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Following the Danube River
A History of Conflict, from Source to Sea
 Get descriptions of each of the stories in this series.
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April 29 to May 3, 2002 -- In many ways, the Danube "is more than a river," says NPR's Guy Raz. Europe's second-longest river (after the Volga), the Danube "simultaneously unites, defines and divides Central Europe," says Raz, who recently traveled its 1,776-mile length. On All Things Considered, Raz presents a week-long series of reports from each of the nations the river flows through.
"Historical memory in the Danube basin is as long as the river itself," Raz says. And conflict has flowed along the river literally from its source: For 500 years, two German towns have been locked in a dispute over which can claim to be the river's rightful source, its very origin.
Through history, conflicts between the river civilizations have often resulted in bloody battle. In the western Danube region -- Germany and Austria -- hardcore nationalism now has faded away. "But the further east one travels down the river," Raz adds, "the more memory and consciousness fuse tightly with modern politics."
The river's namesake Blue Danube Waltz was composed in Vienna, by Johann Strauss, at the height of the Habsburg Empire's power. And the composition is still closely associated with the grace and refinement of a long-gone, genteel Mitteleuropa. The Austrian stretch of the Danube is one of the most winding along the river's entire course. The twists and turns of the river somehow mirror the ups and downs of Austrian history, says Raz. "The river brought art and music -- but also atrocity and war."
Where the past was marked by violence, the future is marked by uncertainty about Austria's heritage. More than 400 years after the Ottoman Empire's soldiers laid siege to Vienna, second- and third-generation Austrians of Turkish heritage complain they are not regarded as "real" Austrians.
Further downstream, the Danube forms the borders separating Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. Those frontiers were drawn by the victorious allies after World War I and the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. More than 80 years later, Slovaks remain wary of their Hungarian neighbors.
The two societies aren't only divided by the river, but by political decisions about the river. Slovakia built a 40-mile-long water management system along the river. Hungary was supposed to take part, but pulled out after the collapse of communism. Today, water levels on the Hungarian side have dropped more than two yards.
Next, Raz's Danube pilgrimage took him to the Balkans -- Serbia and Croatia, site of Europe's last war of the 20th century. The war began in earnest on one side the Danube, and ended on the other. The relics of the battles still remain: modern bridges, sloping into the river, their backs broken by NATO bombs.
The bombing of the bridges may have served an immediate political objective -- forcing Slobodan Milosevic to capitulate to NATO in the war over Kosovo -- but the long-term impact is only now being discovered. The riverbed is still full of debris and unexploded ordnance, making river navigation along this part of the Danube virtually impossible. The almost complete shutdown of commercial traffic has had a devastating effect on other countries that rely on free navigation of the river.
At the end of its journey, the Danube river branches out into a delta in eastern Romania. Until a few years ago, the Delta region was threatened by pollution, development, and neglect. Everything that's been deposited into the river -- past the cities of Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrade -- eventually makes its way there.
It's now a biosphere reserve, and scientists and engineers are working to restore it. With its miles of reed beds -- the largest in the world -- the Danube delta acts as a filter, cleaning the waters. It's the river's final act before it gives way to the sea, says Raz: "And it's here where nature, finally, gets to triumph over man."
Stories in this Series
 Monday, April 29: Source of the Conflict
Guy Raz begins his odyssey by visiting the two towns that both claim to be the source and ultimate beginning of the Danube River. One town may have an edge on the competition -- it's mentioned by Roman historian Pliny the Elder that Emperor Tiberius himself recognized the spring in Donaueschingen as the source. But regardless of where the river begins, man-made changes to the river are causing ripples downstream.
Tuesday, April 30: They Came on Horses
On the morning of July 14, 1683, hundreds of thousands of Ottoman Turkish soldiers crossed the Danube on horseback and laid siege to the city of Vienna, Austria. But 400 years after the Turks were driven back, Vienna has the largest population of ethnic Turks in Europe -- and many complain they are treated as second-class citizens and not regarded as "real" Austrians, even though they were born and raised in Austria.
Wednesday, May 1: Ecology Versus History
The Danube forms the borders separating Austria, Slovakia and Hungary -- lines drawn by the Allies after World War I, slicing apart the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. More than 80 years later, Slovaks remain wary of their Hungarian neighbors. And that history of animosity has intruded in an environmental dispute along the river running between them.
Thursday, May 2: War Starts on One Bank, Ends on the Other
The last war to ravage Europe at the close of the 20th century began on the Croatian side of the Danube and ended in a storm of NATO firepower on the Serbian side. But more than 10 years after the first shots rang out, an uneasy truce remains and people are still picking up the pieces of their shattered lives.
Friday, May 3: The Clash of Humanity and Nature
The reeds clogging the Danube delta act as filters, leaching pollutants from the river's water before it empties into the Black Sea. But until recently, this crucial function was threatened by neglect and misuse. Now it's a biosphere reserve, and scientists and engineers are working to restore the basin.
Other Resources
• National Geographic Online: The Danube -- River of Harmony and Discord
• The Danube Commission.
• Danube Research.com.
• RiverNet.org: Danube.
• Town of Donaueschingen official Web site.
• Johann Strauss Ensemble official Web site.
• Mauthausen Memorial.
• City of Novi Sad official Web site.
• City of Vukovar official Web site.
• UNESCO page on Danube Delta
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