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Danube water levels 2019 and similar topics - plus tips and info


notamermaid
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On 7/2/2019 at 10:24 AM, CruiserFromMaine said:

Water levels between Vienna and Budapest are fine. We’re on the Crystal Mozart now, heading back from Budapest to Bratislava. Weather has been quite hot though and no rain so levels will probably be lower in a couple weeks. 

Thank you for reporting from your cruise. I hope you are enjoying your trip on the splendid Mozart. If you are ending in Vienna then I suspect it is your last evening on board.

 

Have a safe trip home.

 

notamermaid

 

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UNESCO!

 

The weekend is upon us when UNESCO decides on the new entries in the list of world heritage sites. One of the nominees is Augsburg in Bavaria. Why? It has a history of using water coming down from the Alps in abundance in ingenious ways and got rich that way. Some of the supply system has been used for hundreds of years and a unique infrastructure has evolved. Here it is: https://www.dw.com/en/augsburgs-historical-water-management-aims-to-be-a-unesco-world-heritage-site/a-49446433

 

The river Lech that flows through Augsburg is not navigable for ships (canoes, etc. are allowed) so how does one get there on a river cruise? Augsburg would be possible as a pre-cruise trip from Munich - driving time is a good one hour by car. A coach ride from Regensburg would take around 1h50min. From Nuremberg it is about 2 hours.

 

notamermaid

 

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1 hour ago, notamermaid said:

UNESCO!

 

The weekend is upon us when UNESCO decides on the new entries in the list of world heritage sites. One of the nominees is Augsburg in Bavaria. Why? It has a history of using water coming down from the Alps in abundance in ingenious ways and got rich that way. Some of the supply system has been used for hundreds of years and a unique infrastructure has evolved. Here it is: https://www.dw.com/en/augsburgs-historical-water-management-aims-to-be-a-unesco-world-heritage-site/a-49446433

 

The river Lech that flows through Augsburg is not navigable for ships (canoes, etc. are allowed) so how does one get there on a river cruise? Augsburg would be possible as a pre-cruise trip from Munich - driving time is a good one hour by car. A coach ride from Regensburg would take around 1h50min. From Nuremberg it is about 2 hours.

 

notamermaid

 

Vienna could loose it's UNESCO status.

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1 hour ago, G.M.T. said:

Vienna could loose it's UNESCO status.

Ah, yes, I read about that. Some building project. This is Vienna as seen by UNESCO: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1033

 

And I have been able to find the problem: https://www.unesco.at/presse/artikel/article/unesco-welterbetagung-entscheidung-zur-welterbestaette-wien/

 

It was decided in Baku on 2 July to keep Vienna on the endangered sites list. In 2020, Austria has to supply plans to the committee with an altered building project plan and a few other amendments to buildings within the world heritage zone.

 

notamermaid

 

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I hope it doesn't hurt their feelings too much, but I really don't rely on UNESCO World Heritage Status in making my travel decisions.  I prefer recommendations from people whose judgment I trust rather than faceless committees – and even guidebooks feel more 'personal' to me than UNESCO [especially Rick Steves, whose personal tastes are stamped on every page of his books].

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We have just come back from our Danube river cruise on the Amadeus Queen. The top deck was open most of the time. The Queen also has a nice forward sitting area outside, a tiny back sitting area outside and large windows and comfortable chairs in the indoor pool area in the back.

I wrote a long review when my computer froze. 😞 Everything was lost. 

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On 6/18/2019 at 2:06 PM, etravel said:

Hey there...thanks for all the info! We will be on an Avalon cruise on June 27th from Nuremberg to Budapest...so hoping for the best...It's coming up fairly soon! 

Tell us how it went, etravel.  We're doing our 4th Avalon in late August: Linz AU to Budapest.  I'm hoping that the river stays up and the temps go down. 

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It's official, Augsburg water management system is a UNESCO world heritage site. This is the press release for seven new sites: http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2004

 

In the list you can also see the mining region in Germany and the Czech Republic. More on that in the thread on the Elbe.

 

notamermaid

 

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How are the river levels on the Danube?

 

I will focus on the notorious part in Bavaria where almost always the problems in drought arise first. First of all, we have too dry conditions for agriculture in Germany. There has been too little rain to make up for the loss on the very hot days in June. So far the river had been okay but the stretch from Straubing to Passau is now affected. Do not panic yet, just affected! I explain.

