The Rhine Falls‘ Rock (in German: Rheinfallfelsen), which can only be reached by boat, dividing the Rhine Falls into the major southern falls and the minor northern falls, Neuhausen am Rheinfall, canton of Schaffhausen, Switzerland
Some background information:
The Rhine Falls is a waterfall located in Switzerland and the most powerful waterfall in Europe. The falls are located on the High Rhine on the border between the Swiss cantons of Schaffhausen and Zürich, between the municipalities of Neuhausen am Rheinfall on the Schaffhausen side and Laufen-Uhwiesen on the Zürich side, next to the town of Schaffhausen in northern Switzerland.
The falls are 150 metres (490 feet) wide and 23 metres (75 feet) high. In the winter months, the average water flow is 250 m3/s (8,800 cu feet/s), while in the summer, the average water flow is 600 m3/s (21,000 cu feet/s). The highest flow ever measured was 1,250 cubic metres per second (44,000 cu feet/s) in 1965, and the lowest, 95 cubic metres per second (3,400 cu feet/s) in 1921. The Rhine Falls cannot be overcome by fish moving upstream, except for the eel, which wriggles its way sideways over the rocks.
The Rhine Falls were formed in the last ice age, approximately 14,000 to 17,000 years ago, by erosion-resistant rocks narrowing the riverbed. The first glacial advances created today's landforms approximately 500,000 years ago. Up to the end of the Wolstonian Stage approximately 132,000 years ago, the Rhine flowed westwards from Schaffhausen past Klettgau. This earlier riverbed later filled up with gravel.
About 132,000 years ago the course of the river changed southwards at Schaffhausen and formed a new channel, which also filled up with gravel. Part of the Rhine today includes this ancient riverbed. During the Würm glaciation, the Rhine was pushed far to the south to its present course, over a hard Late Jurassic limestone bed. As the river flowed over both the hard limestone and the easily eroded gravel from previous glaciations, formed the waterfall. The Rheinfallfelsen, a large rock, is the remnant of the original limestone cliff flanking the former channel. The rock has eroded very little over the years because relatively little sediment comes down the Rhine from Lake Constance.
In 1944, the Swiss Council of States granted permission to build a power station. The permission was to become effective in 1948, with construction to begin in 1952. But in 1951, the Neue Helvetische Gesellschaft (in English: New Swiss Society) got 150,000 Swiss citizens to sign a petition protesting the project. Among the signatories were 49 famous citizens, including the author Hermann Hesse and the historian Carl Jacob Burckhardt.
The petition not only scuttled the power station project, but effectively prevented all future hydropower and navigation engineering projects on the upper Rhine to the present day. However, the falls are still under consideration for hydropower projects today. If the full water flow would be used used, the power generated would average approximately 50 MW. Nevertheless, the economic value of the falls as a tourist attraction is probaly even greater.
The nearest communities are Neuhausen am Rheinfall just north of the Rhine Falls, where tourists can also view Wörth Castle (in Swiss German: Schlössli Wörth),and Laufen-Uhwiesen, with Laufen Castle (in German: Schloss Laufen) overlooking the waterfall. Access to the other side of the river is possible through boat services or via a sidewalk on the railway bridge (in German: Rheinfallbrücke) upstream of the waterfall.
Aside from boat tours to the Rhine Falls' rock, there are also viewing platforms with views on the waterfall built on both sides of the Rhine River. These are reached via steep and narrow stairs. Elevators exist in some places. Guided tours of various lengths start from Laufen Castle on the Zürich side of the falls, while various restaurants are located in Schloss Laufen, Schlössli Wörth and the Rheinfall park.