Mosel Bei Konz vom Freilichtmuseum Roscheiderhof

The Moselle ( , ; ; ) is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

that rises in the

Vosges mountains The Vosges ( , ; ; Franconian (linguistics), Franconian and ) is a range of medium mountains in Eastern France, near its France–Germany border, border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the bor ...

and flows through north-eastern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

to western

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It is a

left bank In geography, a bank is the land alongside a body of water. Different structures are referred to as ''banks'' in different fields of geography. In limnology (the study of inland waters), a stream bank or river bank is the terrain alongsid ...

tributary of 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 ...

, which it joins at

Koblenz Koblenz ( , , ; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz'') is a German city on the banks of the Rhine (Middle Rhine) and the Moselle, a multinational tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman military p ...

. A small part of

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

is in its basin as it includes the

Sauer The Sauer ( German and Luxembourgish, , ) or Sûre ( French, ) is a river in Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. A left tributary of the Moselle, its total length is . Rising near Vaux-sur-Sûre in the Ardennes in southeastern Belgium, the Sauer f ...

and the

Our Our or OUR may refer to: * The possessive form of " we" Places * Our (river), in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany * Our, Belgium, a village in Belgium * Our, Jura, a commune in France Other uses * Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), a governm ...

. Its lower course "twists and turns its way between

Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...

and Koblenz along one of Germany's most beautiful river valleys."''Moselle: Holidays in one of Germany's most beautiful river valleys''
at www.romantic-germany.info. Retrieved 23 Jan 2016. In this section the land to the north is the

Eifel The Eifel (; , ) is a low mountain range in western Germany, eastern Belgium and northern Luxembourg. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the southern area of the German-speaking Com ...

which stretches into

; to the south lies the

Hunsrück The Hunsrück () is a long, triangular, pronounced mountain range, upland in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the valleys of the Moselle (river), Moselle-Saar (north-to-west), the Nahe (south), and the Rhine (east). It is continued ...

. The river flows through a region that was cultivated by the Romans. Today, its hillsides are covered by terraced vineyards where "some of the best

Riesling Riesling ( , ) is a white grape variety that originated in the Rhine region. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and sparkling ...

s grow". Many castle ruins sit on the hilltops above wine villages and towns along the slopes.

Traben-Trarbach Traben-Trarbach () on the Middle Moselle is a town in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named ''Verbandsgemeinde'' and a state-recognized climatic spa (''Luftkurort''). The city is loc ...

with its

art nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

architecture and

Bernkastel-Kues Bernkastel-Kues () is a town on the Middle Mosel in the Bernkastel-Wittlich Districts of Germany, district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is well-known for its winegrowing. The town is a state-recognized health resort (''Erholungsort''), ...

with its traditional market square are two of the many tourist attractions on the Moselle river.

Name

The name Moselle is derived from the

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

name form, ''Mosela'', via the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''Mosella'', a diminutive form of ''Mosa'', the Latin description of the

Meuse The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of . History From 1301, the upper ...

, which used to flow parallel to the Moselle. So the ''Mosella'' was the "Little Meuse". The Moselle is first recorded by

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. Tacitus’ two major historical works, ''Annals'' ( ...

in Book 13 of his ''

Annals Annals (, from , "year") are a concise history, historical record in which events are arranged chronology, chronologically, year by year, although the term is also used loosely for any historical record. Scope The nature of the distinction betw ...

'' and in Book 4 of his ''

Histories Histories or, in Latin, Historiae may refer to: * the plural of history * ''Histories'' (Herodotus), by Herodotus * ''The Histories'', by Timaeus * ''The Histories'' (Polybius), by Polybius * ''Histories'' by Gaius Sallustius Crispus (Sallust) ...

''. The

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

poet

Ausonius Decimius Magnus Ausonius (; ) was a Latin literature, Roman poet and Education in ancient Rome, teacher of classical rhetoric, rhetoric from Burdigala, Gallia Aquitania, Aquitaine (now Bordeaux, France). For a time, he was tutor to the future E ...

made it a literary theme as early as the 4th century. In his poem dated 371, called '' Mosella'', which was published in 483

hexameter Hexameter is a metrical line of verses consisting of six feet (a "foot" here is the pulse, or major accent, of words in an English line of poetry; in Greek as well as in Latin a "foot" is not an accent, but describes various combinations of s ...

s, this poet of the

Late Antiquity Late antiquity marks the period that comes after the end of classical antiquity and stretches into the onset of the Early Middle Ages. Late antiquity as a period was popularized by Peter Brown (historian), Peter Brown in 1971, and this periodiza ...

and teacher at the Trier Imperial Court (''Kaiserhof'') described a journey from Bingen over the

hills to the Moselle and then following its course to Trier on the road named after him, the Via Ausonia. Ausonius describes flourishing and rich landscapes along the river and in the valley of the Moselle, thanks to the policies of their Roman rulers. The river subsequently gave its name to two French republican

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...

Moselle The Moselle ( , ; ; ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a bank (geography), left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it joins at Koblenz. A sm ...

and

Meurthe-et-Moselle Meurthe-et-Moselle () is a '' département'' in the Grand Est region of France, named after the rivers Meurthe and Moselle. Its prefecture and largest city is Nancy and it borders the departments of Meuse to the west, Vosges to the south, ...

Geography

The source of the Moselle is at above sea level on the Col de Bussang on the western slopes of the

Ballon d'Alsace The Ballon d'Alsace (; , ) (el. 1247 m.), sometimes also called the Alsatian Belchen to distinguish it from other mountains named " Belchen") is a mountain at the border of Alsace, Lorraine, and Franche-Comté. From its top, views include the ...

in the

Vosges The Vosges ( , ; ; Franconian and ) is a range of medium mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single geomorphological unit and ...

. After it discharges into the

at the

Deutsches Eck The Deutsches Eck (, "German Corner") is the name of a promontory in Koblenz, Germany, where the Moselle, Mosel river joins the Rhine. Named after a local commandry of the Teutonic Order, it became known for a monumental equestrian statue of Wil ...

at a height of above NHN sea level. The length of the river in France is , for it forms the border between Germany and Luxembourg, and is solely within Germany. The Moselle flows through the

Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...

region, west of the Vosges. Further downstream, in Germany, the

Moselle valley The Moselle Valley (, ; , ) is a region in north-eastern France, south-western Germany, and eastern Luxembourg, centred on the river valley formed by the river Moselle. The Moselle runs through, and along the borders of, the three countries, and ...

forms the division between the

and

mountain regions. The average flow rate of the Moselle at its mouth is ,Hydrologischer Atlas der Schweiz 2002, Tab. 5.4 ''Natürliche Abflüsse 1961-1980'' (natural discharges)
see map
) making it the second largest tributary of the Rhine by volume after the

Aare The Aare () or Aar () is the main tributary of the High Rhine (its discharge even exceeds that of the latter at their confluence) and the longest river that both rises and ends entirely within Switzerland. Its total length from its source to i ...

() and bigger than the

Main Main may refer to: Geography *Main River (disambiguation), multiple rivers with the same name *Ma'in, an ancient kingdom in modern-day Yemen * Main, Iran, a village in Fars Province *Spanish Main, the Caribbean coasts of mainland Spanish territ ...

and

Neckar The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, with a short section through Hesse. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the Rhine. Rising in the Schwarzwald-Baar ...

