Days of heavy rain and melting snow have caused water levels of the Rhine, Moselle and Danube rivers in Germany to rise, with authorities warning flooding is likely to continue through the weekend.

The Rhine in the country's southwest has witnessed a particular surge in recent days after the Eleanor weather pattern brought rainstorms to the entire continent. Shipping traffic through the city of Cologne was halted on Sunday after the river breached the 8.3-meter (27-foot) mark. It is expected to climb to 9 meters on Monday, well above the normal water level of 3.5 meters in this part of the Rhineland.

A spokeswoman for the flooding authority further south in Mainz said that the river had already burst its banks at several locations upstream and that water was still "rising intensely." The situation is expected to ease by Tuesday.

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High tide along the Rhine

The Rhine reached 7.79 meters in Düsseldorf, the state capital of North-Rhine Westphalia, on Sunday. Authorities have erected fortifications along the city's harbor to prevent any water from entering low-lying parts of the old town. The council has also made around 40,000 sandbags available to residents threatened with inundation. A number of restaurants along the river said they may have to close if the waters continue to rise.

Germany from A to Z: Dusseldorf Medienhafen - Media Harbor Dusseldorf has Germany's third-largest inland port. In the 1990s, part of the Rhine harbor was developed into office buildings. Renowned architects like Frank O. Gehry, David Chipperfield or Jo Coenen created futuristic architecture placed among old, protected warehouses. The so called "Media Harbor" is now a landmark of the city.

Germany from A to Z: Dusseldorf Temple of consumerism In Dusseldorf shopping becomes an experience. There is a whole row of department stores that make an impression with their extraordinary or representative architecture. From art deco to modern – all can be found here. The Kö-Bogen is one example. This was the brainchild of star architect Daniel Libeskind.

Germany from A to Z: Dusseldorf Art scene Art lovers can choose from 26 museums (pictured: Kunstsammlung NRW) and over 100 galleries. Dusseldorf is closely associated with big names of contemporary art and photography like Beuys, Richter, Gursky, Höfer - and many more. Our tip - a good way to discover the talent of tomorrow is to go to the world famous Dusseldorf art academy where once a year the students present their graduation pieces.

Germany from A to Z: Dusseldorf Carnival Dusseldorf, with Cologne and Mainz, is one of three major Rhineland carnival hubs. Every year on November 11th at 11:11 o'clock the new carnival season is declared. At first these celebrations are indoors in form of costume balls and carnival shows. It culminates in street celebrations - for six days from the Thursday before Ash Wednesday the street carnival takes place.

Germany from A to Z: Dusseldorf Japan Day Dusseldorf is home to the only Japantown in Germany, and the third largest in Europe. Once a year this is celebrated. A festival highlight is the gathering of cosplayers from across Europe. Dressed in costumes to look like their idols from manga, anime and comic films they take over the Rhine promenade. Japan Day attracts over a half a million visitors to the city.

Germany from A to Z: Dusseldorf The Rhine What would Dusseldorf be without it? The river is the city's lifeline – in every sense. In 1990 with the creation of the Rhine promenade the people of Dusseldorf eventually got their boulevard along the Rhine, which they make good use of all year round. On the opposite shore it is green - for miles there are meadows and embankments.

Germany from A to Z: Dusseldorf Rhine fun fair White-water rides, giant boosters and a ferris wheel - the fun fair covering an area of 165,000 square meters in Oberkassel is the biggest of its kind along the Rhine. The ten day festival takes place every year in the third week of July. It culminates in a huge fire works display on the Rhine. This year it will not take place because of the coronavirus.

Germany from A to Z: Dusseldorf Old town center Dusseldorf's most popular tourist attraction - which could have to do with the cozy taverns. There are said to be over 260 of them. Locally the old town center is also known as the longest bar in town. Here Altbier - a top fermented dark beer - is drunk. Dusseldorf-newbies should try the brewery tour - it includes sampling beer as well as a visit to one or several traditional small breweries.

Germany from A to Z: Dusseldorf Königsallee Dusseldorf is a fashion metropolis and the Königsalleee its unofficial cat walk. The shopping mile in the city center is sort of like Dusseldorf's answer to the Champs-Elysées. A broad boulevard shaded by huge trees with lots of restaurants and cafes and of course luxury boutiques as well as a row of exquisite department stores enticing you to take a stroll and at least do some window-shopping.

Germany from A to Z: Dusseldorf Rhine bridges Many paths lead to Dusseldorf. The Rhine metropolis has an international airport - which is also the third biggest in Germany. However the most picturesque way to arrive in Dusseldorf is by crossing one of six Rhine bridges. These are also popular photo motifs. Together with the television tower they shape the cityscape. Author: Anne Termèche



In the former German capital Bonn, water has spilled over onto the promenade along the left bank of the Rhine, which has been sealed off from public access.

