Rhine Falls, Waterfall in Schaffhausen, Switzerland
Rhine Falls is a waterfall between Canton Schaffhausen and Canton Zürich, measuring 150 meters across and dropping 23 meters. The water plunges over several rock ledges while a large boulder in the middle of the riverbed divides the current.
The waterfall formed during the last ice age roughly 14,000 to 17,000 years ago through erosion of resistant rock layers. Glaciers shaped the riverbed and created the present drop in the course of the Rhine.
The iron smelting works on the northern shore processed ore using waterpower from the river until the mid-1800s. Production traces remain visible in the old industrial buildings that now form part of the landscape.
Two railway stations serve the site: Neuhausen Rheinfall and Schloss Laufen am Rheinfall, both with large parking areas on either side of the river. Paths and viewing platforms sit at multiple levels, some requiring stairs or ramps to reach.
Water volume swings between roughly 250 cubic meters per second in winter and 600 cubic meters per second in summer, depending on snowmelt and rainfall. This shift makes the waterfall noticeably different across seasons.
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