View source for Elbe

{{short description|Major river in Central Europe}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2026}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2026}}
{{hatnote group|
{{otheruses}}
{{distinguish|text=the island of [[Elba]]}}
}}
{{Infobox river
| name               = Elbe
| native_name        = {{native name list|tag1=de|name1=Elbe|tag2=cs|name2=Labe|tag3=nds|name3=Ilv, Elv|tag4=wen|name4=Łobjo}}
| native_name_lang   = 
| name_other         = Elve
| name_etymology     = 
<!---------------------- IMAGE & MAP -->
| image              = Labe_udoli.jpg
| image_size         = 
| image_caption      = The Elbe (Labe) near Děčín, Czech Republic
| map                = Elbe basin.png
| map_size           = 
| map_caption        = The Elbe drainage basin
| pushpin_map        = 
| pushpin_map_size   = 
| pushpin_map_caption = 
| mapframe           = yes
| mapframe-zoom      = 5
<!---------------------- LOCATION -->
| subdivision_type1  = Countries
| subdivision_name1  = {{hlist|[[Czech Republic]]|[[Germany]]}}
| subdivision_type2  = [[Regions of the Czech Republic|Regions <small>(CZ)</small>]]
| subdivision_name2  = {{hlist|[[Hradec Králové Region|Hradec Králové]]|[[Pardubice Region|Pardubice]]|[[Central Bohemian Region|Central Bohemia]]|[[Ústí nad Labem Region|Ústí nad Labem]]}}
| subdivision_type3  = [[States of Germany|States <small>(DE)</small>]]
| subdivision_name3  = {{hlist|[[Saxony]]|[[Saxony-Anhalt]]|[[Brandenburg]]|[[Lower Saxony]]|[[Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania]]|[[Hamburg]]|[[Schleswig-Holstein]]}}
| subdivision_type4  = 
| subdivision_name4  = 
| subdivision_type5  = Cities
| subdivision_name5  = {{hlist|[[Hradec Králové]]|[[Pardubice]]|[[Ústí nad Labem]]|[[Děčín]]|[[Dresden]]|[[Meissen]]|[[Wittenberg]]|[[Dessau]]|[[Magdeburg]]|[[Hamburg]]|[[Stade]]|[[Cuxhaven]]}}
<!---------------------- PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS -->
| length             = {{convert|1112|km|mi|abbr=on}}
| width_min          = 
| width_avg          = 
| width_max          = 
| depth_min          = 
| depth_avg          = 
| depth_max          = 
| discharge1_location= [[river mouth|mouth]]
| discharge1_min     = {{convert|493|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
| discharge1_avg     = {{convert|870|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
| discharge1_max     = {{convert|1232|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
| discharge2_location= [[Děčín]]
| discharge2_min     = 
| discharge2_avg     = {{convert|303|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
| discharge2_max     = 
<!---------------------- BASIN FEATURES -->
| source1            = Elbe Meadow
| source1_location   = Giant Mountains, [[Czech Republic]]
| source1_coordinates= {{coord|50|46|32.59|N|15|32|10.14|E|display=inline}}
| source1_elevation  = {{convert|1386|m|abbr=on}}
| mouth              = [[North Sea]]
| mouth_location     = [[Germany]]
| mouth_coordinates  = {{coord|53|55|20|N|8|43|20|E|display=inline,title}}
| mouth_elevation    = {{convert|0|m|abbr=on}}
| progression        = 
| river_system       = 
| basin_size         = {{convert|148268|km2|abbr=on}}
| tributaries_left   = [[Vltava]], [[Ohře]], [[Mulde]], [[Saale]], [[Ohre]], [[Ilmenau (river)|Ilmenau]], [[Este (river)|Este]], [[Lühe (river)|Lühe]], [[Schwinge (Elbe)|Schwinge]], [[Oste]], [[Medem]]
| tributaries_right  = [[Jizera (river)|Jizera]], [[Schwarze Elster]], [[Havel]], [[Elde]], [[Bille (Elbe)|Bille]], [[Alster]], [[Mrlina]]
| custom_label       = 
| custom_data        = 
| extra              = 
}}