Villages south of Bonn have started fortifying their defenses, with residents living along the river being told to take measures to ensure their homes are safe from flooding.

Shipping operations, including ferries crossing the river, have been severely limited in many parts of the Rhineland and are expected to cease completely if the river reaches 9 meters. This could happen if the Moselle River, which flows into the Rhine, continues to rise as well.

Some areas are preparing for even greater floods with sand bags

Moselle, Danube spill over

Water levels along the Moselle in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate have also been surging and are expected to continue to do so. The river, which crosses three European countries, has reached almost 7 meters, with another 60 centimeters (2 feet) expected over the weekend.

In tourist villages like Cochem along the Moselle, the river has spilled over into streets and shipping has been stopped altogether for several days.

"People are piling up sandbags, pumping out their cellars and emptying their homes. We hope that the situation will improve soon," Arno Simon, mayor of the Moselle town of Ürzig, told German press agency dpa.

The situation was also critical along the Danube River in southern Bavaria, where some houses have already been inundated.

Evacuations might have to be ordered if the river rises further, and locals have been advised to be prepared for more flooding.

10 reasons to visit Bonn Beethoven Monument in Münsterplatz What would Bonn be without Beethoven? The city is proud of its famous son and built his monument in Münsterplatz in 1845. Not far from there is the house where he was born, which is now a museum.

10 reasons to visit Bonn Old Townhall on the Market Square Behind this fancy rococo façade, Bonn´s mayor receives his guests. The Golden Book of the City, situated in the old town hall, has been imprinted with many famous signatures over the years. From 1949 to 1990 – while Germany was divided – Bonn was the provisional capital of the German Republic.

10 reasons to visit Bonn Plenary Chamber in the Old Waterworks The old waterworks on the Rhine is an authentic place to reflect on Bonn's time as national capital. The German Bundestag sat here for six years until it was moved to Berlin in 1992. For those interested in history, tours to the old plenary chamber are available.

10 reasons to visit Bonn House of History With more than 850.000 visitors annually, it is one of the most visited museums in Germany. The permanent exhibition allows one to experience history since 1945. More than 6000 objects and documents can be admired here. An eye-catcher is Konrad Adenauer´s work car. The first German chancellor had a Mercedes 300.

10 reasons to visit Bonn Beer Garden by the Old Customs House Where once the customs house collected its dues from seafarers, one can now enjoy a drink in the beer garden. Kölsch, a beer from Cologne, is traditionally served. Except people from Bonn call it "Bönnsch". Included in the experience is a great view of the river Rhine, the Siebengebirge, and the Post Tower. At 162,5 meters, the latter is the tallest building in North Rhine-Westphalia.

10 reasons to visit Bonn Deutsche Welle Next to the Post Tower, Deutsche Welle has its headquarters. Employees from more than 60 nations produce multimedia content in 30 different languages daily. Those who are interested can look behind the scenes after registering for a tour.

10 reasons to visit Bonn Cherry Blossoms in the Old Town This extraordinary natural spectacle takes place annually in the spring. Tourists from all over the world admire the pink sea of blossoms the old town of Bonn turns into. Especially beautiful at that time of the year is Heerstraße, widely regarded as one of the most stunning tree-lined streets. The cherry trees were originally planted in the 1980s to bring some color into the old town.

10 reasons to visit Bonn Poppelsdorf Castle The Prince-Electors of Cologne once resided in this castle. Today Bonn university's scientific collection is housed here. The neighboring Botanical Garden counts as one of the oldest and most varied in the world. An inspiration​ for anyone with a green thumb, admirers of classical music also shouldn't miss out on the castle concerts that are held every summer.

10 reasons to visit Bonn The Drachenfels in the Siebengebirge The hill known as "Dragon´s Rock“ is one of the most visited recreation destinations in the Rhineland. Those who are ambitious hike up. The others just take the cable car. The reward at the top is a breathtaking view of the Rhine, with the city of Bonn in the distance.

10 reasons to visit Bonn Rhine in Flames Every first weekend in May the city transforms into an enchanted world full of light and color. In addition to illuminated castles and ships there are fireworks accompanied by music. These create a festive atmosphere. After the performance, people head to the Rheinaue to enjoy the various music stages. Author: Luisa Wolf



Other rivers also affected

The Neckar River in southwestern Germany was also closed to commercial shipping, with water spilling over into some parts of local villages and towns. Locals have been advised not to park their vehicles close to the riverbank in case of further flooding. The popular tourist city of Heidelberg had to cordon off parts of its historic old city because of moderate flooding there.

The Main, Saar and Weser rivers were also affected, but to a lesser degree.

The impact of the flooding, though relatively mild compared to previous river surges, is already expected to cost hundreds of millions of euros in public funds.

Read more: After the thaw, Germany braces itself for flooding