Elbe Experience
The Elbe - the pulsating lifeline of an entire region:
Unique experiences on the Elbe and its tributaries.
The River Landscape
As the main river in Central Europe, the Elbe flows for over 600 kilometres without weirs. The floodplains still act out a millennia-old interplay. The Elbe floods and subsides again, deposits and creates something anew. Hardly any other habitat provides such ideal living conditions for plants and animals. The last large continuous floodplain forest stretches along the middle Elbe. The cultivated Elbe marshes also offer numerous fascinating views.
The Elbe is Feminine
Linguists are not completely in agreement about the origin of the name "Elbe". Some say it comes from the Latin word "albia", which means "bright water". That could also explain why in German the river is feminine, because "albia" is feminine. But others are convinced that elves used to live on the misty river meadows, showing themselves only in the morning mist and were fond of humans. The Middle High German word for elves is "alb". Many believe that is how the Elbe really got its name.
Green Belt:
The Former Inner-German Border
Today's "Green Belt" was the "Iron Curtain" between East and West that fell across Europe, from the Barents Sea to the Black Sea. The border strip was so isolated that it became a treasure of nature. In Germany it became the first all-German nature conservation project.
