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Elbe

Coordinates:53°55′20″N8°43′20″E/ 53.92222°N 8.72222°E/53.92222; 8.72222
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, seeElbe (disambiguation).Not to be confused with the island ofElba.
Elbe
Elve
The Elbe (Labe) near Děčín, Czech Republic
The Elbe drainage basin
Native name
Location
Countries
Regions(CZ)
States(DE)
Cities
Physical characteristics
SourceElbe Meadow
• locationGiant Mountains,Czech Republic
• coordinates50°46′32.59″N15°32′10.14″E/ 50.7757194°N 15.5361500°E/50.7757194; 15.5361500
• elevation1,386 m (4,547 ft)
MouthNorth Sea
• location
Germany
• coordinates
53°55′20″N8°43′20″E/ 53.92222°N 8.72222°E/53.92222; 8.72222
• elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length1,112 km (691 mi)
Basin size148,268 km2(57,247 sq mi)
Discharge
• locationmouth
• average870 m3/s (31,000 cu ft/s)
• minimum493 m3/s (17,400 cu ft/s)
• maximum1,232 m3/s (43,500 cu ft/s)
Discharge
• locationDěčín
• average303 m3/s (10,700 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries
• leftVltava,Ohře,Mulde,Saale,Ohre,Ilmenau,Este,Lühe,Schwinge,Oste,Medem
• rightJizera,Schwarze Elster,Havel,Elde,Bille,Alster,Mrlina

TheElbe(German:[ˈɛlbə]ⓘ;Czech:Labe[ˈlabɛ]ⓘ;Low German:IlvorElv;UpperandLower Sorbian:Łobjo,pronounced[ˈwɔbʲɔ]) is one of the majorriversofCentral Europe.It rises in theGiant Mountainsof the northernCzech Republicbefore traversing much ofBohemia(western half of the Czech Republic), thenGermanyand flowing into theNorth SeaatCuxhaven,110 kilometres (68 miles) northwest ofHamburg.Its total length is 1,094 km (680 mi).[1]

The Elbe's majortributariesinclude the riversVltava,Saale,Havel,Mulde,Schwarze Elster,andOhře.[1]

The Elbe river basin, comprising the Elbe and its tributaries, has a catchment area of 148,268 square kilometres (57,247 sq mi), the twelfth largest in Europe. The basin spans four countries; however, it lies almost entirely just in two of them, Germany (65.5%) and the Czech Republic (33.7%, covering about two thirds of the nation's territory). On its southeastern edges, the Elbe river basin also comprises small parts ofAustria(0.6%) andPoland(0.2%). The Elbe catchment area is inhabited by 24.4 million people; its biggest cities areBerlin,Hamburg,Prague,DresdenandLeipzig.[1]

Etymology[edit]

AlbisorAlbiaare old medieval names for the river Elbe

First attested in Latin asAlbis,the nameElbemeans "river" or "river-bed" and is nothing more than theHigh Germanversion of a word (*albī) found elsewhere in Germanic; cf.Old Norseriver nameElfr,Swedishälv"river",Norwegianelv"river",Old Englishriver nameelf,andMiddle Low Germanelve"river-bed".[2]

Course[edit]

In the Czech Republic[edit]

The Elbe (Labe) rises on the slopes of Mt.Violíkat an elevation of 1,386 metres (4,547 ft) in theGiant Mountainson the northwest borders of the Czech Republic. Of the numerous small streams whose waters compose the infant river. After plunging down the 30 metres (98 ft) of theElbe Falls,the latter stream unites with the steeply torrentialBílé Labe,and thereafter the united stream of the Elbe pursues a southerly course, emerging from the mountain glens atJaroměř,where it receivesÚpaandMetuje.

Here the Elbe enters the vast vale namedPolabí(meaning "land along the Elbe" ), and continues on southwards throughHradec Králové(whereOrliceflows in) and then toPardubice,where it turns sharply to the west. AtKolínsome 43 kilometres (27 mi) further on, it bends gradually towards the north-west. At the village ofKáraný,a little aboveBrandýs nad Labem,theJizeraenters in.

AtMělníkits stream is more than doubled in volume by theVltava,a major river which winds northwards throughBohemia.Upstream from theconfluencethe Vltava is in fact much longer (434 kilometres (270 mi) against 294 kilometres (183 mi) of the Elbe so far), and has a greater discharge and a largerdrainage basin.Nonetheless, for historical reasons the river retains the name Elbe, also because at the confluence point it is the Elbe that flows through the main, wider valley while the Vltava flows into the valley to meet the Elbe at almost a right angle, and thus appears to be the tributary river.

