This list of old waterbodies of the Rhine contains a selection of ox-bow lakes and meanders of the River Rhine which go under various names that mean Old Rhine or Old Arm [of the Rhine]: Alter Rhein, Altrhein, Altrheinarm, Altrheinzug, Altarm, Rheinaltarm or Restrhein. Artificially created waterbodies, such as quarry ponds; e. g. the Altrheinsee, which may be confused with old branches of the Rhine are mentioned in the section Waterbodies linked to the Rhine.
As a result of natural translocation, the ox-bows and meanders of the Rhine riverbed remain as side arms of the New Rhine (Neurhein); others were cut off as a result of artificial river canalisation, such as in the wake of the canalisation of the Rhine (Rheinbegradigung) from 1817 under the direction of Johann Gottfried Tulla. These old waters, together with the New Rhine, circumscribe islands or peninsulas. The old river courses have mostly lost their water-bearing link to the New Rhine. Many lie within nature reserves, offer breeding sites for water birds or act as washlands during flooding. Sometimes they are used by canoeists or anglers.
Old Rhine waterbodies Locating old Rhine waterbodies in the list:Some names of old Rhine waterbodies include the name of a nearby town or village; others do not. In order to make it easy to find in every case, the nearby settlement is usually written in alphabetical order and italics before each waterbody name as a means of locating it. Next, the coordinates of the waterbody and its position on the Rhine (l/r = left/right) follow, then comes either the waterbody name itself in normal lettering, as well as other names of the waterbody in italics. Or there may just be a reference to the name of another place name behind the town name, under which the river is listed in italics.
Altarm
see also (below) → Rheinaltarm
near Bad Honnef:Altarm (Bad Honnef) (; r), between Bad Honnef and the Rhine island of Grafenwerth, Rhein-Sieg-Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia near Auenheim:near Auenheim, Ortenaukreis, Baden-Württemberg: Altarm (Auenheim) (; r) Altarm Sportplatz (; r)
Alter Rhein
in the canton of St. Gallen (Switzerland) and in the state of Vorarlberg (Austria) – old arms of the Alpine Rhine: Alter Rhein (Diepoldsauer Durchstich) (; r), near Diepoldsau and Hohenems; formed by the Diepoldsauer Durchstich Alter Rhein (Fußacher Durchstich) (; r), near St. Margrethen, Höchst, Rheineck, Gaißau and Altenrhein; formed by the Fußacher Durchstich in Germany: near Rheinberg;see below → near Rheinberg near Xanten;see below → near Xanten