Elbe

The Elbe River (Czech Labe {{Audio|Cs-Labe.ogg|listen}}, Sorbian/Lusatian ?objo, Polish ?aba, German Elbe, Hungarian Elba) is one of the major waterways of central Europe. It originates in the North West Czech Republic before traversing much of Germany and finally flowing into the North Sea. Its total length is 1165 km.

Geography

The Elbe rises at an altitude of about 1400 m (4593 ft). Of the numerous small streams whose waters compose the infant river, the most important is the Bílé Labe, or White Elbe. After plunging down the 60 km (37 miles) of the Labský vodopád, the latter stream unites with the steep torrential Malé Labe, and thereafter the united stream of the Elbe pursues a southerly course, emerging from the mountain glens at and continuing on to Pardubice, where it turns sharply to the west. At Kolín some 43 km (27 miles) further on, it bends gradually towards the north-west.

Related Topics:
Bílé Labe - Labský vodopád - Malé Labe - Pardubice - Kolín

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A little above Brandýs nad Labem it picks up the Jizera and at M?lník its stream is more than doubled in volume by the Vltava, a river which winds northwards through Bohemia. Some distance lower down, at Litom??ice, the waters of the Elbe are tinted by the reddish Oh?e. Thus augmented, and swollen into a stream 140 m (459 ft) wide, the Elbe carves a path through the basaltic mass of the ?eské St?edoho?í, churning its way through a deep, narrow rocky gorge. Shortly after crossing the Czech-German frontier, and passing through the sandstone defiles, the stream assumes a north-westerly direction, which on the whole it preserves right to the North Sea.

Related Topics:
Brandýs nad Labem - Jizera - M?lník - Vltava - Bohemia - Litom??ice - Oh?e - ?eské St?edoho?í

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The river rolls through Dresden and finally, beyond Meissen, enters on its long journey across the North German Plain passing along the former border of East Germany, touching Torgau, Wittenberg, Magdeburg, Wittenberge, and Hamburg on 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. Soon the Elbe reaches Hamburg, and then passes through Holstein until it flows into the North Sea at Cuxhaven. Near its mouth it passes Brunsbüttel and the entrance to the Kiel Canal.

Related Topics:
Dresden - Meissen - North German Plain - East Germany - Torgau - Wittenberg - Magdeburg - Wittenberge - Hamburg - Mulde - Saale - Schwarze Elster - Havel - Elde - Holstein - Cuxhaven - Brunsbüttel - Kiel Canal

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