River sections

The section of the Moselle from the

–

tripoint A triple border, tripoint, trijunction, triple point, or tri-border area is a geography, geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries or Administrative division, subnational entities meet. There are 175 international tripoints ...

near

Schengen The Schengen Area ( , ) encompasses European countries that have officially abolished border controls at their common borders. As an element within the wider area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) policy of the European Union (EU), it ...

to its confluence with the

Saar Saar or SAAR has several meanings: People Given name * Sarr Boubacar (born 1951), Senegalese professional football player * Saar Ganor, Israeli archaeologist * Saar Klein (born 1967), American film editor Surname * Ain Saar (born 1968), E ...

near

Konz Konz () is a city in the Trier-Saarburg district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Saar and Moselle, approx. 8 km southwest of Trier. Konz is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective mu ...

shortly before

is in Germany known (geographically incorrectly) as the Upper Moselle. The section from Trier to Pünderich is the Middle Moselle, the section between Pünderich and its mouth in Koblenz as the

Lower Moselle The Lower Moselle ( or ''Terrassenmosel'') is the name given to the lower reaches of the Moselle river - just under 100 kilometres long - in Germany between Pünderich and the Moselle's confluence with the Rhine at Koblenz. The Lower Moselle la ...

or Terraced Moselle (''Terrassenmosel''). Characteristic of the Middle and Lower Moselle are its wide

meander A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the Channel (geography), channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erosion, erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank (cut bank, cut bank or river cl ...

s cut deeply into the highlands of the

Rhenish Massif The Rhenish Massif, Rhine Massif or Rhenish Uplands (, : 'Rhenish Slate Uplands') is a geologic massif in western Germany, eastern Belgium, Luxembourg and northeastern France. It is drained centrally, south to north by the river Rhine and a few ...

, the most striking of which is the ''Cochemer Krampen'' between

Bremm Bremm is an '' Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Cochem, whose sea ...

and

Cochem Cochem () is the seat of and the biggest town in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With just over 5,000 inhabitants, Cochem falls just behind Kusel, in the Kusel district, as Germany's second smallest district seat. Since ...

. Also typical are its vineyard terraces. From the tripoint the Moselle marks the entire Saarland–Luxembourg border.

Catchment

The

catchment area A catchment area in human geography, is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...

of the Moselle is in area. The French part covers , about 54 percent of the entire catchment. The German state of

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...

has , the

Saarland Saarland (, ; ) is a state of Germany in the southwest of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, and the smallest in ...

, Luxembourg ,

Wallonia Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...

in Belgium and

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

, .

Tributaries

The three largest

tributaries A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which the ...

of the Moselle are, in alphabetical order, the Meurthe, the

and the

. The Meurthe was the old upper course of the Moselle, until the latter captured the former upper reaches of the

and took it over. However, the Meuse only delivered a little more water than the Meurthe at its confluence. The Saar is the biggest of all the tributaries () as well as the longest (). The Sauer is the largest left-hand tributary and drains the region on either side of the German-Luxembourg border. The largest tributary relative to the Moselle at its confluence is the Moselotte, which is about 40% greater by volumetric flow and thus represents the main branch of the Moselle system. At its mouth, the Moselle delivers of water into the Rhine after flowing for . TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:xxxx ImageSize = width:500 height:auto barincrement:25 PlotArea = left:10 right:10 top:10 bottom:40 AlignBars = justify Colors = id:canvas value:rgb(0.97,0.97,0.97) BackgroundColors = canvas:canvas Period = from:0 till:250 ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:30 start:0 gridcolor:blue BarData= barset:Riverlength PlotData= width:18 fontsize:M textcolor:black color:skyblue shift:(20,-6) anchor:from barset:Riverlength from:start till:end width:20 color:drabgreen Text:The_10_longest_tributaries fontsize:10 from:start till:end width:20 color:canvas from:start till:227 text:

(227 km) from:start till:173 text:

(173 km) from:start till:161 text: Meurthe (161 km) from:start till:142 text:

Kyll The Kyll (), noted by the Roman poet Ausonius as ''Celbis'', is a river in western Germany (North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate), left tributary of the Moselle. It rises in the Eifel mountains, near the border with Belgium and flows ...

(142 km) from:start till:138 text: Seille (138 km) from:start till:97 text:

Madon The Madon () is a long river in the Vosges and Meurthe-et-Moselle '' départements'', northeastern France. Its source is near Vioménil. It flows generally north. It is a left tributary of the Moselle into which it flows at Pont-Saint-Vincen ...

(97 km) from:start till:86 text:

Orne Orne (; or ) is a département in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne. It had a population of 279,942 in 2019.Lieser (74 km) from:start till:63 text: Salm (63 km) from:start till:59 text:

Elzbach The Elzbach (also: ''Elz'') is a small river in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, a left tributary of the Moselle. It rises in the Eifel, near Kelberg. The Elz flows through Monreal and past Eltz Castle. It flows into the Moselle in Moselkern, in ...

(59 km) TextData= fontsize:M pos:(10,20) text:km TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:xxxx ImageSize = width:500 height:auto barincrement:25 PlotArea = left:10 right:10 top:10 bottom:40 AlignBars = justify Colors = id:canvas value:rgb(0.97,0.97,0.97) BackgroundColors = canvas:canvas Period = from:0 till:80 ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:10 start:0 gridcolor:blue BarData= barset:Riverlength PlotData= width:18 fontsize:M textcolor:black color:skyblue shift:(20,-6) anchor:from barset:Riverlength from:start till:end width:20 color:drabgreen Text:The_10_largest_tributaries_by_volume fontsize:10 from:start till:end width:20 color:canvas from:start till:78.2 text:

(78.2 m³/s) from:start till:53.8 text:

(53.8 m³/s) from:start till:41.1 text: Meurthe (41.1 m³/s) from:start till:13.7 text: Moselotte (13.7 m³/s) from:start till:12.4 text:

Orne Orne (; or ) is a département in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne. It had a population of 279,942 in 2019.Madon The Madon () is a long river in the Vosges and Meurthe-et-Moselle '' départements'', northeastern France. Its source is near Vioménil. It flows generally north. It is a left tributary of the Moselle into which it flows at Pont-Saint-Vincen ...

(11.1 m³/s) from:start till:10.5 text: Seille (10.5 m³/s) from:start till:10.2 text:

(10.2 m³/s) from:start till:9.7 text:

Vologne The Vologne () is a river of the Vosges department in France. It is a right tributary of the Moselle. Its source is in the Vosges Mountains, on the northwestern slope of the Hohneck. It flows through the lakes of Retournemer and Longemer, and p ...

(9.7 m³/s) from:start till:4.5 text: Alf (4.5 m³/s) TextData= fontsize:M pos:(10,20) text:m³/s TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:xxxx ImageSize = width:500 height:auto barincrement:25 PlotArea = left:10 right:10 top:10 bottom:40 AlignBars = justify Colors = id:canvas value:rgb(0.97,0.97,0.97) BackgroundColors = canvas:canvas Period = from:0 till:7500 ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:1000 start:0 gridcolor:blue BarData= barset:Riverlength PlotData= width:18 fontsize:M textcolor:black color:skyblue shift:(20,-6) anchor:from barset:Riverlength from:start till:end width:20 color:drabgreen Text:The_10_largest_catchments_of_the_tributaries fontsize:10 from:start till:end width:20 color:canvas from:start till:7431 text:

(7,431 km²) from:start till:4259 text:

(4,259 km²) from:start till:3085 text: Meurthe (3,085 km²) from:start till:1348 text: Seille (1,348 km²) from:start till:1268 text:

(1,032 km²) from:start till:843 text:

(843 km²) from:start till:402 text: Lieser (402 km²) from:start till:385 text:

Rupt de Mad The Rupt de Mad () is a long river in the Meuse and Meurthe-et-Moselle'' départements'', northeastern France. Its source is several small streams which rise at Geville, northwest of Toul. It flows generally northeast. It is a left tributary o ...

