Hamilton Built a City Around These Falls (9 Photos)

Waterfalls in Town Centers

Most cities keep their waterfalls out in the countryside. These nine towns built next to theirs, from a spa town in the Alps to a mill village in Croatia and a factory city in New Jersey.

More: Living on the Edge

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☘️ The Cascades — Ennistymon, Ireland 🇮🇪

Behind the main street of Ennistymon, the river comes down in rocky steps.

💡 Fact: Ennistymon is a small market town in County Clare. Its Irish name, Inis Díomáin, is believed to mean “Diomán’s island.”

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsThe CascadesNatural cascades · Ennistymon, County Clare, IrelandEnnistymonInagh RiverRock ridge1The Inagh River churns over an extensive ridge of rocks on its way to Liscannor Bay.Visit Clare2Visit Clare counts the Cascades among the most photographed natural attractions in Clare.Visit Clare200927 NovIn flood after heavy rain · Geograph / Wikimedia Commons202230 SepLow water beside the power channel · Wikimedia Commons202425 JulPhotographed in the town · Wikimedia Commons2025Photographed below the town · Wikimedia CommonsMore photos2009 The Cascades in flood after heavy rainPhoto: Eirian Evans / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)2022 Low water beside the hotel’s power channelPhoto: The Banner / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)2025 The cascades below the townPhoto: P. Hughes / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Holger Uwe Schmitt / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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🏔️ Gastein Waterfall — Bad Gastein, Austria 🇦🇹

In Bad Gastein, the waterfall comes down right between the hotels.

💡 Fact: Bad Gastein sits about 3,300 feet (1,000 m) up in the Alps. Its thermal springs have drawn visitors since the 16th century, including Franz Schubert, Otto von Bismarck and Empress Elisabeth.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsGastein WaterfallNatural waterfall · Bad Gastein, AustriaBad Gastein341 metresThree stages1Gastein’s tourism office gives a drop of 341 metres in three stages through the town centre.Gastein tourism2The Gasteiner Ache plunges into the depths right through the town.Gastein tourism18408 OctFoundation stone of the stone bridge laid · gastein-im-bild.info184031 OctStone bridge opened to traffic1928Waterfall bridge widened (tourism office: 1927)201725 JulPhotographed from above · Wikimedia Commons202526 JulPhotographed in the town centre · Wikimedia Commons20264 JunPhotographed at dusk · Wikimedia CommonsMore photos2017 The falls from above, in summerPhoto: Maik Meid / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)2026 The waterfall at dusk, June 2026Photo: Ailura / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0 AT)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Naturpuur / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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🏰 Pliva Waterfall — Jajce, Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦

The Pliva River drops into the Vrbas right below the old town and its fortress.

💡 Fact: According to Jajce’s heritage agency, the Pliva Waterfall was once about 98 feet (30 m) high. The area flooded during the Bosnian War, and the falls are now about 72 feet (22 m) high.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsPliva WaterfallNatural waterfall · Jajce, Bosnia and HerzegovinaJajcePliva meets VrbasTufa1In the centre of Jajce, the Pliva flows over tufa rock into the Vrbas.Agencija Jajce2The town’s tourism page says the waterfall formed 50,000 years ago.Grad Jajce201318 SepPhotographed · Wikimedia Commons202211 JulPhotographed with visitors below · Wikimedia Commons20259 AprSafety work on the plateau announced · Agencija Jajce202510 AprWater to the falls temporarily reduced20265 AprPhotographed in early spring · Wikimedia CommonsMore photos2022 Visitors below the falls in summerPhoto: YxMb / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)2026 The falls from the side in early springPhoto: Djuka137 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Milo van Kovacevic / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

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🌉 Reedy River Falls — Greenville, South Carolina, USA 🇺🇸

A few steps from Main Street, the Reedy River tumbles through Falls Park.

💡 Fact: Falls Park on the Reedy was started in 1967, when a local garden club reclaimed 26 acres of former textile mill land. From 1851 to 1958, Furman University’s men’s campus stood at the park’s southern end.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsReedy River FallsNatural waterfall · Greenville, South Carolina, USAGreenvilleFalls ParkReedy River1In 1967 the Carolina Foothills Garden Club set out to reclaim the Reedy River and its corridor.Carolina Foothills Garden Club2From 2002 the city removed the Camperdown traffic bridge that spanned the river in the park.Carolina Foothills Garden Club1907Falls on a postcard · Wikimedia Commons1967Reclaiming of the river began · Carolina Foothills Garden Club1973Park listed on the National Register of Historic Places2002Camperdown Bridge removal began200410 SepNew Falls Park officially opened2021Photographed (camera date 12 Apr, title 25 Apr) · Wikimedia Commons202412 AprPhotographed in spring · Wikimedia Commons202624 AprPhotographed with downtown towers behind · Wikimedia CommonsMore photos1907 The falls on a postcardPhoto: Raphael Tuck & Sons (postcard) / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)2024 The falls in spring, April 2024Photo: CantoV / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)2026 Downtown towers behind the falls, April 2026Photo: DCAllStar / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Yousef Abdul-Husain / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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⚡ Spokane Falls — Spokane, Washington, USA 🇺🇸

These falls run straight through downtown Spokane.

