Riverboats - Rhine - Germany: Books - History and Ships

Schleppdampfer auf dem Mittelrhein

Gerd Schuth is a proven expert on Rhine shipping. In more than 200 unique images from his archive and the collections of other shipping enthusiasts, he shows the tugboats that sailed the Middle Rhine for over 100 years.
The fascinating images and knowledgeable texts offer a comprehensive overview of the history of tugboat shipping against the picturesque panorama of the Middle Rhine Valley.

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Schubschifffahrt auf dem Mittelrhein

The image of the Rhine, especially in the Middle Rhine Valley, is characterized by charming landscapes, imposing castles and idyllic villages. But aside from the romantic notions, the Rhine has also been an important trade route for centuries, characterized by a flourishing inland shipping industry.

Gerd Schuth, a native of Koblenz and a long-time journalist for the "Rhein-Zeitung", has been dealing primarily with push barge shipping for decades. For this illustrated book, he has selected over 220 previously mostly unpublished images from his own collection and the archives of enthusiastic shipping enthusiasts. Expertly commented, they show the development of push barge transport between Bingen and Koblenz since the 1950s.
Impressive, often colored photographs of the "Rheinbullen" with up to 6 000 hp in front of the panorama of the towns and landscapes convey a vivid picture of this special chapter in Rhine shipping.
A must not only for technology lovers, but for anyone who wants to discover a different side of the Rhine.

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Reederei Braunkohle - Frachtschifffahrt auf dem Rhein

Rolf Diesler and Bernd Schwarz present around 190 mostly unpublished historical photographs that invite you to take an entertaining journey into the past of the once important brown coal shipping company.
Unique impressions of shipping on the Rhine that will make the hearts of all shipping enthusiasts beat faster.

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Lebendiger Niederrhein - Unterwegs zwischen Duisburg und Emmerich

Shipping has shaped the lives of people on the Lower Rhine for centuries. Werner Böcking from Xanten, the well-known author of numerous publications on Rhine fishing and shipping, has selected around 210 previously mostly unpublished views from his archives, which invite you to an entertaining river trip between Duisburg, Xanten, Wesel, Rees, Kleve and Emmerich.
The unique picture book ranges from the early 20th century to the present day and presents life and work on the river and on the ships as well as the hustle and bustle in the ports and cities.

Unique photos of the last raft that sailed on the Lower Rhine in 1988, the museum ship "Oscar Huber", the last eel raft, spectacular accidents, various floods, container ships, wheeled boats, wheeled tugs or nostalgic steamers and the untouched river landscape bring back memories of life on the river in times gone by.
Brilliant color photos round off this wonderful journey along the lifeline of an entire region. This illustrated book is a must for all friends of shipping and the Lower Rhine.

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Dampfschiffe auf dem Rhein

Steamship travel on the (German) Rhine is history. The fire under the boiler of the last passenger steamer of the "Köln-Düsseldorfer", the "Goethe", which was delivered in 1913 and rebuilt several times, went out in 2008; the other KDD steamers had already disappeared a quarter of a century ago.
The last steam tug on the Rhine, the "Oscar Huber", was taken out of towing service over 40 years ago and is now the only "paddle steamer" open to the public in Duisburg-Ruhrort.
Little remains of the former glory of steamship travel on the Rhine. In September 1939, the "Köln-Düsseldorfer" still had 22 steamers, and steamship travel in freight transport also reached its peak before the Second World War. In 1935, there were over 1 800 steamships registered on the Rhine, including 115 "wheel boats", i.e. the powerful paddle steamer tugs, around 80 m long and with up to 1 900 hp, which brought up to nine barges to their destinations.

After the Second World War, steamships experienced a brief boom, but then the picture changed dramatically. Freight traffic was transferred to pushboats or self-propelled vessels, and steamships were decommissioned and scrapped one by one in passenger service.

You can read more about this topic in this large-format book, which brings the great era of steamship travel on the Rhine back to life on 96 pages (32 of which are in color) with around 110 historical photos (mostly from the period between 1930 and 1970) by Carl Bellingrodt, Detlev Luckmann and many others.

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