Elbe Marshes

But following the construction of the barrage near Geesthacht, the Elbe is no longer affected by the tide above that point.

As a result of regular land reclamation with the help of Dutch settlers (a process known in German as Hollerkolonisation) large areas of the previously flood-prone Elbe marshes were diked and reclaimed for the purposes of cultivation.

The Kehdinger Land and the Lüneburg Elbe marshes are home to numerous stud farms.

In the 1990s there were national reports from the Elbe marshes that there had been a higher incidence of leukaemia in the area around the GKSS Research Centre and the Krümmel nuclear power station.

As a result, the countryside here is also at risk from storm floods and is protected by dikes along the Elbe.