(385 km²) from:start till:369 text:

(369 km²) TextData= fontsize:M pos:(10,20) text:km²

List of tributaries

;From the left:

, Terrouin, Esch,

Orne Orne (; or ) is a département in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne. It had a population of 279,942 in 2019.Fensch, Gander, Syre,

, Salm, Lieser, Alf, Endert, Brohlbach, Elz. ;From the right: Moselotte,

, Meurthe, Seille,

, Olewiger Bach, Avelsbach,

Ruwer The Ruwer is a river in Germany with a length of . It is a right tributary of the Moselle. The valley of the Ruwer is a part of the Moselle wine-growing region near Trier in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is famous for its Riesling wines, ...

Feller Bach The Feller Bach is a right tributary of the Moselle in Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany). Its source is in the Hunsrück mountains. It flows through the villages Lorscheid (''Verbandsgemeinde'' Ruwer), Fell and Riol (''Verbandsgemeinde'' Schweic ...

, Dhron, Ahringsbach,

Kautenbach Kautenbach () is a village in the commune of Kiischpelt, in northern Luxembourg. In 2024, the village had a population of 152. Kautenbach was a commune in the canton of Wiltz until January 1, 2006, when it was merged with the commune of Wil ...

, Lützbach, Flaumbach, Altlayer Bach, Baybach, Ehrbach.

Towns

Towns along the Moselle are: * in France:

Épinal Épinal (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in northeastern France and the prefecture of the Vosges (department), Vosges Departments of France, department. Geography The commune has a land area of . It is situated on the river Moselle, so ...

Toul Toul () is a Communes of France, commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle Departments of France, department in north-eastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Geography Toul is between Commercy and Nancy, Fra ...

Pont-à-Mousson Pont-à-Mousson () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. Its inhabitants are known as ''Mussipontains'' in French. It is an industrial town (mainly steel industry), situated on the river Moselle. Pont-à-Mou ...

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

and

Thionville Thionville (; ; ) is a city in the northeastern French Departments of France, department of Moselle (department), Moselle. The city is located on the left bank of the river Moselle (river), Moselle, opposite its suburb Yutz. History Thionvi ...

* in Luxembourg:

Remich Remich ( ) is a commune with town status in south-eastern Luxembourg with a population of 4,101 inhabitants . It is situated in the canton of the same name. Remich lies on the left bank of the river Moselle, which forms part of the border betwee ...

Grevenmacher Grevenmacher (; ) is a commune with town status in eastern Luxembourg, near the border with Germany. It gives its name to the canton of Grevenmacher, and, until its abolition in 2015, the district of Grevenmacher. The town is situated on the l ...

and

Wasserbillig Wasserbillig ( ) is a town in the commune of Mertert, in eastern Luxembourg. , Wasserbillig has 3,485 inhabitants, which makes it the largest town in Mertert. Wasserbillig is the administrative seat of the commune of Mertert. Geography Wass ...

* in Germany:

Schweich Schweich is a town in the Trier-Saarburg district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Moselle, approx. northeast of Trier. Schweich is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") Schweich an der R ...

Zell Zell may refer to: Places Austria * Zell am See, in Salzburg state * Zell am Ziller, in Tyrol * Zell, Carinthia, in Carinthia * in Upper Austria: ** Bad Zell ** Zell am Moos ** Zell an der Pram ** Zell am Pettenfirst Germany * Zell im Fich ...

and

Adjacent mountain ranges

From Trier downstream the Moselle separates the two Central Upland ranges of the

(to the northwest) and the

(to the southeast).

Geology

The

, the present source region of the Moselle, were formed about 50 million years ago. In the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

and

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58ancient Rhine (''Ur-Rhein''). When, in the

Quaternary The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), as well as the current and most recent of the twelve periods of the ...

period, the

slowly rose, the meanders of the Moselle were formed between the

Valley and the Neuwied Basin.

Water levels

The highest navigable water level (HSW) is and normal level (NSt) is at the Trier Gauge (''Pegel Trier'').

High water High Water or Highwater may refer to: * High water, the state of tide when the water rises to its highest level. Film and television * Highwater (film), ''Highwater'' (film), a 2008 documentary * ''Step Up: High Water'', a web television series * ...

: * , Trier Gauge on 21 December 1993 * , Trier Gauge on 28 May 1983 * , Trier Gauge on 23 January 1995 * , Trier Gauge on 12 April 1983 * , Trier Gauge on 27 February 1997

Low water Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravity, gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide ...

: * in Bernkastel on 28 July 1921

History

The Moselle was known to the Romans by the name of ''Flumen Musalla'' (in the ''

Tabula Peutingeriana ' (Latin Language, Latin for 'The Peutinger Map'), also known as Peutinger's Tabula, Peutinger tablesJames Strong (theologian) , James Strong and John McClintock (theologian) , John McClintock (1880)"Eleutheropolis" In: ''The Cyclopedia of Bibli ...

''), and the river was romanticised by the poet

around 371. From 1815, the Moselle formed the border between the

Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembourg ...

and

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

(

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

in 1871). During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the Moselle was a barrier as the Allies advanced toward Berlin. In September 1944, the American Third Army in France mounted a drive to cross the Moselle at

Dieulouard Dieulouard (; formerly Dieulwart) is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. Dieulouard is located between Pont-à-Mousson and Nancy, on the left bank of the Moselle. It is the location of the Gallo-Roman city o ...

and split the German forces. Under the orders of Major General Manton S. Eddy, the 80th Infantry Division was given the objective of establishing a bridgehead that would allow Combat Command A (CCA) of the 4th Armored Division to advance into the rear of German forces and encircle the city of Nancy. On September 13, 1944, the 80th Division launched their assault accompanied by extensive artillery and air support, which helped to suppress the German defenses. The division managed to establish a foothold on the east bank of the river, securing a bridgehead at Dieulouard. With the bridgehead secured, Combat Command A of the 4th Armored Division crossed the Moselle and advanced towards Nancy, encircling the city and cutting off German supply lines. The 80th Division continued its advance, pushing towards the northeast and engaging in fierce combat with German forces. The operations to capture Nancy continued until September 15 when the city was liberated by the combined efforts of the 80th Infantry Division and the 4th Armored Division. The successful crossing of the Moselle River and the capture of Nancy dealt a significant blow to German defenses in northeastern France and further contributed to the Allied advance towards Germany. In the act of 10 April 1952 ratifying the treaty instituted by the ECSC, Article 2 charged the

French Government The Government of France (, ), officially the Government of the French Republic (, ), exercises Executive (government), executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister of France, prime minister, who is the head of government, ...