The '''Elbe''' ({{langx|cs|Labe}}){{notetag|{{bulleted list |{{IPA|cs|ˈlabɛ|audio=Cs-Labe.ogg}} |{{IPA|de|ˈɛlbə|audio=De-Elbe.ogg}} |{{langx|nds|Ilv}} or {{lang|nds|Elv}} |[[Upper Sorbian|Upper]] and {{langx|dsb|Łobjo}}, {{IPA|wen|ˈwɔbʲɔ|pron}}}}}} is one of the major [[river]]s of [[Central Europe]]. It rises in the [[Giant Mountains]] of the northern [[Czech Republic]] before traversing much of [[Bohemia]] (western half of the Czech Republic), then [[Germany]] before flowing into the [[North Sea]] at [[Cuxhaven]], {{convert|110|km|abbr=off}} northwest of [[Hamburg]]. Its total length is {{convert|1094|km|abbr=on}}.<ref name=erb>{{cite web | url = http://www.ikse-mkol.org/fileadmin/media/user_upload/E/06_Publikationen/08_IKSE_Flyer/2016_ICPER-Flyer_The_Elbe_River_Basin.pdf| title = Elbe River basin | publisher = International Commission for the Protection of the Elbe River | access-date = 2018-03-20}}</ref>

The Elbe's major [[Tributary|tributaries]] include the rivers [[Vltava]], [[Ohře]], [[Saale]], [[Havel]], [[Mulde]], and [[Schwarze Elster]].<ref name=erb />

The Elbe river basin, comprising the Elbe and its tributaries, has a catchment area of {{convert|148268|km2}}, the twelfth-largest in Europe. The basin spans four countries; however, it lies almost entirely within two of them: Germany (65.5%) and the Czech Republic (33.7%), covering about two-thirds of the basin's area. On its southeastern edge, the Elbe River Basin also comprises small parts of [[Austria]] (0.6%) and [[Poland]] (0.2%). The Elbe catchment area is inhabited by 24.4 million people; its biggest cities are [[Berlin]], [[Hamburg]], [[Prague]], [[Dresden]] and [[Leipzig]].<ref name=erb />

==Etymology==
[[File:Duchy of Saxony (134037775).jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|''Albis'' or ''Albia'' are old medieval names for the river Elbe]]
First attested in Latin as {{lang|la|Albis}}, the name {{lang|de|Elbe}} means {{Gloss|river}} or {{Gloss|riverbed}} and is simply the [[High German]] version of a word (*{{wikt-lang|gem-x-proto|albī}}) found elsewhere in Germanic; cf. [[Old Norse]] river name {{lang|non|Elfr}}, [[Swedish language|Swedish]] {{lang|sv|älv}} {{Gloss|river}}, [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] {{lang|no|elv}} {{Gloss|river}}, [[Old English]] river name {{lang|ang|Elf}}, and [[Middle Low German]] {{lang|gml|elve}} {{Gloss|riverbed}}.<ref>Orel, Vladimir. ''A Handbook of Germanic Etymology''. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill, 2003: 13</ref>

==Course==
===In the Czech Republic===
{{urs|date=January 2026}}
The Elbe (Labe) rises on the slopes of Mt. [[Łabski Szczyt|Violík]] at an elevation of {{convert|1386|m|ft}} in the [[Giant Mountains]] on the northwest border of the [[Czech Republic]]. After plunging the {{convert|30|m|ft}} of the [[Špindlerův Mlýn#Geography|Elbe Falls]], the latter{{Copy edit inline|for=what is the former?|date=December 2025}} stream unites with the steeply, torrential [[Bílé Labe]], and thereafter the united stream of the Elbe then flows south, emerging from the mountain glens at [[Jaroměř]], where it receives the [[Úpa]] and [[Metuje]].

Here, the Elbe enters the vast vale named [[Polabí]] (meaning "land along the Elbe"), and continues southward through [[Hradec Králové]] (where [[Orlice]] flows in) and then to [[Pardubice]], where it turns sharply to the west. At [[Kolín]], some {{convert|43|km|mi}} further on, it bends gradually northwest. At the village of [[Káraný]], a little above [[Brandýs nad Labem]], the [[Jizera (river)|Jizera]] enters.