 

On 6 and 7 July the gauge at Pfelling which acts as a marker for the aforementioned stretch fell a little under the level called RNW at 290cm. At this figure the navigation channel is 200cm. Below that figure the first river cruise ships can get problems, i.e. depending on the draft, each river cruise ship will with every centimetre lost on the gauge and along the now bumpier (more uneven) river bed reach the situation where it will scrape the ground or get stuck.

 

The figure of 290cm at the gauge at Pfelling was addressed as a crucial figure for river cruise ships in German publications last year and is confirmed this year by the fact that the low level was mentioned in HBCcruiser's posted daily info (see Tauck thread report) and the fact that Viking has sent out emails to customers (for that see Rhine thread). There is a slight chance that Viking is referring to low water downstream from Vilshofen but I doubt it.

 

No info on the Danube has been posted on the UK site of Viking river cruises.

 

The situation today is different as the river has gained crucial centimetres and is currently at 304cm at Pfelling. The forecast shows a further slight rise as a reaction to rain in the Upper region of the Danube and its tributaries.

 

What next week will be like we cannot know yet. Could the level at Pfelling hold? Here is the weather situation for this week. Warm not hot temperatures give us pleasant days for exploring the area. Today and tomorrow will stay dry. Rain is sweeping over the South of Germany starting on Thursday. More rain on Friday and Saturday, decreasing Sunday, with just a little on Monday towards the border with Austria. I would say this sounds okay for filling rainwater tubs at least and hopefully the river a little.

 

notamermaid

 

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We’re moored at Durnstein now. Set sail for Vienna at 22:30. Water levels ideal at the mo. Asked Captain Martin what’s his best guess for next week’s levels. He laughed! Next week is next week on the Danube! Lol! So notamermaid’s explanation explains why! 

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Sibyl2,

Thank you for the info. Have a great time along the Danube and in Budapest.

 

The weather forecast for Bavaria has slightly changed but there will still be good amounts of rain spread over the area, now running into Tuesday (just drizzle on that day).

 

The level at Pfelling has dropped to currently 290cm but rain is coming into the region from the Northwest this afternoon.

 

notamermaid

 

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notamermaid,

 

Thank you for this valuable information.  I am scheduled Vienna to Amsterdam mid-August.  Just now thinking about water levels and will be checking this thread frequently.  This will be my first river cruise and I'm looking forward to it.  Since I usually take land tours I will not be upset as if there are some bus transfers.  I just hope they don't cancel the cruise.

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I sort of held my breath for a bit yesterday. The level at Pfelling dropped below 290cm. This morning I find it at 292cm, meaning the rain has reached the area just in time. The outlook is very sketchy, a tiny rise is forecast but what next week will be no-one can say - even if it is already Friday. As a captain quoted so well put it "next week is next week on the Danube".

 

In Germany the river is not closed in drought, the decision about sailing or not lies with captain and company. The downstream countries apparently have different regulations.

 

notamermaid

 

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With the German Danube having recovered well, Pfelling is currently at 352cm, we can sit back and relax for a few days. Let us have another look at UNESCO. Also among the nomminées these year was the Danubian Limes, the "wet border" of the Roman Empire. It was a joint entry of four Danube countries. At the last minute Hungary made a change in the application. In consequence, the committee could not decide on the application and the whole thing has been postponed to next year. Here is the story: https://hungarytoday.hu/govt-thwarts-bid-limes-world-heritage-title/

 

The relevant site is the palace of the Roman settlement Aquincum in modern day's Budapest: http://www.aquincum.hu/en/

 

notamermaid

 

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We visited Aquincum a few years back when we were in Budapest. Nice place to spend an hour or two. The public transport goes right there so it was easy to get to. It was free with our Budapest card, IIRC. 

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On 7/7/2019 at 1:00 PM, notamermaid said:

It's official, Augsburg water management system is a UNESCO world heritage site. This is the press release for seven new sites: http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2004

 

In the list you can also see the mining region in Germany and the Czech Republic. More on that in the thread on the Elbe.

 

notamermaid

 

I was very happy to see this! I lived in Augsburg with the Army in the early 90’s and loved it - such a beautiful city!

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This is our first river cruise and we leave Saturday 7/20 from Nuremberg to Budapest (romantic danube) on Viking.  We did get an alert email from Viking one week out  that ship swaps may occur.  I am okay with that (if time is limited on a bus) but I am nervous about the trip turning into a bus tour or being on a bus for hours.  I do have trip insurance and can get 75% of my money back if I cancel or the trip is interrupted.  Hopefully Viking gives us options to back out if it were to turn into a bus tour.  Has anyone sailed recently or been in a similar predicament that you can give me some reassurance? At this point it seems like we will have to fly out there and see.

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