"to initiate, before the establishment of the

Common Market A single market, sometimes called common market or internal market, is a type of trade bloc in which most trade barriers have been removed (for goods) with some common policies on product regulation, and freedom of movement of the factors of ...

, negotiations with the governments concerned in order to achieve a rapid implementation of the canalisation of the Moselle between

and

. The River was canalised between

and

, via a canal opened in 1964 by the Grand Duchess,

Charlotte of Luxembourg Charlotte (''Charlotte Adelgonde Elisabeth Marie Wilhelmine''; 23 January 1896 – 9 July 1985) was Grand Duchess of Luxembourg from 14 January 1919 until her abdication on 12 November 1964. Her reign is the longest of any Luxembourgish monarch ...

, the Federal Chancellor of Germany,

Konrad Adenauer Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer (5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967) was a German statesman and politician who served as the first Chancellor of Germany, chancellor of West Germany from 1949 to 1963. From 1946 to 1966, he was the first leader of th ...

and their host,

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...

, President of France. It is on the Moselle, at the site of the France–Germany–Luxembourg tripoint, that the

Schengen Agreement The Schengen Agreement ( , ) is a treaty which led to the creation of Europe's Schengen Area, in which internal border checks have largely been abolished. It was signed on 14 June 1985, near the town of Schengen, Luxembourg, by five of the t ...

was signed in 1985, leading to the abolishment of border controls within the

Schengen Area The Schengen Area ( , ) encompasses European countries that have officially abolished border controls at their common borders. As an element within the wider area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) policy of the European Union (EU), it ...

Economy

The Moselle valley between Metz and Thionville is an industrial area, with

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

mining and

steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

manufacturers. The Moselle valley is famous for its scenery and wine. Most well-known is the German Mosel wine region, while the Luxembourg

winegrowing Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ...

region is called ''Moselle Luxembourgeoise'' and the French region is called '' AOC Moselle''. Most notable among the wines produced here are

Elbling Elbling () is a variety of white grape (sp. ''Vitis vinifera'') which today is primarily grown in the upstream parts of the Mosel region in Germany and in Luxembourg, where the river is called Moselle. The variety has a long history, and use ...

Müller-Thurgau Müller-Thurgau () is a white grape variety (sp. ''Vitis vinifera'') which was created by Hermann Müller from the Swiss Canton of Thurgau in 1882 at the Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute in Germany. It is a crossing of Riesling with Made ...

, Kerner, and Auxerrois. The German part of the Moselle is a tourist destination.

Navigation

After the Second World War, France pressed to be able to ply the Moselle with larger ships in order to be able to link the industrial regions of

. When, in 1955, the population on the Saar voted to belong to West Germany, France demanded as "compensation" an upgrade of the Moselle. On 27 October 1956 they concluded the Moselle Treaty with Germany and Luxembourg for a canalisation of the Moselle and conceded to Germany in return the extension of the

Grand Canal d'Alsace The Grand Canal of Alsace (, ; , ) is a canal in eastern France, channeling the Upper Rhine river. It is 50 kilometers (about 30 miles) long between Kembs and Vogelgrun, and provides access to the region from the Rhine River, Basel in Switzerla ...

on the

Upper Rhine Upper Rhine ( ; ; kilometres 167 to 529 of the Rhine) is the section of the Rhine between the Middle Bridge, Basel, Middle Bridge in Basel, Switzerland, and the Rhine knee in Bingen am Rhein, Bingen, Germany. It is surrounded by the Upper Rhine P ...

instead of an extension of the canal via Breisach. In 1958 work began and by 26 May 1964 the Moselle could be officially opened from Metz to Koblenz as a major waterway for shipping with 14

lock Lock(s) or Locked may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainme ...

s. France extended it by 1979 as far as

Neuves-Maisons Neuves-Maisons (, literally ''New Houses'') is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in North-Eastern France, on the banks of the Moselle. The city had a great steel industry during the 19th and 20th century. Neuves-Maisons erected a ...

. With that, of the Moselle have been upgraded with a total of 28 locks. In the years 1992 to 1999 the navigable channel was deepened from to , which enables 1,500-tonne freighters to use the river, a 20% increase in capacity. The channel has a width of , more on the bends. The

Moselle Commission Moselle Commission (originally ''International Moselle Commission'') is an intergovernmental institution established by all three Moselle riparian states (France, Luxembourg, and Germany) to regulate shipping on the Moselle and cooperate in the m ...

, founded in 1962 with its head office in Trier, is responsible for navigation. The Moselle Shipping Police Act which it has produced is valid in all three participant states from Metz to Koblenz. In 1921 the Moselle (Mo) became a

Reich ( ; ) is a German word whose meaning is analogous to the English word " realm". The terms and are respectively used in German in reference to empires and kingdoms. In English usage, the term " Reich" often refers to Nazi Germany, also ca ...

waterway, today it is a federal waterway (''Bundeswasserstraße'') from Apach at the tripoint to its mouth on the Rhine at kilometre point 592.29 in Koblenz. The waterway is long and managed by the Trier and Koblenz Water and Shipping Offices (''Wasser- und Schifffahrtsämtern Trier und Koblenz''). It is categorized as a European

waterway A waterway is any Navigability, navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other ways. A first distinction is ...

of Class Vb. Its kilometrage begins at its mouth at kilometre point 0 and runs upstream. Since 1816 it has formed a long condominium from Apach, a common Germany–Luxembourg sovereign area with a division of responsibilities set out in a 1976 agreement. The International Moselle Company, initially set up in 1957 to finance the construction of the river's upgrade, manages the shipping charges and the operation and maintenance of the waterway which they are used to fund. Staustufe Fankel

Today the Moselle is navigable for large

cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's List of seas, seas and Ocean, oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. ...

s up to long from the Rhine in Koblenz up to

, south of Nancy. For smaller ships it is connected to other parts of France through the

Canal de la Meuse The Canal de la Meuse () is the current name of what used to be the northern branch of the Canal de l'Est ("canal of the east"). It is a canal in northeastern France, predominantly made up of the canalised river Meuse. The Canal de l'Est was built ...

and the

Canal de la Marne au Rhin Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow u ...

. There are

s in

, Lehmen, Müden, Fankel, Sankt Aldegund, Enkirch,

Zeltingen Zeltingen-Rachtig is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Geography Location The municipality l ...

, Wintrich, Detzem,

Palzem Palzem is a municipality in the Trier-Saarburg district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. History From 18 July 1946 to 6 June 1947 Palzem, in its then municipal boundary, formed part of the Saar Protectorate The Saar Protectorate ( ; ), off ...

, Apach,

Kœnigsmacker Kœnigsmacker (; Lorraine Franconian: ''Maacher''/''Kinneksmaacher''; ) is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Kœnigsmacker was the birthplace of Father Jean-Vincent Scheil (1858–1940), a French Domin ...

Richemont Compagnie Financière Richemont S.A., commonly known as Richemont, is a Switzerland-based luxury goods holding company founded in 1988 by South African businessman Johann Rupert. Through its various subsidiaries, Richemont produces and sells jew ...

, Talange,

Ars-sur-Moselle Ars-sur-Moselle (, literally ''Ars on Moselle''; ) is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in northeastern France. History Ars-sur-Moselle was a part of Germany, in the imperial territory of Alsace-Lorraine, from 1871 to 1918. It ...

