Editing Ahr (section)

== History ==
There were isolated settlements in the Ahr valley beginning at the latest in [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] times, evidenced by the Roman villa near Ahrweiler. Owing to their isolated location, the upper and middle parts of the course were sparsely populated.

That began changing in the mid-19th century. The development of settlements and transportation routes (including three railway lines) and the expansion of the area used for agriculture in the Ahr valley led to the narrowing and constraint of the riverbed. The course of the river was graded and its banks were stabilized.

Catastrophic flash flooding occurred on the Ahr in [[1910 European Floods|1910]] and [[2021 European floods|2021]] resulting in the deaths of hundreds.