Upper Middle Rhine Valley

The Upper Middle Rhine Valley is the 65-kilometre southern section of the Middle Rhine between Koblenz and Rüdesheim, in Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse. UNESCO added it to the World Heritage list in June 2002 for its beauty as a cultural landscape, its importance as a route of transport across Europe, and the way its buildings and terraces have adapted to the steep sides of the gorge. Castles stand at close intervals along both banks, and the vineyards run right down to the water.