Pagny-sur-Moselle Pagny-sur-Moselle (, literally ''Pagny on Moselle'') is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. Population See also * Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department * Parc naturel régional de Lorraine Lorra ...

, Blénod-lès-Pont-à-Mousson, Custines,

Pompey Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey ( ) or Pompey the Great, was a Roman general and statesman who was prominent in the last decades of the Roman Republic. ...

, Aingeray,

Fontenoy-sur-Moselle Fontenoy-sur-Moselle (, literally ''Fontenoy on Moselle'') is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. See also *Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department The following is a list of the 591 communes of th ...

, Villey-le-Sec, and Neuves-Maisons. By 1970 more than 10 million tonnes of goods were being transported on the Moselle, the majority on towed barges. Upstream freight mainly comprised fuel and ores; downstream the main goods were steel products, gravel and rocks. There is an

inland port An inland port is a port on an inland waterway, such as a river, lake, or canal, which may or may not be connected to the sea. The term "inland port" is also used to refer to a dry port. Examples The United States Army Corps of Engineers publ ...

, a transshipment site in

Zell (Mosel) Zell (Mosel) is a town in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Zell has roughly 4,300 inhabitants and is the seat of the like-named ''Verbandsgemeinde''. Geography Location Zell is an hour's drive from both Koblenz and Tr ...

; and there are other ports in

Mertert Mertert () is a commune and town in eastern Luxembourg, on the border with Germany. It is part of the canton of Grevenmacher. The commune consists of the towns of Mertert and Wasserbillig. Mertert has a river port on the Moselle, the largest in L ...

and

Frouard Frouard () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in the region of Grand Est, north-eastern France. It is located 10 km north of Nancy near the confluence of the Moselle and Meurthe. It is noted for its Medieval mill; and wa ...

. In addition to freighters there are also pleasure boats for tourists between the very busy wine villages and small towns of the Middle and Lower Moselle. There are also

yacht A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a ...

ing or sports marinas in the following places:

Winningen Winningen is a municipality in the district of Mayen-Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to ...

Brodenbach Brodenbach is a municipality in the Mayen-Koblenz, district of Mayen-Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany. References

Municipalities in Rhineland-Palatinate Mayen-Koblenz {{MayenKoblenz-geo-stub ...

, Burgen, Löf,

Hatzenport Hatzenport is a municipality in the district of Mayen-Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea t ...

, Senheim, Treis,

Kues Bernkastel-Kues () is a town on the Middle Mosel in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is well-known for its winegrowing. The town is a state-recognized health resort (''Erholungsort''), seat of the ''Verba ...

, Neumagen, Pölich,

and

. The Moselle is linked near Toul via the

with ''inter alia'' the

, the

Saône The Saône ( , ; ; ) is a river in eastern France (modern Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté). It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges (department), Vosges Departments of France, department an ...

and the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...

. Other canals link the river to the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

and even the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

Locks and dams (weirs)

There is a total of 28 changes of level on the Moselle: * 16 in France near

, Villey-le-Sec,

, Aingeray,

-Pompey, Custines, Blénod-lès-Pont-à-Mousson,

, Talange,

and Apach * 2 between Luxembourg and Germany near

Stadtbredimus Stadtbredimus () is a commune and small town in south-eastern Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the ea ...

and

Wellen Wellen (; ) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. On 1 January 2024, Wellen had a total population of 7,490. The total area is 26.72 km2 with a population density of 279 inhabitants per km2. The municipality consis ...

* 10 in Germany near

, Detzem, Wintrich,

, Enkirch, St. Aldegund, Fankel, Müden, Lehmen and

. Detzem is the highest lock – – and at the upstream reach is the longest on the river; it is the only lock to be built on a canal of some length excavated outside the river bed. With the exception of Detzem, all the structures at each change in level are laid-out side by side; the

is by one riverbank, the

weir A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the water level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

in the middle and the

hydropower plant Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also mo ...

on the other bank. Between the lock and weir are a boat slipway and channel and boat lock, while between the weir and the power station is the

fish ladder A fish ladder, also known as a fishway, fish pass, fish steps, or fish cannon, is a structure on or around artificial and natural barriers (such as dams, locks and waterfalls) to facilitate diadromous fishes' natural migration as well as mov ...

. The structures have been blended into the landscape through their low-level design; this was achieved by the choice of sector gates for the weir, vertically lowering upper gates and mitred lower lock gates. The water levels and hydropower works are controlled by the Fankel Central Control Station (''Zentralwarte Fankel'') of the RWE Power Company at Fankel.

Tourism

Through the Moselle valley run the Moselle Wine Route and the Moselle Cycleway, which may be cycled from

via

on the

River Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the 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 Swiss-Austrian border. From Lake Const ...

, a distance of . Moselle Cycle Path near Cochem

Between Koblenz and Trier, large sections run on the

trackbed The track bed or trackbed is the groundwork onto which a railway track is laid. Trackbeds of disused railways are sometimes used for recreational paths or new light rail links. Background According to Network Rail, the trackbed is the layers of ...

of the old Moselle Valley Railway, far from the noise and fumes of motor vehicles. Every year on the Sunday after

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter Day, Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spiri ...

, the of road between

and

is also car-free as part of Happy Moselle Day. A number of notable castles and ruins adorn the heights above the Moselle valley and many are visible on a boat trip on the Moselle. In 1910, a hiking trail, the Moselle Ridgeway, was established which runs for on the Eifel side and on the Hunsrück side. Another unusual trail runs from Ediger-Eller via the Calmont Trail to

through the steepest vineyard in Europe. Before the construction of barrages the Moselle was a popular route for

folding kayak A folding kayak is a direct descendant of the original Inuit kayak made of animal skins stretched over frames made from wood and bones. A modern folder has a collapsible frame made of some combination of wood, aluminium and plastic, and a skin m ...

s which is why many of the weirs have boat channels. The river is still used today by

canoe A canoe is a lightweight, narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles. In British English, the term ' ...

ists, especially during the annual week-long lock closures when no commercial shipping is permitted. In April 2014 the Moselle Trail was opened, a path running for from Perl on the Upper Moselle to

. Numerous Moselle Trail "partner trails", the so-called side branches (''Seitensprünge'') and "dream paths" (''Traumpfade'') enhance the hiking network in the Moselle Valley. The

ADAC The ADAC, officially the Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (), is Europe's largest automobile association. The ADAC is the largest wikt:Verein, ''verein'' (club) in Germany, with around 21 million members. Its headquarters are located i ...

Rallye Deutschland The ADAC Rallye Deutschland is a Rallying, rally event held in Germany. The event was first held in 1982 and originally hosted by e.g. Frankfurt, Mainz and Koblenz. In 2000, the rally was relocated to the region around Trier. Previously part of ...

has taken place since 2000 in the vineyards along the Moselle at

Veldenz Veldenz is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the former main seat of the County of Veldenz, ...

, Dhron,

Piesport Piesport is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a Municipalities of Germany, municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich Districts of Germany, district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. ...

, Minheim, Kesten, Trittenheim,

Fell A fell (from Old Norse ''fell'', ''fjall'', "mountain"Falk and Torp (2006:161).) is a high and barren landscape feature, such as a mountain or Moorland, moor-covered hill. The term is most often employed in Fennoscandia, Iceland, the Isle of M ...

tal and

. At Koblenz Locks the Mosellum offers exhibitions about the migration of fish in the Moselle as well as water ecology, navigation and power generation. With the construction of the visitor and information centre the most modern

along the Moselle was opened.

