I've spent most of my life living near rivers and am very familiar with the typical meandering paths of rivers and the sometimes braided sections. This is obviously too disorganised for my Austrian friends.
They have straightened most of their rivers by rock walling both banks and creating small weirs to control flow and erosion rates. I saw many examples of this especially as I used trains to travel between meetings.
The river flats around Dornbirn are incredibly productive and too valuable to have damaged by too many floods or bank erosion.
I have to admit I think it robs the rivers of character but I also have to acknowledge that it is efficient and orderly!
I just hope they don't do this at home.
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