At [[Mělník]], its stream is more than doubled in volume by the [[Vltava]], a major river which winds northwards through [[Bohemia]]. Upstream from the [[confluence]], the Vltava is in fact much longer ({{convert|434|km|abbr=on}} against {{convert|294|km|abbr=on}} of the Elbe so far), and has a greater discharge and a larger [[drainage 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. In contrast, 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, at [[Litoměřice]], the waters of the Elbe are tinted by the reddish [[Ohře]]. Thus augmented, and swollen into a stream {{convert|140|m|ft|abbr=on}} wide, the Elbe carves a path through the [[basalt]]ic mass of the [[Central Bohemian Uplands]], churning its way through a picturesque, deep, narrow, and curved rocky [[gorge]].

===In Germany===
{{urs|date=January 2026}}
Shortly after crossing the Czech-German frontier and passing through the [[sandstone]] defiles of the [[Elbe Sandstone Mountains]], the river assumes a north-westerly direction, which it generally maintains all the way to the [[North Sea]].

The river flows through [[Dresden]] and finally, beyond [[Meissen]], enters upon its long journey across the [[North German Plain]] passing along the former western border of [[East Germany]], touching [[Torgau]], [[Wittenberg]], [[Dessau]], [[Magdeburg]], [[Wittenberge]], and [[Hamburg]] along the way, and taking on the waters of the [[Mulde]] and [[Saale]] from the west, and those of the [[Schwarze Elster]], [[Havel]] and [[Elde]] from the east. In its northern section, both banks of the Elbe are characterized by flat, very fertile [[marshland]]s ([[Elbe Marshes]]), former [[Floodplain|flood plains]] of the Elbe now diked.

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

{{wide image|ElbeInAutumn.jpg|800px|The Middle Elbe in the [[North German Plain]] near the village of [[Gorleben]]. In this section, the river had been part of the [[Iron Curtain]] between West and East Germany during the [[Cold War]]. For that reason, the river banks even today look relatively natural and undeveloped. (Photo taken in 2011)|left}}

From the [[sluice]] of [[Geesthacht]] (at kilometer 586) downstream, the Elbe is subject to the [[tide]]s; the tidal Elbe section is called the [[Unterelbe]] (Low Elbe). Soon, the Elbe reaches Hamburg. Within the city-state, the Unterelbe has several branch streams, such as [[Dove Elbe]], [[Gose Elbe]], [[Köhlbrand]], [[Norderelbe]] (Northern Elbe), [[Reiherstieg]], [[Süderelbe]] (Southern Elbe). Some of which have been disconnected from the main stream for vessels by dikes. In 1390, the Gose Elbe (literally in {{langx|en|shallow Elbe}}) was separated from the main stream by a dike connecting the two then-islands of [[Kirchwerder]] and [[Neuengamme, Hamburg|Neuengamme]]. The Dove Elbe (literally in {{langx|en|deaf Elbe}}) was diked off in 1437/38 at Gammer Ort. These [[hydraulic engineering]] works were carried out to protect marshlands from inundation, and to improve the water supply of the [[Port of Hamburg]]. After the heavy inundation by the [[North Sea flood of 1962]], the 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 the [[Köhlbrandbrücke]], the last bridge over the Elbe before the North Sea.

The Northern Elbe passes the [[Elbe Philharmonic Hall]] and is then crossed under by the [[Elbe Tunnel (1911)|old Elbe Tunnel (Alter Elbtunnel)]], both in Hamburg's city center. A bit more downstream, the Lower Elbe's two main [[anabranch]]es, the Northern Elbe and the Köhlbrand, reunite south of [[Altona, Hamburg|Altona]]-Altstadt, a locality of Hamburg. Right after both anabranches reunite, the Low Elbe is crossed by the [[Elbe Tunnel (1975)|New Elbe Tunnel (Neuer Elbtunnel)]], the last structural road link across the river before the North Sea. At the bay [[Mühlenberger Loch]] in Hamburg at kilometer 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 the [[Niederelbe]] (Lower Elbe). Leaving the city-state, the Lower Elbe then passes between [[Holstein]] and the [[Elbe-Weser Triangle]] with [[Stade]] until it flows into the North Sea at [[Cuxhaven]]. Near its mouth, it passes the entrance to the [[Kiel Canal]] at [[Brunsbüttel]] before it flows into the North Sea.