Wine

The Moselle winegrowing region lies along the Moselle with a cultivated area of about . The largest part, currently just under , is on German soil in the states of

and

; the Luxembourg part has an area of about (see Wine in Luxembourg). Upstream on the Moselle the vineyards extend into France as far as Seille in the region of Côtes de Moselle with an area of and to the region around

(

Côtes de Toul Côtes de Toul () is an ''Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' (AOC) for French wine produced in the département of Meurthe-et-Moselle in the Lorraine ''région''. The Côtes de Toul vineyards cover in an area close to Toul, to the west of the ...

) covering . The German Moselle wine region, including its tributaries, bears the growing and manufacturing name of "Mosel". For marketing reasons the agricultural authorities of the region have divided it into six winegrowing areas. The wine literature and specialist press, by contrast, divide the region into four areas based on geomorphological, micro-climatic and also historical reasons: ; Upper Moselle: The valley sides of the Upper Moselle (also called the Burgundy Moselle, ''Burgundermosel'') with their overwhelmingly

muschelkalk The Muschelkalk (German for "shell-bearing limestone"; ) is a sequence of sedimentary rock, sedimentary rock strata (a lithostratigraphy, lithostratigraphic unit) in the geology of central and western Europe. It has a Middle Triassic (240 to 230 m ...

soils belong geologically to the so-called

Paris Basin The Paris Basin () is one of the major geological regions of France. It developed since the Triassic over remnant uplands of the Variscan orogeny (Hercynian orogeny). The sedimentary basin, no longer a single drainage basin, is a large sag in ...

, which explains its low proportion of

– only around 10% in 2010 – and the increasing cultivation of

Pinot Blanc Pinot blanc () or Pinot bianco is a white wine grape. It is a point genetic mutation of Pinot noir. Pinot noir is genetically unstable and will occasionally experience a point mutation in which a vine bears all black fruit except for one cane wh ...

and

Pinot Noir Pinot noir (), also known as Pinot nero, is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name also refers to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words fo ...

grapes. ; Trier Region: Around the city of

and in the valleys of the

and

with their side valleys, the Riesling is the predominant grape on the shale soils, with over 80% of the crop. One climatic feature of this area is the frequent orientation of often small southwest-southeast facing locations in which the vegetation is exposed to stronger, cooler winds and, especially in the light of recent global warming, often achieve lower degrees of maturity than in the narrow, often deeply incised valley of the

Middle Middle or The Middle may refer to: * Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits. Places * Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man * Middle Bay (disambiguation) * Middle Brook (disambiguation) * Middle Creek ...

and

. ; Middle Moselle: With around of vineyard the Middle Moselle is the largest winegrowing area of the Moselle. According to the wine experts and trade, the "greatest" wines of the Moselle, both in quantity and quality, are grown here on land that has been consolidated into large concerns with much vaunted steeply sloped vineyards. ; Lower Moselle: In the

Valley, there are a number of medieval castles, high above little villages, decorated with

timber-framed house Timber framing () and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs. If the struc ...

s, surrounded by steep slopes with small terraces in the narrow, winding valley. Here, cultivating vines is very labour-intensive and costly and it is difficult to make it economical. As a result, it is common for vineyards to fall into ruin here. The wine industry on the German Moselle has been declining for decades. In 2005, statistics showed there were of vineyard; by 2012 this had fallen to just . The vineyards that have fallen fallow are mostly those on extremely steep hillsides. There has been a major decline in the number of so-called ''Nebenerwerbswinzer'' (vintners for whom it is a secondary occupation), and the small, family farming operations that, until the end of the 1960s formed the majority of wine businesses. Comparative figures by the Chamber of Agriculture for Rhineland-Palatinate for several wine villages on the Lower Moselle show that there were still 797 wine businesses in the early 1960s, but by the early 2000s there were only just under 100. There has been the opposite trend amongst the established traditional wine estates and more recent vintners with a sound education in

oenology Oenology (also enology; ) is the science and study of wine and winemaking. Oenology is distinct from viticulture, which is the science of the growing, cultivation, and harvesting of grapes. The English word oenology derives from the Greek word ' ...

and business management, who have increased their business through the reclamation of once renowned, but long forgotten sites. The end of the 20th century saw the rediscovery of the use of special

terroir (; ; from ''terre'', ) is a French language, French term used to describe the environmental factors that affect a crop's phenotype, including unique environment contexts, farming practices and a crop's specific growth habitat. Collectively, th ...

in order to improve quality and value, which has led to a more nuanced view of Moselle wine that, a few years before, had been characterised by overproduction, label scandals and cheap offers.

Moselle umbrella brand

On 10 November 2006 in

Burg The German word Burg means castle. Burg or Bürg may refer to: Places Placename element * ''-burg'', a combining form in Dutch, German and English placenames * Burg, a variant of burh, the fortified towns of Saxon England Settlements * Burg, Aar ...

, the Moselle Regional Initiative was founded. The introduction of the Moselle as an

umbrella brand Umbrella branding (also known as family branding) is a marketing practice involving the use of a single brand name for the sale of two or more related products. Umbrella branding is mainly used by companies with a positive brand equity (value ...

was based on that of the

region and covers products and services from the areas of agriculture, forestry, tourism, handicrafts and nature.

Moselle slate

Moselle slate (''Moselschiefer'') is a manufacturing and trade description for

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...

from the municipalities of

Mayen Mayen () is a town in the Mayen-Koblenz, Mayen-Koblenz District of the Rhineland-Palatinate Federal State of Germany, in the eastern part of the Volcanic Eifel Region. As well as the main town, additional settlements include Alzheim, Kürrenberg, ...

Polch Polch () is a town in the district Mayen-Koblenz, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is part of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") of Maifeld. It is situated east of Mayen. Polch is twinned with the commune of Vineuil, located ...

Müllenbach Müllenbach is a municipality in the district of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the nor ...

and its surrounding area. Today only products from the roofing slate mines of in Mayen and

Margareta Margareta is a female given name mainly used by Germans, Austrians, Romanians, Swedes, and others. It derives from Latin, where it came from the Greek word ''margaritari'' (μαργαριτάρι), meaning pearl, which was borrowed from the Persian ...

in Polch bear the name Moselle Slate. The name is derived from the historical transport route for this slate along the Moselle to the

Lower Rhine Lower Rhine (, ; kilometres 660 to 1,033 of the Rhine) is the section of the Rhine between Bonn in Germany and the North Sea at Hook of Holland in the Netherlands, including the '' Nederrijn'' () within the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta; alternat ...

Railways

The following railway lines run or ran along the river: * Koblenz–Trier railway (''Moselstrecke''), between Koblenz and Bullay, and in Trier, mostly on the left (northern) bank * Pünderich–Traben-Trarbach railway, for its entire length, on the left (northern) bank * Moselle Railway, between Bullay and Trier, on the right (southern) bank. Closed in the 1960s. * Trier West Railway, between Ehrang and Igel, on the left (northern) bank *

Thionville–Trier railway The Thionville–Trier railway (also called in German the ''Obermoselstrecke'', Upper Moselle line) connects Gare de Thionville, Thionville in the French region of Grand Est with Trier Hauptbahnhof, Trier in the German state of Rhineland-Palatina ...

