The Eno or Inn is a Swiss river that flows through several countries including Austria and Germany, read our article to find out more.
Origin of the river Eno
The River Eno or Inn (Latin: Aenus; Roman: En) is a river in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. It is a right tributary of the Danube and is 517 kilometres (321 mi) long. The highest point in its catchment area is the summit of Piz Bernina at 4,049 metres (13,284 ft). The Engadine, the valley of the river Eno, is the only Swiss valley where the sea ends at the Black Sea (via the Danube).
The name Eno is derived from the Old Celtic words en and enios, which means water in English.
In a document from 1338 the river is called Wasser.
The first written reference, from the years 105 to 109 (Publii Corneli Taciti historiarium liber tertius), speaks of a Sextus Felix who was sent to the banks of the River Inn.
The river is also mentioned by other authors of the Roman Empire as Ainos (Greek) or Aenus (Latin). In medieval Latin it is usually written as Enus, and by the humanists as Oenus.
Mentions in Roman times refer to the lower course, the Tyrolean section is first mentioned as Aenus in Venantius Fortunatus in the 6th century.
The name Engadin and the Romansh name En indicate that the upper reaches of the river have always been called this. Although it was sometimes thought that the Eno had its source near the Adigiop in the Reschen Pass, since the 16th century the source has been considered to be in the area of the lakes in the Maloja Pass.
In this video we show you what a walk along the Rio Eno or Rio Inn looks like:
The course of the Eno
The source of the Eno lies in the Swiss Alps, west of Saint Moritz in the Engadine region, named after the river. Shortly after leaving its source, the Eno flows through the largest lakes in its course, Lake Sils and Lake Silvaplana. Similar to the source of the Aar.
It flows northeast into Austria and from Landeck east through the Austrian state of Tyrol and its capital, Innsbruck (bridge over the Inn), and crosses the border into Bavaria at Kufstein.
In Bavarian territory, the river flows north through Rosenheim, Wasserburg am Inn and Waldkraiburg, then turns east, passing through Mühldorf and Neuötting, and is joined by two major tributaries, the Alz and the Salzach.
From here to the Danube, it forms the border between Germany (Bavaria) and Austria (Upper Austria). The towns on this last stretch of the river are Marktl am Inn, Simbach am Inn, Braunau am Inn and Schärding.
At Passau the river finally joins the Danube (as does the Ilz). Although the Inn has a higher average flow than the Danube when they join at Passau, its basin also contains Piz Bernina, the highest point in the Danube basin.
The Inn is considered a tributary of the Danube, which is longer, drains a larger area and has a more consistent flow. The Eno is the only river that starts in Switzerland and ends in the Black Sea (via the Danube).
The picturesque Eno, more commonly known as the Inn, stretches from the Engadin region of the Swiss Alps into parts of Austria and Germany, where it becomes the Rhine.
The Inn passes through the Silvaplana and Sils lakes and numerous towns and villages before joining the Danube. Although the Inn generally has a greater flow of water at the confluence, it is a tributary of the Danube.
Watch this video to see the Eno or Inn River Falls in Switzerland:
Many small towns have sprung up along its banks, including the birthplaces of Pope Benedict XVI and Adolf Hitler. The most populous city through which it flows is Innsbruck, Austria.
Innsbruck is widely known for its proximity to alpine skiing, as is the Pechora River, which rises in the Aural Mountains. However, travellers visiting the city during the warmer months of the year will love spending time on the Eno River.
Innsbruck literally means ‘bridge over the Inn’, and this illustrates the importance of the city’s location on the river. The river provided the city’s early inhabitants with a convenient means of transport and also provided access to the Black Sea via the Danube for trade.
There are several scenic bridges that can be explored when visiting the town and travellers to the area can also take part in water activities such as canoeing, kayaking and rafting, as can be done on the Mendoza River in Argentina. The lodge can be seen from many vantage points on the nearby mountain peaks.
See them kayaking on the Rio eno or Rio Inn in Switzerland: