Editing Elbe (section)

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

The river rolls through [[Dresden]] and finally, beyond [[Meissen]], enters on 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]] 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. In its northern section both banks of the Elbe are characterised by flat, very fertile [[marshland]]s ([[Elbe Marshes]]), former 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 2011)|left}}

From the [[sluice]] of [[Geesthacht]] (at kilometre 586) on 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 a number of branch streams, such as [[Dove 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 {{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 centre. A bit more downstream, the Low Elbe's two main [[anabranch]]es 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 passed under by the [[Elbe Tunnel (1975)|New Elbe Tunnel (Neuer Elbtunnel)]], the last structural road link crossing the river before the North Sea. At the bay [[Mühlenberger Loch]] in 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 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 [[debouch]]es into the North Sea.

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