Some distance lower down, atLitoměřice,the waters of the Elbe are tinted by the reddishOhře.Thus augmented, and swollen into a stream 140 metres (460 ft) wide, the Elbe carves a path through the basaltic mass of theČeské Středohoří,churning its way through a picturesque, deep, narrow and curved rocky gorge.

In Germany[edit]

Shortly after crossing the Czech-German frontier, and passing through the sandstone defiles of theElbe Sandstone Mountains,the stream assumes a north-westerly direction, which on the whole it preserves right to the North Sea.

The river rolls throughDresdenand finally, beyondMeissen,enters on its long journey across theNorth German Plainpassing along the former western border ofEast Germany,touchingTorgau,Wittenberg,Dessau,Magdeburg,Wittenberge,andHamburgon the way, and taking on the waters of theMuldeandSaalefrom the west, and those of theSchwarze Elster,HavelandEldefrom the east. In its northern section both banks of the Elbe are characterised by flat, very fertilemarshlands(Elbe Marshes), former flood plains of the Elbe now diked.

At Magdeburg there is a viaduct, theMagdeburg Water Bridge,that carries a canal and its shipping traffic over the Elbe and its banks, allowing shipping traffic to pass under it unhindered.

The Middle Elbe in theNorth German Plainnear the village ofGorleben.In this section, the river had been part of theIron Curtainbetween West and East Germany during theCold War.For that reason, the river banks even today look relatively natural and undeveloped. (Photo taken 2011)

From thesluiceofGeesthacht(at kilometre 586) on downstream the Elbe is subject to thetides,the tidal Elbe section is called theUnterelbe(Low Elbe). Soon the Elbe reaches Hamburg. Within the city-state the Unterelbe has a number of branch streams, such asDove Elbe,Gose Elbe,Köhlbrand,Norderelbe(Northern Elbe),Reiherstieg,Süderelbe(Southern Elbe). Some of which have been disconnected for vessels from the main stream by dikes. In 1390 the Gose Elbe (literally in English:shallow Elbe) was separated from the main stream by a dike connecting the two then-islands ofKirchwerderandNeuengamme.The Dove Elbe (literally in English:deaf Elbe) was diked off in 1437/38 at Gammer Ort. Thesehydraulic engineeringworks were carried out to protect marshlands from inundation, and to improve the water supply of thePort of Hamburg.After the heavy inundation by theNorth Sea flood of 1962the western section of the Southern Elbe was separated, becoming the Old Southern Elbe, while the waters of the eastern Southern Elbe now merge into the Köhlbrand, which is bridged by theKöhlbrandbrücke,the last bridge over the Elbe before the North Sea.

The Northern Elbe passes theElbe Philharmonic Halland is then crossed under by theold Elbe Tunnel (Alter Elbtunnel),both in Hamburg's city centre. A bit more downstream the Low Elbe's two mainanabranchesNorthern Elbe and the Köhlbrand reunite south ofAltona-Altstadt, a locality of Hamburg. Right after both anabranches reunited the Low Elbe is passed under by theNew Elbe Tunnel (Neuer Elbtunnel),the last structural road link crossing the river before the North Sea. At the bayMühlenberger Lochin Hamburg at kilometre 634, the Northern Elbe and the Southern Elbe (here now the cut-off meander Old Southern Elbe) used to reunite, which is why the bay is seen as the starting point of theNiederelbe(Lower Elbe). Leaving the city-state the Lower Elbe then passes betweenHolsteinand theElbe-Weser TrianglewithStadeuntil it flows into the North Sea atCuxhaven.Near its mouth it passes the entrance to theKiel CanalatBrunsbüttelbefore itdebouchesinto the North Sea.