💡 Fact: The Monroe Street Dam on the Lower Spokane Falls, completed in 1890, is the longest-running hydroelectric plant in Washington State.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsSpokane FallsNatural waterfalls · Spokane, Washington, USASpokane RiverRiverfront ParkHydropower1In 1889 local businessmen founded Washington Water Power, a pioneer of hydroelectric power.Visit Spokane2Railway tracks and parking lots were cleared for Expo ’74, and the riverbanks became Riverfront Park.Visit Spokane1880Print captioned ‘View of Spokane Falls in 1880’ (W. E. Wing) · Wikimedia Commons1889Washington Water Power founded · Visit Spokane1974Dam rebuilt before the World’s Fair200830 AugLower falls photographed · Wikimedia Commons20115 AugLower falls and power complex photographed · Wikimedia Commons201725 AugPart of the falls photographed · Wikimedia Commons202230 AprLower falls seen from the SkyRide · Wikimedia CommonsMore photos1880 The falls on a print captioned 1880Photo: William E. Wing / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)2008 The lower falls at low water, from the Monroe Street BridgePhoto: Dicklyon / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)2017 White water on part of the falls, August 2017Photo: Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Nick Bramhall / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

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🌊 Rhine Falls — Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Switzerland 🇨🇭

The river thunders below the town that even has the waterfall in its name.

💡 Fact: The Rhine Falls formed during the last ice age, about 14,000 to 17,000 years ago. In 1951, a petition signed by 150,000 Swiss citizens, Hermann Hesse among them, helped stop a planned hydropower station here.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsRhine FallsNatural waterfall · Neuhausen am Rheinfall, SwitzerlandNeuhausen150 metresRhine1Huge volumes of water fall over the rocks across a width of 150 metres.Rheinfall.ch2The oldest travel account of the falls was written in 1416 by Poggio Bracciolini.HLS1416Oldest travel account written · HLS1520About 12 houses stood at the falls · neuhausen.sh1544Earliest picture, a woodcut in Münster’s Cosmographia1857Winterthur–Schaffhausen railway opened1977Added to the federal inventory of landscapes201311 JulHigh water photographed · Wikimedia Commons202228 FebPhotographed from the south side · Wikimedia Commons20231 JanWinter sunrise photographed · Wikimedia Commons202415 AugPhotographed from the Rhine bridge at Laufen (retouched photo) · Wikimedia CommonsMore photos2013 The falls at high waterPhoto: Roland.h.bueb / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)2023 Winter sunrise on New Year’s DayPhoto: -wuppertaler / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)2024 From the Rhine bridge at Laufen (retouched: bridge parapet removed)Photo: Stephan van Helden / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Jörg Braukmann / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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🏭 Great Falls — Paterson, New Jersey, USA 🇺🇸

Paterson was built around this 77-foot (23 m) waterfall.

💡 Fact: Alexander Hamilton picked the Great Falls of the Passaic to power the first planned industrial city in the United States. Congress authorized a National Historical Park here in 2009.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsGreat Falls of the PassaicNatural waterfall · Paterson, New Jersey, USAPatersonPassaic RiverIndustrial history1In 1792 Paterson was established as America’s first planned industrial city, centred around the falls.National Park Service2Alexander Hamilton visited the falls in 1778 and was impressed by their potential for industry.NJ Historic Trust1778Hamilton visited the falls · NJ Historic Trust1791Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures founded · NPS1792Paterson established around the falls1967Named a National Natural Landmark1977Raceway and power system named a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark200930 MarNational Historical Park act signed20117 NovNational Historical Park established201613 FebPhotographed in winter · Wikimedia Commons201825 JulPhotographed from the pedestrian bridge · Wikimedia Commons20247 JulPhotographed in summer · Wikimedia CommonsMore photos2018 From the pedestrian bridge over the gorgePhoto: Famartin / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)2024 Summer flow below the footbridgePhoto: CaptJayRuffins / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

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🍁 Rideau Falls — Ottawa, Canada 🇨🇦

Canada’s capital has a waterfall pouring out under a road bridge and the office blocks along Sussex Drive.

💡 Fact: Rideau Falls are named after the French word for curtain, and the Rideau River was later named after them. The Rideau Canal, finished in 1832, was built partly to get boats around these falls.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsRideau FallsNatural twin waterfalls · Ottawa, CanadaOttawaTwin fallsRideau River1The twin falls mark the spot where the Rideau River flows into the Ottawa River.National Capital Commission2In the 1800s the site was an industrial area powered by the falls.National Capital Commission1869Photographed by William Notman · Wikimedia Commons20163 SepPhotographed · Wikimedia Commons202520 JulPhotographed from the park · Wikimedia CommonsMore photos1869 The falls photographed by William NotmanPhoto: William Notman / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)2025 The curtain of the falls, July 2025Photo: R Prazeres / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Jeangagnon / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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🌿 Rastoke — Slunj, Croatia 🇭🇷

In Rastoke, the river splits into more than 20 small falls between the houses and old mills.

💡 Fact: Rastoke is where the Slunjčica river falls into the Korana. It is often called the “Small Lakes of Plitvice,” and its water mills were first drawn in 1789.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsRastokeWaterfalls and watermill village · Slunj, CroatiaRastokeTravertineWatermills1The Slunjčica flows over travertine barriers into the Korana, creating many small waterfalls.Slunj tourist board2When it was put under protection in 1962, Rastoke had 22 water mills.Slunj tourist board1962Put under heritage protection · Slunj tourist board1969Registered as a cultural monument20048 AugLarge waterfall photographed (camera date) · Wikimedia Commons20104 DecPhotographed under snow · Wikimedia Commons202321 MayBridge and mills photographed · Wikimedia Commons202519 FebSlunjčica falls photographed · Wikimedia CommonsMore photos2004 The large waterfall, August 2004Photo: Neoneo13 (assumed) / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)2010 Rastoke under snowPhoto: MarioCRO / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)2025 The Slunjčica in late winterPhoto: Zrilezrno / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Mnalis / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)