As an American, I haven’t thought much about the many roles that rivers have played in other parts of the world. In The Danube: A Cultural History, Andrew Beattie argues convincingly that when travelling the Danube, you are taking not just a geographical journey, but a political, linguistic, philosophical, economic, and cultural one as well. Communities have thrived along this river for 8,000 years. Empires — such as the Macedonians, Romans, Hapsburgs, Ottomans and Nazis — have risen and fallen along its banks. Currently, the river forms international frontiers for 600 of its 1700 miles. The “historical richness” of this beautiful river runs deeply.
Beattie, Andrew. The Danube: A Cultural History. Oxford University Press, 2010, p. ix.