Rein da Medel

The Rein da Medel is a river in the Surselva region of the Swiss canton of Grissons. It is a tributary of the Anterior Rhine and is the Rhine's longest headwater.

Name
The Rein da Medel (Romansh, meaning "Rhine of the Medel") takes its name from the Medel valley, through which it flows. The river is also referred to as the Reno di Medel in Italian and the Medelser Rhein in German.

Course
Although the Rein da Medel mostly flows through the canton of Grissons, it in fact begins in a remote region of northern Ticino, near Quinto. From Lago Scuro, the mountain stream flows east through the Cadlimo valley as the Reno di Medel, before cascading down into the Lai da Sontga Maria reservoir. Now in the German and Romansh-speaking Grissons canton, the stream drops its Italian name and enters the north-oriented Medel valley. Near the hamlet of Fuorns, the Rein da Medel is joined by a tribtuary from the Cristallina valley. The river proceeds north for another 5 km, before entering a short gorge and joining the Anterior Rhine at Disentis.