Passenger and Car Ferry Niederheimbach - Lorch It would be simply wrong to consider the numerous ferries on the Rhine as mere means of transportation. They are a true institution and are as much a part of the Rhine Valley as the castles and wine. Their tradition is long, and the profession of ferryman has existed on the Rhine since the Middle Ages. In the past, the shallow waters and rocky outcrops were treacherous, and only a good connoisseur of the river could bring his guests safely and dryly from bank to bank. Even today, skill and experience are required, as the ferries join one of the largest transportation routes in Europe. The Rhine is an important waterway and continues to connect to its significance as a transport route. Navigation and ferry operations on the Rhine are therefore not nostalgia, but part of the daily landscape. Bridges are few and far between here, concentrating around the region of Koblenz. Upstream and downstream, however, the ferries are typical Rhine inhabitants. They are steeped in tradition and even the setting for the "Festival of the Flying Bridge" between the neighboring towns of St. Goar and St. Goarshausen. When the first ferry was pulled across the Rhine by ropes between St. Goar and St. Goarshausen in the 16th century, the Easter custom surrounding this "Flying Bridge" also emerged: the ferryman received an egg as a token of appreciation from his passengers for the crossing during Easter. For more information, please refer to the homepage.