Elbe Urstromtal

The urstromtal, or glacial meltwater valley, emerged at the height of the Weichselian glaciation.

At that time the glacier was melting and the waters attempted to find their way to the lowest lying points.

The Elbe Urstromtal collected the meltwaters and carried them to the North Sea, which then lay up to 120 meters below its present level.

The old course of the meltwater river can be easily made out in the Lower Elbe (Niederelbe) region.

Likewise, there is a roughly 30-meter-high slope at the height of Hamburg's western Elbe suburbs (Elbvororte) Othmarschen, Nienstedten and Blankenese.