“I went to the Danube because I wanted to embrace the unknown,” writes Diana Michener, “I imagined I would create a visual diary.” Die Donau traces Michener’s journey, both physical and spiritual, along the entire course of the Danube, from its source in the Black Forest down more than 2,800 km to its mouth at the Black Sea. She captures not only the changing topography of the great river as it carves its way through the landscape, past crumbling castles and sculptures, but also a sense of its past imperial splendor and its mystical presence. Just as Michener records reflections on the river’s surface, so too does she fix her emotional reflections in short, lyrical texts. Her final approach took her to the Danube Delta, where she tenderly photographed fishing families—a reminder that the river also remains a source of life and livelihood for many.