(''Obermoselstrecke''), for its entire length, on the right (eastern) bank * CFL line 1a, between Wasserbillig and Grevenmacher, on the left (western) bank. No passenger service remains. *

Metz–Luxembourg railway The Metz–Luxembourg railway is a French/Luxembourgish railway line, that connects the French Lorraine (region), Lorraine region to Luxembourg. The railway was opened between 1854 and 1859. It is an important international railway connection. Th ...

, between Thionville and Metz, mainly on the left bank * Lérouville–Metz railway, between Metz and Novéant, mainly on the left bank * Frouard–Novéant railway, mainly on the left bank * Paris–Strasbourg railway, between Frouard and Toul * Blainville-Damelevières–Lure railway, between Bayon and Épinal * Épinal–Bussang railway, between

and

Remiremont Remiremont () is a town and Communes of France, commune in the Vosges department, northeastern France, situated in southern Grand Est. The town has been an abbatial centre since the 7th century, is an economic crossroads of the Moselle and Moselo ...

, on the left bank

Literature

*''Mosella'', a Latin poem by

(4th century). *In the tale, "

The Seven Swabians "The Seven Swabians" (German: ''Die Sieben Schwaben'') is a German fairy tale, collected by The Brothers Grimm in the second volume edition of their ''Kinder- und Hausmärchen'' (1857) under the number KHM119. The term ''Swabians'' refers to pe ...

" of the

Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob Grimm, Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm Grimm, Wilhelm (1786–1859), were Germans, German academics who together collected and published folklore. The brothers are among the best-known storytellers of Oral tradit ...

, these Swabians drown trying to cross the Moselle. *Accounts of the river, its folklore and local history appear in ''Small Boat on the Moselle'' a 1968 book by Roger Pilkington.

Castles

* Château de Meinsberg (dit de Malbrouck): near Manderen, this castle was built in the 15th century but rebuilt in the 1990s. Today it is used for numerous cultural events. * Château Fort de Sierck-les-Bains: situated just on the French-German border at

Sierck-les-Bains Sierck-les-Bains (; ; Lorraine Franconian: ''Siirk''/''Siirck'') is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Localities of the commune: Rudling, Kœnigsberg (German: Rudlingen, Königsberg) Language Revitali ...

, this fortress of the

Duke of Lorraine The kings and dukes of Lorraine have held different posts under different governments over different regions, since its creation as the kingdom of Lotharingia by the Treaty of Prüm, in 855. The first rulers of the newly established region were ...

dates back to the 11th century. Most of today's castle was constructed in the 18th century, following plans from Vauban. *Schloss Berg: a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

castle at Nennig, today a hotel and a

casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...

. * Alte Burg: a

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

built in 1360 at

Longuich Longuich () is a municipality in the Trier-Saarburg district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It lies on the river Moselle The Moselle ( , ; ; ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France ...

. One of the few surviving manor houses in rural Rhineland-Palatinate. *

Schloss Lieser Schloss Lieser (Castle of Lieser) in the Mosel valley nearby Bernkastel-Kues is one of the most striking buildings within the village of Lieser, Germany. The building currently houses a 49-room Autograph Hotel, called Schloss Lieser, Autograph ...

: a palace at Lieser built from 1884 to 1887 in historistic style. * Landshut Castle: a castle built by the

Electorate of Trier The Electorate of Trier ( or '; ) was an Hochstift, ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that existed from the end of the 9th to the early 19th century. It was the temporal possession of the prince-archbishop of Trier (') wh ...

in the 13th century at

. * Grevenburg: ruins of a castle at

built by Johann III of Sponheim-Starkenburg about 1350, destroyed, after many sieges, in 1734. *Marienburg: a 12th-century castle and later

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

near Pünderich and Alf. * Arras Castle: a 12th-century castle in Alf. * Metternich Castle: a castle built around 1120 at Beilstein, today partly in ruins. * Cochem Castle: The castle in

was originally built in the 11th century, but was completely destroyed by French soldiers in 1689. The present castle was rebuilt later in the 19th century. *

Thurant Castle The ruins of the Thurant Castle (, also ''Thurandt'' or ''Thurand'') stand on a wide slate hill spur above the villages of Alken (Lower Moselle), Alken on the Moselle in Germany. The castle is in the district of Mayen-Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatina ...

: Above the town of Alken is Thurant Castle, built in the 13th century. It is the only twin-towered

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

along the Moselle. The fortress was built by the Count Palatine Henry of the house of Guelph between 1198 and 1206. From 1246 to 1248, it was the two archbishops of Cologne and Trier. Following conquest, it was divided by a partition wall into two halves, each with a keep (tower). During the 19th century, Thurant disintegrated, becoming a ruin; and in 1911 was acquired by Privy Councilor, Dr. Robert Allmers, who had it rebuilt. Since 1973, the castle has been owned by the Allmers and Wulf families. * Ehrenburg: a 12th-century castle built by the

Brodenbach Brodenbach is a municipality in the Mayen-Koblenz, district of Mayen-Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany. References

Municipalities in Rhineland-Palatinate Mayen-Koblenz {{MayenKoblenz-geo-stub ...

. *

Eltz Castle Eltz Castle () is a medieval castle nestled in the hills above the Moselle between Koblenz and Trier, Germany. It is still owned by a branch of House of Eltz who have lived there since the 12th century. Eltz Castle along with Bürresheim Castl ...

: The von Eltz family castle, whose history dates back to the 12th century. It remains in private hands to this day but it is open to visitors. *Lower and Upper Castle, Kobern-Gondorf: two 11th-century castles, today mostly in ruins. * Pyrmont Castle: This 13th-century castle near Roes was remodelled and extended several times during the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

era. * Bischofstein Castle: Across the river from the municipality of Burgen is this 13th-century castle, which was destroyed during the

Nine Years' War The Nine Years' War was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between Kingdom of France, France and the Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg), Grand Alliance. Although largely concentrated in Europe, fighting spread to colonial poss ...

, but was reconstructed and now serves as a retreat centre for the Fichte Gymnasium in

Krefeld Krefeld ( , ; ), also spelled Crefeld until 1925 (though the spelling was still being used in British papers throughout the Second World War), is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, its c ...

References

Publius Cornelius Tacitus: Der Text ist verfügbar in der lateinischen Wikisource: Kapitel LIII, at la.wikisource.org Publius Cornelius Tacitus: Der Text ist verfügbar in der lateinischen Wikisource; erwähnt ist die Mosel in Kapitel 71 und Kapitel 77, at la.wikisource.org The

, with a volumetric discharge of is not considered, since it has not officially been a tributary of the Rhine since 1970 (although it is hydrologically). Verzeichnis A, Lfd. Nr. 39 der Chronik
, Wasser- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung des Bundes, at wsv.de
, Wasser- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung des Bundes, at wsv.de von Apach am Dreiländereck bis zu ihrer Mündung in den Rhein bei Rhein-km 592,29 ''Gliederung Bundeswasserstraßen''
, mit Informationen u. a. zu Längen (in km) der Hauptschifffahrtswege (Hauptstrecken und bestimmte Nebenstrecken) der Binnenwasserstraßen des Bundes, bei der Wasser- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung des Bundes, at wsv.de ''Moselsteig entfacht das Wanderfieber''
In: Trierischer Volksfreund, dated 26 September 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014, at volksfreund.de Von der Mehrzahl der Winzer nicht genutzte Herkunftsbezeichnung Stuart Pigott, Chandra Kurt, Manfred Lüer: ''Stuart Pigotts Weinreisen – Mosel.'' Scherz, Frankfurt am Main, 2009, , pp. 103 ff. Daniel Deckers (Hg.), ''Zur Lage des deutschen Weins – Spitzenlagen und Spitzenweine'', Stuttgart 2003, pp. 137–187 Publications by the Statistical Office of Rhineland-Palatinate.

