[8] From this confluence, the Rhône follows a southward course. Along the Rhône Valley, it is joined on the right (western) bank by the riversEyrieux,Ardèche,Cèze, andGardon coming from theCévennes mountains; and on the left bank by the riversIsère, (with an average discharge of 333 m3/s (11,800 cu ft/s)),[8]Drôme,Ouvèze, andDurance (188 m3/s (6,600 cu ft/s)) from the Alps.
From Lyon, the Rhône flows south, in its large valley between the Alps and theMassif Central. AtArles, the Rhône divides into two major arms forming theCamarguedelta, both branches flowing into the Mediterranean Sea, the delta being termed the Rhône Fan. The larger arm is called the "Grand Rhône", the smaller the "Petit Rhône". The average annual discharge atBeaucaire is 1,700 m3/s (60,000 cu ft/s).[8]
Navigation was difficult, as the river suffered from fierce currents, shallows, floods in spring and early summer when the ice was melting, and droughts in late summer. Until the 19th century, passengers travelled incoches d'eau (water coaches) drawn by men or horses, or under sail. Most travelled with a painted cross covered with religious symbols as protection against the hazards of the journey.[11]
Trade on the upper river usedbarques du Rhône, sailing barges, 30 by 3.5 metres (98 by 11 ft), with a 75-tonne (165,000 lb) capacity. As many as 50 to 80 horses were employed to haul trains of five to seven craft upstream. Goods would be transshipped at Arles into 23-metre (75 ft) sailing barges calledallèges d'Arles for the final run down to the Mediterranean.
The first experimentalsteam boat was built at Lyon byJouffroy d'Abbans in 1783. Regular services were not started until 1829 and they continued until 1952. Steam passenger vessels 80 to 100 metres (260–330 ft) long made up to 20 km/h (11 kn) and could do the downstream run from Lyon to Arles in a day. Cargo was hauled inbateau-anguilles, boats 157 by 6.35 metres (515.1 by 20.8 ft) with paddle wheels amidships, andbateaux crabes, a huge toothed "claw"wheel 6.5 metres (21 ft) across to grip the river bed in the shallows to supplement the paddle wheels. In the 20th century, powerful motor barges propelled by diesel engines were introduced, carrying 1,500 tonnes (3,300,000 lb).
In 1933, theCompagnie Nationale du Rhône (CNR) was established to improve navigation and generate electricity, also to develop irrigated agriculture and to protect the riverside towns and land from flooding. Some progress was made in deepening the navigation channel and constructing scouring walls, butWorld War II brought such work to a halt. In 1942, following the collapse ofVichy France, Italian military forces occupied southeastern France up to the eastern banks of the Rhône, as part of the Italian Fascist regime's expansionist agenda.
In 1948, the French government started construction of a series of dams and diversion canals, with a navigation lock beside the hydroelectric power plant on each of these canals. The locks were up to 23 metres (75 ft) deep. After building theGénissiat dam on the Upper Rhône (with no lock) in 1948,[12][13] designed to meet the electricity needs of Paris, twelve hydroelectric plants and locks were built between 1964 and 1980. With a total head of 162 m (531 ft), they produce 13 GWh of electricity annually, or 16% of the country's total hydroelectric production (20% if the Upper Rhône schemes are added). There have been significant benefits for agriculture throughout the Rhône valley.
With the Lower Rhône project completed, CNR turned its attention to the Haut-Rhône (Upper Rhône), and built fourhydropower dams in the 1980s: Sault-Brénaz, Brégnier-Cordon, Belley-Brens and Chautagne. It also drew up plans for the high-capacity Rhine-Rhône Waterway, along the route of the existingCanal du Rhône au Rhin, but this project was abandoned in 1997. In the period from 2005 to 2010, navigation locks of small barge dimensions (40 by 6 m) were built to bypass the last two, forming a navigable waterway network with Lake Bourget, through theCanal de Savières.[14]
^Margat, Jean F. (2004).Mediterranean Basin Water Atlas.UNESCO. p. 4.ISBN9782951718159.There are few rivers with an abundant flow. Only three rivers have a mean discharge of more than 1000 m3/s: the Nile (at Aswan), the Rhône and the Po.
^Edwards-May, David (2010).Inland Waterways of France. St Ives, Cambs., UK: Imray. pp. 210–220.ISBN978-1-846230-14-1.
^"255 Sustenpass" (Map).Rhône source(online map) (2015 ed.). 1:50 000. National Map 1:50 000 – 78 sheets and 25 composites (in German). Cartography by Swiss Federal Office for Topography, swisstopo. Berne, Switzerland: Swiss Federal Office for Topography, swisstopo. 2013.ISBN978-3-302-00255-2. Retrieved2015-10-18.
^Amazing Swiss wine regions to discover, swisswine.ch. ("Valais is Switzerland's largest wine producer. It is renowned for its sunny and dry microclimate. The vineyards line the north slopes of the Rhone valley, rising up narrow, steep terraces and overlooked by snow covered peaks.")
^abcFreeman, Philip. John T. Koch (ed.).Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia. Vol. I.ABC-CLIO. p. 901.ISBN1-85109-440-7.
^McKnight, Hugh (September 2005).Cruising French Waterways (4th ed.). Sheridan House.ISBN978-1-57409-210-3.
^Civil Engineering, Volume 43. Morgan-Grampian. 1948. p. 136.In 1933 a state-controlled company was formed in France with the object of undertaking the planning and execution of extensive development works on the Rhône. Of these Génissiat works, the Génissiat dam and Dam power station are the most important. Started in February 1937, the construction of the dam has now been completed and on January 15th, 1948, was commenced the operation of filling the dam with water, which extended over six days.
^Far Eastern Economic Review Interactive Edition, Volume 25. Review Publishing Company Limited. 1958. p. 7.The Génissiat dam is a powerful structure, 360 feet high and 470 feet wide, which locks the Rhône near the town of Bellegarde and stores more than two billion cubic feet of water. With this water, 5 generators of 90,000 H.P. produce 1,700 million kWh. annually. The structure, which was started in 1937 and completed in 1948, was only the first phase of a gigantic project involving the ultimate
Champion, Maurice (1858–1864),Les inondations en France depuis le VIe siècle jusqu'a nos jours (6 Volumes) (in French), Paris: V. Dalmont Scans:Volume 3 (1861) (Bassin du Rhône starts at page 185),Volume 4 (1862).
Pritchard, Sara B. (2011),Confluence: The Nature of Technology and the Remaking of the Rhône, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press,ISBN978-0-674-04965-9 A social, environmental, and technological history of the transformation of the river since 1945.
Rhône,Petit-Rhône, andHaut-Rhône guides, with maps, detailed plans and information on places, moorings and facilities by the author ofInland Waterways of France, Imray
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