View of the Elbe inSaxon Switzerland,an area in Germany

Towns and cities[edit]

ThePort of Hamburgon the Elbe
The Elbe passingDresden
The Elbe flows throughMagdeburg
Town Population
Špindlerův Mlýn 979
Vrchlabí 11,968
Dvůr Králové nad Labem 15,170
Jaroměř 12,260
Smiřice 2,969
Hradec Králové 90,596
Pardubice 88,520
Kolín 32,046
Poděbrady 14,536
Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav 18,755
Mělník 19,472
Štětí 8,438
Roudnice nad Labem 12,506
Litoměřice 22,950
Lovosice 8,605
Ústí nad Labem 90,378
Děčín 47,029
Bad Schandau 3,423
Königstein 2,085
Pirna 38,361
Heidenau 16,540
Dresden 555,351
Radebeul 33,743
Coswig (Saxony) 20,462
Meissen 28,080
Riesa 28,850
Strehla 3,651
Belgern-Schildau 7,579
Torgau 19,625
Wittenberg 44,984
Coswig (Saxony-Anhalt) 11,494
Dessau-Roßlau 78,731
Aken (Elbe) 7,363
Barby 8,173
Schönebeck 30,067
Magdeburg 236,188
Tangermünde 10,350
Wittenberge 16,682
Dömitz 2,991
Hitzacker 5,020
Bleckede 9,613
Boizenburg 10,689
Lauenburg 11,644
Geesthacht 31,539
Hamburg 1,906,411
Wedel 34,151
Stade 47,579
Glückstadt 10,719
Brunsbüttel 12,381
Otterndorf 7,443
Cuxhaven 48,318

Navigation[edit]

The Elbe has always been navigable by commercial vessels,[3]and provides important trade links as far inland asPrague.The river is linked bycanals(Elbe Lateral Canal,Elbe-Havel Canal,Mittellandkanal) to the industrial areas of Germany and toBerlin.TheElbe-Lübeck Canallinks the Elbe to theBaltic Sea,as does theKiel Canal,whose western entrance is near the mouth of the Elbe. TheElbe-Weser Shipping Channelconnects the Elbe with theWeser.

By theTreaty of Versaillesthe navigation on the Elbe became subject to the International Commission of the Elbe, seated in Dresden.[4]The statute of the commission was signed in Dresden on 22 February 1922.[5]Following articles 363 and 364 of the Treaty of Versailles,Czechoslovakiawas entitled to lease its own harbour basin,Moldauhafenin Hamburg. The contract of lease with Germany, and supervised by theUnited Kingdom,was signed on 14 February 1929, ending in 2028. Since 1993 the Czech Republic holds the former Czechoslovak legal position.

Before Germany was reunited, waterway transport in Western Germany was hindered by the fact thatinland navigationto Hamburg had to pass through the German Democratic Republic. The Elbe-Seitenkanal (Elbe Lateral Canal) was built between the West German section of the Mittellandkanal and the Lower Elbe to restore this connection. When the two nations were reunited, works were begun to improve and restore the original links: theMagdeburg Water Bridgenow allows large barges to cross the Elbe without having to enter the river. The often low water levels of the Elbe no longer hinder navigation to Berlin.[6]

Islands[edit]

Cuxhaven
The mouth of the Elbe with the island ofTrischenin theNorth Sea

Headwaters[edit]

Upper reaches[edit]

Middle Elbe[edit]

Between Northern and Southern Elbe (Norderelbe/Süderelbe)[edit]

Lower Elbe[edit]

Outer Elbe (estuary)[edit]

Former islands[edit]

Ferries[edit]

The Dolní Žleb Ferry
The Wörlitz Coswig Ferry
The Zollenspieker Ferry

The Elbe is crossed by many ferries, both passenger and car carrying. In downstream order, these include:[7]

Many of these ferries are traditionalreaction ferries,a type ofcable ferrythat uses the current flow of the river to provide propulsion.

Prehistory[edit]

Humans first lived in the northern Elbe region before about 200,000 years ago, during theMiddle Paleolithic.

History[edit]

Ptolemyrecorded the Elbe asAlbis(Germanicfor "river" ) inGermaniaMagna, with its source in theAsciburgismountains (Giant Mountains), where the GermanicVandaliithen lived.

The Elbe nearKönigstein Fortressin Germany

The Elbe has long served as an important delineator of European geography. TheRomansknew the river as theAlbis;however, they made only one seriousattempt to move the border of their empireforward from theRhineto the Elbe, and this attempt failed with theBattle of the Teutoburg Forestin 9 AD, after which they never seriously tried again. In theMiddle Agesthe Elbe formed the eastern limit of theEmpireofCharlemagne(King of the Franks from 769 to 814). The river's navigable sections were essential to the success of theHanseatic Leaguein theLate Middle Ages,and much trade was carried on its waters.

From the early 6th centurySlavic tribes(known as thePolabian Slavs) settled in the areas east of the rivers Elbe and Saale (which had been depopulated since the 4th century). In the 10th century theOttonian Dynasty(dominant from 919 to 1024) began conquering these lands; a slow process ofGermanizationensued, including theWendish Crusadeof 1147.

