Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...
Act) (officially: Revised Rhine Navigation Act of 17 October 1868) is an international agreement that regulates vessel traffic on the
Rhine
The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
. The principles of the Treaty are:
* Free shipping
* Equal treatment of sailors and fleet
* Exemption from shipping charges
* Simplified customs clearance
* Obligation to maintain the Rhine's banks
* Standardization of ship safety and ship traffic regulations
* A single jurisdiction for shipping matters and the establishment of the Rhine waterway courts
* Establishing a commission to monitor these principles
History
*1648: Free shipping on the Rhine was first settled, in the
Peace of Westphalia
The Peace of Westphalia (, ) is the collective name for two peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought peace to the Holy Roman Empire ...
, but could not prevail in practice.
*1815: Called the Final Act of the
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...
, the freedom of navigation of international waters of the Rhine and the establishment of a commission.
*1816: This Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine first met in Mainz, Germany.
*31 March 1831: The Mainzer Akte was agreed to.
*1861: The Commission was transferred to Mannheim.
*17 October 1868: The Convention of Mannheim was signed by Baden, Bavaria, France, Hesse, the Netherlands and Prussia, valid in its principles today.
*1919: It was changed by the
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty signed on 28 June 1919. As the most important treaty of World War I, it ended the state of war between Germany and most of the Allies of World War I, Allied Powers. It was signed in the Palace ...
Article 355 of the Convention of Mannheim.
*1920: The headquarters of the Commission was moved to
Strasbourg
Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...
.
*1963: An agreement was confirmed with the principles of the Mannheim Act (enacted in 1967) and
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
was a signatory.
It is now implemented by the
Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine
The Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine (CCNR; ; ; ) is an international organisation with five member countries, whose function is to encourage European prosperity by guaranteeing a high level of security for navigation of the Rhi ...