{{wide image|River Elbe bend panorama.jpg|800px|View of the Elbe in [[Saxon Switzerland]], an area in Germany|left}}

==Towns and cities==
[[File:CTB-CTW Port of Hamburg-Waltershof.jpg|thumb|The [[Port of Hamburg]] on the Elbe]]
[[File:Dresden-Altstadt von der Marienbruecke-II.jpg|thumb|The Elbe passing [[Dresden]]]]
[[File:Aerial view of the Sternbrücke in Magdeburg 02.jpg|thumb|The Elbe flows through [[Magdeburg]]]]

{| style="margin-left:0; font-size:100%" class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! 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, Saxony|Königstein]]
|2,085
|-
|[[Pirna]]
|38,361
|-
|[[Heidenau]]
|16,540
|-
|[[Dresden]] || 555,351
|-
|[[Radebeul]]
|33,743
|-
|[[Coswig, Saxony|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|Coswig (Saxony-Anhalt)]]
|11,494
|-
|[[Dessau-Roßlau]]|| 78,731
|-
|[[Aken (Elbe)]]
|7,363
|-
|[[Barby, Germany|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==
The Elbe has always been navigable by commercial vessels,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ellmers |first1=Detlev |editor1-last=Brachmann |editor1-first=Hansjürgen |title=Die Rolle der Binnenschiffahrt für die Entwicklung der mittelalterlichen Städte |journal=Monum. Ger. Hist. |date=1991 |volume=4 |issue=425 |pages=137–147 |url=http://www.mgh.de/index.php?recnums=26061&db=opac&printapr=CLASSIC&id=297&wa72ci_url=%2Fcgi-bin%2Fmgh%2Fregsrch.pl |series=Frühgeschichte der europäischen Stadt |trans-title=The role of inland shipping in the development of mediaeval cities |publisher=Akademie Verlag |location=Berlin}}</ref> and provides important trade links as far inland as [[Prague]]. The river is linked by [[canal]]s ([[Elbe Lateral Canal]], [[Elbe-Havel Canal]], [[Mittellandkanal]]) to the industrial areas of Germany and to [[Berlin]]. The [[Elbe-Lübeck Canal]] links the Elbe to the [[Baltic Sea]], as does the [[Kiel Canal]], whose western entrance is near the mouth of the Elbe. The [[Elbe-Weser Shipping Channel]] connects the Elbe with the [[Weser]].

By the [[Treaty of Versailles#International organizations|Treaty of Versailles]], the navigation on the Elbe became subject to the International Commission of the Elbe, seated in Dresden.<ref>The commission was staffed with two representatives of Czechoslovakia and one representative of [[Free State of Anhalt|Anhalt]], [[Belgium]], [[France]], Hamburg, [[Italy]], [[Free State of Prussia|Prussia]], [[Free State of Saxony|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, <sup>15</sup>1928–1935, vol. 5 (1930): Fünfter Band Doc–Ez, article: 'Elbe', pp. 400seqq., here p. 402. No ISBN.</ref> The statute of the commission was signed in Dresden on 22 February 1922.<ref>Text in ''League of Nations Treaty Series'', vol. 26, 220–247.</ref> Following articles 363 and 364 of the Treaty of Versailles, [[Czechoslovakia]] was entitled to lease its own harbor basin, [[Moldauhafen]] in Hamburg. The lease contract with Germany, supervised by the [[United Kingdom]], was signed on 14 February 1929 and ended in 2028. Since 1993, the Czech Republic has held the former Czechoslovak legal position.

Before Germany was reunited, waterway transport in Western Germany was hindered because [[inland navigation]] to 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, work began to improve and restore the original links: the [[Magdeburg Water Bridge]] now allows large barges to cross the Elbe without entering the river. The often low water levels of the Elbe no longer hinder navigation to Berlin.<ref>[http://www.noorderSoft.com/indexen.html NoorderSoft Waterways Database]</ref>

==Islands==
[[File:13-09-29-nordfriesisches-wattenmeer-RalfR-10.jpg|thumb|Cuxhaven]]
[[File:Germany (1), Elbe, Trischen.jpg|thumb|upright|The mouth of the Elbe with the island of [[Trischen]] in the [[North Sea]]]]

