The Elbe River, to Dresden and the Czech Republic

The Elbe runs from Poland to the northwest, through the Czech Repunlic then Eastern germany and ending at Hamburg on the North Sea. We started a river cruise at Magdeburg, due west of Berlin. At this location, the river is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, due to it's natural wonders. This river section has never been dammed or channelled and is rich in wildlife, The towns are set back away from the river, for protection, leaving the riverside in its natural conditon. There are river ferries every few miles, and a bike path parallels the river for most of length (see elberadweg.de for info). The bike path is well used, and guides promote its use as a tourist attraction, It's especially attractive near Dresden and into "Saxon Switzerland".

We saw many wild swans, herons, cormorants, and a few eagles. In the local villages that we toured, storks had built nests on the chimneys. They seem to prefer these to trees. We toured a local prince's garden near Dessau. He had built what he believed to be replicas of a French Chateau, a British castle, and a Chinese pagoda, all set on manmade lakes accessible by rowboat. Interesting, but rather odd and eccentric. also of note in this valley, were the many wind farms. Every few miles, there would be a cluster of twenty or more wind turbans between the villages.

Further along the Elbe was the town of Wittenburg, Germany. This was the birthplace of the protestant reformation, and the location of the church upon which Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses. We visited the church and the actual door, though the guide did allow that the posting was more akin to posting a notice on the neighboorhood bulletin board with a thumbtack than a dramatic stake-pounding onto the massive door. Nevertheless, we learned more about Luther and the Reformation than we had expected.

Further along the river was the town of Meissen, home of Meissenware, what we call Dresden China, a fine porcelainware. We toured the factory and had the 'opportunity' to make purchases, but did not.We learned that during it's time under East German rule it was state-owned, and quality declined. After reunification of East and West, money was infused for better quality, but it is still owned by the German state of Saxony.

Dresden.

Dresen is also a UNESCO Heritage site, due to the old town and the rebuilt center, but will soon lose the designation when a freeway is put through the old neighboorhoods and across the river.

Dresden was fire-bombed in WW2 and the city center destroyed, but as it is on a major river and a major hub, was soon rebuilt. Since reunification, the rebuilding has begun in earnest, with money from the government and commercial sponsors. Volkswagen has a factory in downtown and is a big sponsor. The factory is a multi-story glass building where you can watch the building of its Phaeton line. One of the largest churches has just finished rebuilding, on the main square, and the interior plastering has yet to be completed, but they are already holding concerts inside.

One of the most interesting buildings is the Zwinger Palace (Rick Steves has an excellent guide). It was the home of August the String, King of Prussia, King of Poland, and Elector to the Roman Emperor. He was particularly fond of topping buildings with crowns, and stamping 'Rex' on everything. Dresden was also a center of Protestantism until August decided there was more power from the Catholic centers, and killed all the Protestant leaders.

Dresden is a university town and is very vibrant, many interesting shops, cafes, music. In the early morning the bike path was packed with commuters. Great place to hang out, stroll the riverbank an the squares.

After Dresden, towards the south, the land begins to rise and changes from wide plains to 'Saxon Switzerland', an area of large rock outcrops and plateaus. Now the villages are on the river, and many old strongholds are on the highlands. One of them, Konigstein, is the largest fortress in Europe,never taken. The area now boasts lots of tourism with many restored villas on the river and boat and bike tours from Dresden. In East German times, the houses were in disrepair, but all show signs of recent renovations (and solar panels). The rocks along the river draw many climbers, and while placing of pitons or other permanent protection is now prohibited, every pillar in sight has a large climbing ring cemented into its top for use of ropes.

We seamlessly crossed into the Czech Republic on the river, as there are no border controls, but immediately could see a difference. No West German money had poured for restoration, and the river villas were in very poor shape. Also, more industry was right on the river bank - cement plants, steel mills and shipbuilding. Along the river.s rail line we saw thousands of Skoda sedans headed for the EU. But at the same time we saw canoeists and rowers using the river for training and recreation, and bike clubs were out on the roads.

We visited a charming town of Litomerice, on a sunny Sunday, and found the town square filled with teenagers on their cell phones, hanging out for ice cream, and girls showing off their legs in the spring sun. Could have been anywhere, but for the archetecture.

Soon, we neared Prague, and left the river for the rest of the trip. As usual, more pics on Flickr. Next, more on Prague.