Horst Johannes Tümmers has walked the Rhine from its sources to its mouth, tracing the fascinating history of this European river, from its mythological beginnings to the industrialization of once-romantic banks. The book is also a committed assessment of the losses, as well as the efforts to preserve a European cultural landscape. The author has revised and updated the second edition of the volume. He analyzes, among other things, the causes of the flood disaster of 1995 and its consequences, as well as the protective measures that have been implemented since then.