Classroom lesson 路 The Rhine River Valley馃嚤馃嚠 Liechtenstein

The Rhine River Valley

A wide, flat river valley that forms the heart of Liechtenstein

The flat green Rhine valley with mountains rising steeply on either side

Photo 路 Wikimedia Commons

What is it?

The Rhine is one of Europe's most famous rivers, and it runs along the entire western edge of Liechtenstein. The Rhine valley is the flat, low-lying part of the country where most towns, farms and schools are found. Look one way and you see the river; look the other and the Alps rise steeply behind you.

Tell me more

The Rhine valley floor is wide and green, perfect for farming. Liechtenstein grows vegetables, wheat and grapes in the flat fields near the river. You might even spot a vineyard on a sunny hillside - Liechtenstein has its own wine, made from grapes grown right here in the valley.

The Rhine forms the border between Liechtenstein and Switzerland. In some places it is shallow enough to see the pebbles on the bottom. The river is home to fish like trout and chub, and in spring you might see ducks and herons along the banks.

The valley is also where the main road and railway run, connecting the villages of Liechtenstein from north to south. Because the country is so small, you could cycle from one end of the valley to the other in just a couple of hours. Many people do exactly that on sunny weekends.

In the classroom

Walk your class through this in 15 minutes.

Talk together

Discussion prompts

  1. 01Rivers often become borders between countries. Why do you think that is?
  2. 02People have lived in river valleys for thousands of years. What makes a valley a good place to build a village?
  3. 03If you could take one thing from your school day and do it outdoors beside a river, what would you choose?
Try this

Classroom activity

Draw a cross-section (side view) of the Rhine valley: flat river in the middle, rising hills on one side, steep mountains on the other. Label the river, the farmland, a village and the mountain peaks. Add one animal or plant you might find in each zone.