At around river kilometre 100, upstream from the so-called "Zeller Hamm", a famous (and just as often photographed) Moselle bend with the town of Zell at its apex, the Lower Moselle merges into the Middle Moselle (Part 1 with the description of the Lower Moselle you can find here ). The changes to the banks are limited at first, but gradually the river valley widens and its sides slope ever more gently towards the water. The "division" of the Moselle at this point dates back to Roman times and still indicates the former border between the imperial provinces of Upper Germania and Belgian Gaul.
In the oldest wine village in Germany
The following 100 km or so of the Middle Moselle are also characterised by winegrowing, both economically and in terms of tourism: Traben-Trarbach, Kröv, Ürzig and Bernkastel-Kues are just some of the best-known winegrowing towns along the way, almost all of which also have marinas (mostly cosy, well-equipped club facilities) or public guest moorings marked with the Yellow Wave (overview on the Internet at www.deutschertourismusverband.de search term "yellow wave"). Neumagen-Dhron even claims to be the "oldest wine village in Germany". Although it is not alone in this, the discovery of a Roman wine ship hewn from stone (from the tomb of a wine merchant from the early 3rd century) at least supports this theory. A replica of the wooden cargo ship lies in the harbour at km 152 of the Moselle.
The ancient Roman city of Trier
Although the old city of Trier (with the Roman city gate Porta Nigra) is also located directly on the banks of the river, it does not have a central marina. The best way to reach the centre is by local transport from the marinas at Trier-Monaise (km 197.3), which are only a few kilometres upstream, www.pst-segeln-trier.de ) and Konz (km 200.1, www.wsc-konz.de/der-hafen ).
Continue to the border triangle
The last section of the river on German territory is called the Upper Moselle. It begins at the confluence with the Saar at Konz (km 200.8) and runs to the "border triangle" with Luxembourg and France at km 242. From km 205.9, the left bank is already in Luxembourg, where the town of Schengen, known for the European border agreement, is located. On the French side, the Moselle is still navigable as far as Toul (km 372).
Chartering in the district
Yacht charter Deißner operates a small fleet of motor yachts from Lahnstein (Lahn), which can also be hired for cruises on the Moselle. The steel displacement boats cost between 1450 and 3150 euros, depending on the boat and season. Contact: Yachtcharter Deißner, Holzheide 10, 46348 Raesfeld-Erle, Tel. 0800-388 00 01. www.my-charter.net
In Sierck-les-Bains, just over the French border, houseboat specialistKuhnle-Tours has a charter base. There is a choice of cosy Kormoran and Vetus boats in various sizes. Contact: Kuhnle-Tours, Hafendorf Müritz, 17248 Rechlin (Müritz), Tel. 03 98 23-26 60. www.kuhnle-tours.de
Nautical information
For navigability, shipping traffic and lock operation from km 115.6 to 242, the Trier Waterways and Shipping Office responsible. Tel. 0651-360 90 As with the entire course of the river, the seven barrages on the Middle and Upper Moselle (Enkirch, Zeltingen, Wintrich, Detzem, Trier, Grevenmacher, Palzem-Stadtbredimus) are equipped with sports boat locks. Vehicles up to 18 metres in length, 3.30 metres wide and 1.50 metres deep
metres deep must use them when they are in operation. Locking is semi-automatic in self-service mode. The drop height is 6.00-7.50 metres. During closures, the large navigation locks may also be used.
Messages for shipping with nautical information, such as warnings or closures on the Moselle, are available on the Internet at www.elwis.de
