One of the prettiest passages of the river is the Upper Middle Rhine Valley near Koblenz. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002. On the picture you can see the world famous Lorelei Rock. It is steeped in legend, most of the stories tell of a beautiful woman who is said to sit on the rock by the river combing her golden hair while singing. Sailors, distracted by her looks and sweet song, crash their ships on the rock or run aground on the sandbanks on this narrow part of the river. Many of them were said to have died.