Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
3 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
3 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
4 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
5 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Germany Donaueschingen Donauquelle

Donauquelle

The great Danube river starts here.

Donaueschingen, Germany

Added By
Elliot Hughes
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The Donauquelle.   Clemensfranz/CC BY-SA 3.0
The Donauquelle.   Clemensfranz/CC BY-SA 3.0
The origin of the Danube.   Martin Abegglen/CC BY-SA 2.0
Allegorical figures of the Baar and her daughter, the Danube.   F Delventhal/CC BY 2.0
The Donaquelle featuring allegorical figures of the Baar and the Danube.   Flominator/CC BY-SA 3.0
A postcard depicting the Donaquelle in 1900.   Enslin/Public Domain
  Ell Hughes / Atlas Obscura User
A map of the Donau   Ell Hughes / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The start of the great Danube, which flows 1,700 miles, through 10 countries, all the way to the Black Sea, can be found in the small town of Donaueschingen in Germany.

Though Donaueschingen is a charming old town, its only real tourist attraction is the Donauquelle, the source of the Danube ("Donau" in German), marked by a small blue pool of water. The basin is framed by wrought iron fence and a group of allegorical statues sculpted by Adolf Heer in 1895. These depict the Baar, Germany's great central plateau, as a mother showing her daughter, the Danube, the way out into the world.

The Danube officially begins at the meeting point of two streams, the Breg and the Brigach. However, locating the source of the river has not been without controversy. The Breg, the larger of the two streams that feeds the river, originates in the town of Furtwangen, which claims that this makes it the true location of the Danube's origin. But Donaueschingen has been widely regarded as the source of the Danube as far back as the Roman Empire, and in 1981 the German government granted the pool in Donaueschingen the sole official designation of Donauquelle.

Related Tags

Water Geographic Markers Rivers Pools

Know Before You Go

Donaueschingen is about an hour and a half drive from Stuttgart, and the town is small. The Quelle is located near the center of the city and is easily recognizable.

Community Contributors

Added By

Ell Hughes

Edited By

Molly McBride Jacobson

  • Molly McBride Jacobson

Published

February 13, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.donaueschingen.de/donauquelle
  • https://www.britannica.com/place/Danube-River
Donauquelle
Fürstenbergstraße
Donaueschingen
Germany
47.951894, 8.502458
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Sauschwänzlebahn

Blumberg, Germany

miles away

ThyssenKrupp Test Tower

Rottweil, Germany

miles away

World's Largest Cuckoo Clock

Schonach im Schwarzwald, Germany

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Germany

Germany

Europe

Places 748
Stories 68

Nearby Places

Sauschwänzlebahn

Blumberg, Germany

miles away

ThyssenKrupp Test Tower

Rottweil, Germany

miles away

World's Largest Cuckoo Clock

Schonach im Schwarzwald, Germany

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Germany

Germany

Europe

Places 748
Stories 68

Related Places

  • Left Missouri, Right Mississippi

    West Alton, Missouri

    Jones Confluence Point State Park

    Stand at the point where the two mightiest rivers in the United States converge.

  • The headwaters at Lake Itasca

    Lake Itasca, Minnesota

    Headwaters of the Mississippi River

    At this Minnesota state park you can easily wade across the source of the mighty Mississippi.

  • A watery path

    Oman

    Snake Canyon

    Nature's water park in the Wadi Bani Awf valley is full of pools flanked with cliffs and natural water slides.

  • The arch is visible below the surface

    Lleida, Spain

    Pont de Montiberri

    A river hides a charming medieval bridge.

  • Geneva, Switzerland

    Pointe de la Jonction

    Where two rivers meet—but don’t mix.

  • Sunset over the reach, with wasteway in foreground.

    Helen, Washington

    Hanford Reach National Monument

    The only undammed section of the Columbia River in the United States has been preserved, ironically, by its proximity to the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.

  • Bonneville Dam

    North Bonneville, Washington

    Bonneville Lock & Dam

    Boats and fish both find their way through this massive hydroelectric structure.

  • Eliza, standing in the waters of Matilda Bay

    Perth, Australia

    Eliza Sculpture

    A beloved statue of a diving woman in Perth’s Swan River is frequently dressed up in costumes for special occasions.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.