The Elbe delineated the western parts of Germany from the eastern so-calledEast Elbia,wheresoccageandserfdomwere more strict and prevailed longer than westwards of the river, and where feudal lords held bigger estates than in the west. Thus incumbents of huge land-holdings became characterised[when?]as East ElbianJunkers.TheNorthern Germanarea north of the Lower Elbe used to be calledNorth Albingiain the Middle Ages. When the fourLutheranchurch bodiesthere united in 1977 they chose the nameNorth Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church.Other, administrative units were named after the river Elbe, such as theWestphalianElbedépartement(1807–1813) andLower Elbe département(1810), and the French départementBouches-de-l'Elbe(1811–1814).

On 10 April 1945,General Wenckof the GermanTwelfth Armylocated to the west of Berlin to guard against the advancing American and British forces. But, as theWestern Frontmoved eastwards and the Eastern Front moved westwards, the German armies making up both fronts backed towards each other. As a result, the area of control of Wenck's army to his rear and east of the Elbe River had become a vastrefugee campfor Germans fleeing from the approaching Soviet Army. Wenck took great pains to provide food and lodging for these refugees. At one stage, the Twelfth Army was estimated to be feeding more than a quarter of a million people every day. During the night of 28 April, Wenck reported to theGerman Supreme Army Commandin Fuerstenberg that his Twelfth Army had been forced back along the entire front. According to Wenck, no attack on Berlin was possible as support from Busse's Ninth Army could no longer be expected. Instead, starting April 24, Wenck moved his army towards the Forest ofHalbe,broke into theHalbe pocketand linked up with the remnants of theNinth Army,Hellmuth Reymann's "Army Group Spree", and thePotsdamgarrison. Wenck brought his army, remnants of the Ninth Army, and many civilian refugees across the Elbe and into territory occupied by theU.S. Army.

In 1945, asWorld War IIdrew to a close, Germany came under attack from the armies of thewestern Alliesadvancing from the west and those of theSoviet Unionadvancing from the east. On 25 April 1945 these two forces linked up nearTorgau,on the Elbe. The victorious countries marked the event unofficially asElbe Day.From 1949 to 1990 the Elbe formed part of theInner German borderbetweenEast GermanyandWest Germany.

During the 1970s the Soviet Union stated thatAdolf Hitler's ashes had been scattered in the Elbe following disinterment from their original burial-site.[9][10]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abc"Elbe River basin"(PDF).International Commission for the Protection of the Elbe River.Retrieved2018-03-20.
  2. ^Orel, Vladimir.A Handbook of Germanic Etymology.Leiden, Netherlands: Brill, 2003: 13
  3. ^Ellmers, Detlev (1991). Brachmann, Hansjürgen (ed.)."Die Rolle der Binnenschiffahrt für die Entwicklung der mittelalterlichen Städte"[The role of inland shipping in the development of mediaeval cities].Monum. Ger. Hist.Frühgeschichte der europäischen Stadt.4(425). Berlin: Akademie Verlag: 137–147.
  4. ^The commission was staffed with two representatives of Czechoslovakia and one representative ofAnhalt,Belgium,France,Hamburg,Italy,Prussia,Saxony,and the United Kingdom each, with Czecholosvakia and the German states being those, whose territory was crossed by the Elbe and thus competent for maintaining navigation installations. Cf.Der Große Brockhaus: Handbuch des Wissens in zwanzig Bänden:21 vols., completely revised ed., Leipzig: F. A. Brockhaus,151928–1935, vol. 5 (1930): Fünfter Band Doc–Ez, article: 'Elbe', pp. 400seqq., here p. 402. No ISBN.
  5. ^Text inLeague of Nations Treaty Series,vol. 26, 220–247.
  6. ^NoorderSoft Waterways Database
  7. ^"Google Maps".Google Maps.Retrieved2008-02-03.
  8. ^"Public transport operators co-operating in the HVV partnership".Archived fromthe originalon 2009-03-31.Retrieved2009-03-26.
  9. ^Hans Meissner,Magda Goebbels, First Lady of the Third Reich,260–277
  10. ^ Maxim Tkachenko (11 December 2009)."Official: KGB chief ordered Hitler's remains destroyed".CNN.Retrieved11 December2009.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Rada, Uwe (2013).Die Elbe. Europas Geschichte im Fluss(in German). Munich: Siedler.ISBN978-3-88680-995-0.

External links[edit]

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