===Headwaters===
* [[Hořejší]] – in [[Kolín]]
* [[Kmochův]] – in Kolín

===Upper reaches===
* [[Pillnitzer Elbinsel]] – in [[Dresden]]'s southern quarter of [[Pillnitz]] in the [[Dresden Basin]]
* [[Gauernitzer Elbinsel]] – east of [[Gauernitz]] in the Dresden Basin between Dresden and [[Meißen]]

===Middle Elbe===
* [[Rotehorninsel]] – in [[Magdeburg]]
* [[Steinkopfinsel]] – in Magdeburg

=== Between Northern and Southern Elbe (Norderelbe/Süderelbe)===
* [[Wilhelmsburg, Hamburg|Wilhelmsburg]], including the islands [[Veddel]], [[Georgswerder]], [[Kleiner Grasbrook]], [[Steinwerder]], [[Peute]] and several more – in [[Hamburg]]'s [[Hamburg-Mitte|borough of Mitte (centre)]]
* [[Kaltehofe]] (also "Kalte Hofe") – in Hamburg's borough of Mitte
* [[Finkenwerder]] – in Hamburg's borough of Mitte

===Lower Elbe===
* [[Schweinesand]] – south of [[Blankenese|Blankenese (Hamburg)]]
* [[Neßsand]] – south of [[Tinsdal]]
* [[Hahnöfersand]] – north of [[Jork]]
* [[Hanskalbsand]] – south of [[Schulau]]
* [[Lühesand]] – east of [[Stade]]
* [[Bishorst|Bisterhorster Sand]] – west of [[Wedel]]
* [[Pagensand]] – west of [[Seestermühe]]
* [[Schwarztonnensand]] – east of [[Drochtersen]]
* [[Rhinplate]] – west of [[Glückstadt]]

===Outer Elbe (estuary)===
* [[Neuwerk]] – an [[exclave]] – in Hamburg's borough of Mitte
* [[Scharhörn]] – an exclave of Hamburg's borough of Mitte
* [[Nigehörn]] – an exclave Hamburg's borough of Mitte

===Former islands===
* [[Medemsand]]

==Ferries==
[[File:Přívoz Dolní Žleb.JPG|thumb|right|The Dolní Žleb Ferry]]
[[File:Gierseilfähre Coswig.JPG|thumb|right|The Wörlitz Coswig Ferry]]
[[File:Faehre Zollenspieker.jpg|thumb|right|The Zollenspieker Ferry]]
The Elbe is crossed by many ferries, both passenger and car-carrying. In downstream order, these include:<ref>{{cite web | url = https://maps.google.com/ | title = Google Maps | publisher = Google Maps | access-date = 2008-02-03}}</ref>
*[[Dolní Žleb Ferry]], at Dolní Žleb part of [[Děčín]]
*[[Rathen Ferry]], at [[Rathen]]
*[[Pillnitz Kleinzschachwitz Ferry]], in the eastern suburbs of [[Dresden]]
*[[Laubegast Niederpoyritz Ferry]], in Dresden
*[[Johannstadt Neustadt Ferry]], in Dresden
*[[Belgern Ottersitz Ferry]], between [[Belgern]] and [[Ottersitz]]
*[[Dommitzsch Prettin Ferry]], between [[Dommitzsch]] and [[Prettin]]
*[[Mauken Pretzsch Ferry]], between [[Mauken]] and [[Pretzsch, Wittenberg|Pretzsch]]
*[[Wartenburg Elster Ferry]], between [[Wartenburg (Elbe)|Wartenburg]] and [[Elster (Elbe)|Elster]]
*[[Coswig Ferry|Wörlitz Coswig Ferry]], between [[Wörlitz]] and [[Coswig, Anhalt|Coswig]]
*[[Steutz Aken Ferry]], between [[Steutz]] and [[Aken (Elbe)|Aken]]
*[[Tochheim Ferry]], between [[Tochheim]] and [[Alt Tochheim]] near [[Breitenhagen]]
*[[Barby Ferry|Ronney Barby Ferry]], between [[Barby, Germany|Barby]] and [[Walternienburg]]
*[[Westerhüsen Ferry]], at [[Westerhüsen]] near [[Magdeburg]]
*[[Rogätz Ferry|Schartau Rogätz Ferry]], between [[Schartau, Saxony-Anhalt|Schartau]] and [[Rogätz]]
*[[Ferchland Grieben Ferry]], between [[Ferchland]] and [[Grieben]]
*[[Sandau Ferry|Sandau Büttnershof Ferry]], between [[Sandau]] and [[Büttnershof]]
*[[Räbel Havelberg Ferry]], between [[Räbel]] and [[Havelberg]]
*[[Lenzen Pevestorf Ferry]], between [[Lenzen]] and [[Pevestorf]]
*[[Neu Darchau - Darchau ferry|Neu Darchau Darchau Ferry]], between [[Darchau]] and [[Neu Darchau]]
*{{ill|Bleckede Ferry|de|Fähre Bleckede–Neu Bleckede}}, between [[Bleckede]] and [[Neu Bleckede]]
*[[Zollenspieker Ferry]], between [[Kirchwerder]], a part of the Bergedorf borough  of Hamburg, and Hoopte, part of the town Winsen (Lühe), in the state of Lower Saxony, about 30 kilometers (19&nbsp;mi) south-east of [[Hamburg center]]
*Ferries in the [[port of Hamburg]], operated by [[HADAG Seetouristik und Fährdienst|HADAG]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hvv.de/en/about-us/public-transport-operators/ |title=Public transport operators co-operating in the HVV partnership |access-date=2009-03-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090331210501/http://www.hvv.de/en/about-us/public-transport-operators/ |archive-date=2009-03-31 }}</ref>
*{{ill|Wischhafen Glückstadt Ferry|de|Elbfähre Glückstadt–Wischhafen}}, between [[Wischhafen]] and [[Glückstadt]] to the west of Hamburg
*{{ill|Brunsbüttel Cuxhaven Ferry|de|Fährverbindung Brunsbüttel–Cuxhaven}}, between [[Brunsbüttel]] and [[Cuxhaven]] at the mouth of the river (out of service as of October 2022).