Bibliography

* Decimius Magnus Ausonius: ''Mosella escription of a journey by ship on the Moselle around 371 A. D.' http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:2008.01.0619 * Jakob Hölscher (ed.): ''Das Moselthal von Trier bis Coblenz. In malerischen Ansichten, nach der Natur gezeichnet von C. Bodmer, in acqua tinta geätzt von R. Bodmer''. 30 pages. Koblenz, 1831–1833 * Johann August Klein: ''Moselthal zwischen Koblenz und Konz,'' printed by Heriot, Coblenz, 1831 * Johann August Klein: ''Das Moselthal zwischen Koblenz und Zell mit Städten, Ortschaften, Ritterburgen, historisch, topographisch, malerisch''. Heriot, Koblenz, 1831 * Wilhelm Haag: ''Ausonius und seine Mosella''. Gaertner, Berlin, 1900 * Michael Gerhard: ''Die Mosel, dargestellt in ihrem Lauf, ihrer Entstehung und ihrer Bedeutung für den Menschen.'' Prüm, 1910
Online edition dilibri Rhineland-Palatinate
* Carl Hauptmann: ''Die Mosel von Cochem bis Bernkastel.'' Bonn 1910
Online edition dilibri Rhineland-Palatinate
* Carl Hauptmann: ''Die Mosel von Coblenz bis Cochem in Wanderbildern.'' Bonn, 1911
Online edition dilibri Rhineland-Palatinate
* Ludwig Mathar: ''Die Mosel (Die Rheinlande, Bilder von Land, Volk und Kunst, Zweiter Band: Die Mosel)'' Cologne o. J. (around 1925), 607 S. (with 117 illustrations and a map of the Moselle Valley from Trier to Coblenz) * Rudolf G. Binding: ''Moselfahrt aus Liebeskummer – Novelle einer Landschaft'', Frankfurt am Main, 1933 (51.–75. Tausend) * Josef Adolf Schmoll alias Eisenwerth: ''Die Mosel von der Quelle bis zum Rhein'' (Deutsche Lande – Deutsche Kunst). 2nd edition, Munich/Berlin, 1972 * Willy Leson (ed.): ''Romantische Reise durch das Moseltal-Von Koblenz nach Trier (with graphics by Carl Bodmer and text by Johann August Klein and Christian von Stramberg)'', Cologne, 1978 * Heinz Cüppers, Gérard Collot, Alfons Kolling, Gérard Thill (Red.): ''Die Römer an Mosel und Saar (Zeugnisse der Römerzeit in Lothringen, in Luxemburg, im Raum Trier und im Saarland)'', Mainz, 1983, Zabern: 2nd revised edition (with 46 colour and 346 black and white photographs) * Heinz Held: ''Die Mosel von der Mündung bei Koblenz bis zur Quelle in den Vogesen: Landschaft, Kultur, Geschichte'' (DuMont-Kunst-Reiseführer). 3rd edition, Cologne, 1989 * Jean-Claude Bonnefont, Hubert Collin (dir.), ''Meurthe-et-Moselle'', edition Bonneton, Paris, 1996, 318 pages. * M. Eckoldt (ed.), Flüsse und Kanäle, Die Geschichte der deutschen Wasserstraßen, DSV-Verlag, 1998 * Ulrich Nonn: ''Eine Moselreise im 4. Jahrhundert-Decimus Magnus Ausonius und seine "Mosella"''. In: Koblenzer Beiträge zur Geschichte und Kultur, Vol. 8, Koblenz: Görres-Verlag 2000, pp. 8–24 (with map and illustrations) * Reinhold Schommers: ''Die Mosel'' (DuMont-Reise-Taschenbücher). DuMont, Ostfildern 2001, * Ludwin Vogel: ''Deutschland, Frankreich und die Mosel. Europäische Integrationspolitik in den Montan-Regionen Ruhr, Lothringen, Luxemburg und der Saar.'' Klartext, Essen, 2001, * Decimius Magnus Ausonius: ''Mosella. Lateinisch-deutsch.'' Published, translated and commented on by Paul Dräger. Tusculum Studienausgaben. Artemis und Winkler, Düsseldorf, 2004, * Uwe Anhäuser: ''Die Ausoniusstraße. Ein archäologischer Reise- und Wanderführer.'' Rhein-Mosel, Alf/Mosel, 2006, * Karl-Josef Gilles: ''Das Moseltal zwischen Koblenz und Trier 1920 bis 1950'' (series of archive photographs), Sutton, Erfurt, 2006, . * Wasser- und Schifffahrtsdirektion Südwest: Kompendium der Wasser- und Schifffahrtsdirektion Südwest. Organisatorische und technische Daten, Binnenschifffahrt, Aufgaben, Wasserstraßen. self-publication, Mainz, June 2007 * Alexander Thon / Stefan Ulrich: ''Von den Schauern der Vorwelt umweht... Burgen und Schlösser an der Mosel''. Schnell + Steiner, Regensburg 2007, 1st edition, 180 pp. numerous photographs, 2 overview maps of the Moselle * Wolfgang Lambrecht: ''Malerische Mosel – Gemälde und Druckgraphik aus 100 Jahren'', [Farbbroschüre mit Werken u. a. von Carl Bodmer, Clarkson Stanfield, Rowbotham, Compton, Wolfsberger, Benekkenstein, Burger, Thoma, Nonn, Möhren, Zysing und Bayer, published by the Sparkasse Mittelmosel and the Lions-Förderverein Cochem], Cochem, 2007 * Karl-Josef Schäfer und Wolfgang Welter: ''Ein Jakobsweg von Koblenz-Stolzenfels nach Trier. Der Pilgerwanderführer für den Mosel-Camino.'' Books on Demand, Norderstedt, 2009 (2nd updated edition) * Xavier Deru: ''Die Römer an Maas und Mosel'', Zabern-Verlag, Mainz, 2010 * Groben, Josef: ''Mosella. Historisch-kulturelle Monographie'', Trier, 2011, 311 pp., 237 photographs. * Stefan Barme: ''Nacktarsch, Viez und Ledertanga – Ausflüge in die Kulturgeschichte des Mosellandes''. Stephan Moll Verlag, 2012 (1st edition) * Joachim Gruber: Decimus Magnus Ausonius, "Mosella" ''Kritische Ausgabe, Übersetzung, Kommentar''. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin. Series: Texts and commentaries, Vol. 42, 2013, XI, 370 pp.

Name

Geography

River sections

Catchment

Tributaries

List of tributaries

Towns

Adjacent mountain ranges

Geology

Water levels

History

Economy

Navigation

Locks and dams (weirs)

Tourism

Wine

Moselle umbrella brand

Moselle slate

Railways

Literature

Castles

References

Bibliography

External links