The International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR) has published the new Rhine Atlas. It shows the flood-prone areas along the Rhine from the Alps to the North Sea.
The Rhine Atlas is developed jointly by all the riparian states: Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France and the Netherlands. The ICPR has been publishing it in cooperation with the German Federal Institute of Hydrology since 2001 – previously in printed form, and now as a web mapping service.
The new edition of the Rhine Atlas, containing updated data, has been available since June 2026; it was adopted on 16 June 2026 at the ICPR plenary assembly in Dübendorf (Switzerland).
What does the atlas cover, and what is its target group?
Citizens can find out whether they live in an area along the Rhine that is at potential risk of flooding and what water levels they can expect in the event of a flood. Three scenarios (frequent, medium and extreme flooding) are available. The maps also contain useful additional information such as land use, the number of residents affected in the event of a flood, the location of industrial facilities that could pose an environmental risk, and cultural heritage sites in the affected areas. This ensures that everyone, across national borders, has access to consolidated and standardised information on flooding along the Rhine. Furthermore, the atlas contains links to the information pages of the competent authorities in the countries and regions within the catchment area.
The Rhine Atlas is a cooperation project involving all countries bordering the Rhine and helps to raise awareness of flood risks and improve flood prevention measures.
Link: https://www.iksr.org/en/public-relations/documents/archive/maps/rhine-atlas
Direct link: geoportal.bafg.de/karten/rhineatlas/
Contact for queries
Marc Daniel Heintz (Executive secretary)
marcdaniel.heintz(at)iksr.de
0049-261-94252-19
Background information on the ICPR
In the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR), Switzerland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and the European Union have been working together since 1950 on the basis of a convention under international law to reconcile the diverse uses and protection of water bodies. With a view to implementing European directives, the cross-border cooperation was extended to Austria, Liechtenstein and the Belgian region Wallonia.
An international secretariat based in Koblenz (Germany) supports the president and the bodies of the ICPR.
See also www.iksr.org/en and https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-commission-for-the-protection-of-the-rhine/.