Many of these ferries are traditional [[reaction ferry|reaction ferries]], a type of [[cable ferry]] that uses the current flow of the river to provide propulsion.

== Prehistory ==
{{Expand German|topic=geo|German article title = Elbe|date= November 2019}}
Humans first lived in the northern Elbe region before about 200,000 years ago, during the [[Middle Paleolithic]].

==History==
[[Ptolemy]] recorded the Elbe as ''{{lang|gem|Albis}}'' ([[Germanic languages|Germanic]] for "river") in [[Germania]] Magna, with its source in the ''{{lang|de|Asciburgis}}'' mountains ([[Giant Mountains]]), where the Germanic ''{{lang|de|[[Vandalii]]}}'' then lived.
[[File:Koenigstein Saxony pic01 2007 04 22.jpg|thumb|The Elbe near [[Königstein Fortress]] in Germany]]

The Elbe has long served as an important delineator of European geography. The [[Roman Empire|Romans]] knew the river as the ''{{lang|la|Albis}}''; however, they made only one serious [[Early Imperial campaigns in Germania|attempt to move the border of their empire]] forward from the [[Rhine]] to the Elbe, and this attempt failed with the [[Battle of the Teutoburg Forest]] in 9&nbsp;AD, after which they never seriously tried again. In the [[Middle Ages]], the Elbe formed the eastern limit of the [[Carolingian Empire|Empire]] of [[Charlemagne]] (King of the Franks from 769 to 814). The river's navigable sections were essential to the success of the [[Hanseatic League]] in the [[Late Middle Ages]], and much trade was carried on its waters.{{cn|date=January 2026}}

From the early 6th century, [[Slavic tribes]] (known as the [[Polabian Slavs]]) settled in the areas east of the rivers Elbe and Saale (which had been depopulated since the 4th century). In the 10th century, the [[Ottonian Dynasty]] (dominant from 919 to 1024) began conquering these lands; a slow process of [[Germanization]] ensued, including the [[Wendish Crusade]] of 1147.{{cn|date=January 2026}}

