Rheinschwimmen

In 1689, French troops descended upon the town during the Nine Years' War, leaving the area plundered and burned as the Rhine served as a volatile border between the Electorate of Cologne and the Duchy of Berg. Today, that same waterway acts as a corridor for a different kind of movement: the annual 11-kilometer downstream swim from Linz to Bad Honnef. This event, organized by the local DLRG branch for over four decades, transforms a busy commercial artery into a controlled, non-competitive aquatic experience for around 500 swimmers.

Navigating the river

As you swim, the landscape unfolds with markers of a complex geological and historical past. You will pass the Grafenwerth island, a prominent feature in the river's local topography, and witness the looming silhouette of the Rodderberg volcano. This extinct giant, dormant for 250,000 years, converges with the Drachenfels on the opposite bank to form a narrow gorge that marks the southern edge of the Cologne lowland bay. Closer to the finish, the ruins of the 13th-century Reitersdorf castle serve as a terrestrial reminder of the site's medieval fortification.

The conditions of the Rhine

The Rhine is one of the world's most active commercial shipping channels, and its scale dictates the rhythm of the event. Safety is managed through an extensive network of 150 personnel from the DLRG, fire departments, and the THW, who monitor the flow and traffic. Because of the river's unpredictable currents and the necessity for visibility, all participants are required to wear both a wetsuit and fins. The event, which in recent years transitioned to using bus transport for the Linz start due to changes in barge availability, remains a rare opportunity to traverse a section of the river that was historically transformed by the 1897 discovery of the Drachenquelle mineral spring, which pivoted the town’s economy toward thermal health and tourism.