The Elbe delineated the western parts of Germany from the eastern so-called [[East Elbia]], where [[soccage]] and [[serfdom]] were stricter and prevailed longer than to the west of the river, and where feudal lords held larger estates than in the west. Thus, incumbents of huge land-holdings became characterized {{when|date=November 2019}} as East Elbian [[Junker]]s. The [[Northern Germany|Northern German]] region north of the Lower Elbe was known as [[Nordalbingia|North Albingia]] in the Middle Ages. When the four [[Lutheran]] [[Landeskirche|church bodies]] there united in 1977, they chose the name [[North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church]]. Other administrative units were named after the river Elbe, such as the [[Kingdom of Westphalia|Westphalian]] ''Elbe [[département]]'' (1807–1813) and ''Lower Elbe département'' (1810), and the French département [[Bouches-de-l'Elbe]] (1811–1814).{{cn|date=January 2026}}

On 10 April 1945, [[Walther Wenck|General Wenck]] of the German [[12th Army (Wehrmacht)|Twelfth Army]] located to the west of Berlin to guard against the advancing American and British forces. But as the [[Western Front (World War II)|Western Front]] moved eastwards and the Eastern Front moved westwards, the German armies on 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 vast [[refugee camp]] for 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 the [[OKW|German Supreme Army Command]] in 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 24 April, Wenck moved his army towards the Forest of [[Halbe, Brandenburg|Halbe]], broke into the [[Battle of Halbe|Halbe pocket]] and linked up with the remnants of the [[9th Army (Wehrmacht)|Ninth Army]], [[Hellmuth Reymann]]'s "Army Group Spree", and the [[Potsdam]] garrison. Wenck brought his army, remnants of the Ninth Army, and many civilian refugees across the Elbe and into territory occupied by the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]].{{cn|date=January 2026}}

In 1945, as [[World War II]] drew to a close, Germany came under attack from the armies of the [[western Allies]] advancing from the west and those of the [[Soviet Union]] advancing from the east. On 25 April 1945, these two forces linked up near [[Torgau]], on the Elbe. The victorious countries marked the event unofficially as [[Elbe Day]]. From 1949 to 1990 the Elbe formed part of the [[Inner German border]] between [[East Germany]] and [[West Germany]].{{cn|date=January 2026}}

During the 1970s, the Soviet Union stated that [[Adolf Hitler]]'s ashes had been scattered in the Elbe following disinterment from their original burial site.<ref>Hans Meissner, ''Magda Goebbels, First Lady of the Third Reich'', 260–277</ref><ref>
{{cite news |title= Official: KGB chief ordered Hitler's remains destroyed | author= Maxim Tkachenko |newspaper= CNN |date= 11 December 2009 |url= http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/12/11/russia.hitler.remains/index.html |access-date= 11 December 2009 }}
</ref>

==See also==
{{Stack|{{Portal|Rivers|Geography|Czech Republic|Germany}}}}
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* {{Annotated link |2002 European floods}}
* {{Annotated link |2006 European floods}}
* {{Annotated link |2013 European floods}}
* {{Annotated link |Saxon Elbeland}}
* {{Annotated link |Saxon Switzerland}}
* {{Annotated link |List of waterbodies in Saxony-Anhalt}}
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==Notes==
{{notefoot}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book |last= Rada|first= Uwe|date= 2013|title= Die Elbe. Europas Geschichte im Fluss|language=de|location= Munich|publisher= Siedler|isbn=978-3-88680-995-0}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
*{{osmrelation-inline|123822}}

{{Rivers of Germany}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Elbe| ]]
[[Category:Elbe basin| Elbe]]
[[Category:Rivers of the Hradec Králové Region]]
[[Category:Rivers of the Central Bohemian Region]]
[[Category:Rivers of the Pardubice Region]]
[[Category:Rivers of the Ústí nad Labem Region]]
[[Category:Rivers of the Czech Republic]]
[[Category:International rivers of Europe]]
[[Category:Rivers of Brandenburg]]
[[Category:Rivers of Hamburg]]
[[Category:Rivers of Lower Saxony]]
[[Category:Rivers of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]]
[[Category:Rivers of Saxony]]
[[Category:Rivers of Saxony-Anhalt]]
[[Category:Rivers of Schleswig-Holstein]]
[[Category:Inner German border]]
[[Category:Federal waterways in Germany]]
[[Category:Rivers of Germany]]