Wrestedt - Schleuse Uelzen - Unterwasser 01 ies

The Elbe Lateral Canal (german: Elbe-Seitenkanal; ), is a long

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface f ...

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

. It runs from the Mittelland Canal near

Gifhorn Gifhorn () is a town and capital of the district of Gifhorn (district), Gifhorn in the east of Lower Saxony, Germany. It has a population of about 42,000 and is mainly influenced by the small distance to the more industrial and commercially import ...

to the

Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Re ...

Artlenburg Artlenburg is a municipality in the district of Lüneburg, in Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land ...

. It forms an important transport connection between southern and northern Germany, and it provides a bypass of a section of the Elbe with limited navigability. At the construction start it was also thought as a bypass outside the GDR, considered politically unreliable. Construction of the Elbe Lateral Canal was started in 1968, and the canal was opened in June 1976. Due to a dam rupture, it was closed from July 1976 until June 1977. The difference in elevation between the Mittelland Canal and the Elbe is , which is overcome by a

lock Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

Uelzen Uelzen (; officially the ''Hanseatic Town of Uelzen'', German: ''Hansestadt Uelzen'', , Low German ''Ülz’n'') is a town in northeast Lower Saxony, Germany, and capital of the county of Uelzen. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, a ...

and the Scharnebeck twin ship lift, a

boat lift A boat lift, ship lift, or lift lock is a machine for transporting boats between water at two different elevations, and is an alternative to the canal lock. It may be vertically moving, like the Anderton boat lift in England, rotational, like ...

at Scharnebeck. There are small

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

s along the canal in

Lüneburg Lüneburg (officially the ''Hanseatic City of Lüneburg'', German: ''Hansestadt Lüneburg'', , Low German ''Lümborg'', Latin ''Luneburgum'' or ''Lunaburgum'', Old High German ''Luneburc'', Old Saxon ''Hliuni'', Polabian ''Glain''), also called ...

, Uelzen and Wittingen, and a landing stage at Wulfstorf (near

Bienenbüttel Bienenbüttel is a free municipality in the district of Uelzen, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Ilmenau, approximately north of Uelzen, and southeast of Lüneburg. Bienenbüttel is a part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Regio ...

Cities and villages on Elbe Lateral Canal

From south to north: * Samtgemeinde Isenbüttel * Samtgemeinde

Boldecker Land Boldecker Land is a municipality in the district of Gifhorn, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated along the river Aller, approx. 12 km east of Gifhorn, and 8 km northwest of Wolfsburg. Its seat is in the village Weyhausen. Pol ...

Sassenburg Sassenburg is a municipality in the district of Gifhorn, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 7 km northeast of Gifhorn, and 15 km northwest of Wolfsburg. Sassenburg includes the villages of Dannenbüttel, Grußendor ...

Samtgemeinde Hankensbüttel A ''Samtgemeinde'' (; plural: ''Samtgemeinden'') is a type of administrative division in Lower Saxony, Germany. ''Samtgemeinden'' are local government associations of municipalities, equivalent to the '' Ämter'' in Schleswig-Holstein, Meck ...

Schönewörde Schönewörde is a municipality in the district of Gifhorn, in Lower Saxony, Germany. References Gifhorn (district) {{Gifhorn-geo-stub ...

* Wittingen * Samtgemeinde Aue *

Bad Bevensen Bad Bevensen (West Low German: ''Bemsen'') is a town in the north of the district Uelzen in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated to the east of the Lüneburg Heath (''Lüneburger Heide''). The Ilmenau river, a tributary of the Elbe, flows thr ...

Wendisch Evern Wendisch Evern is a municipality in the district of Lüneburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Recent history (Second World War) On 4 May 1945 on the ''Timeloberg'' hill at the edge of Deutsch Evern a German delegation under the command of Hans- ...

* Scharnebeck *

Adendorf Adendorf (Northern Low Saxon: ''Adendörp'') is a municipality in the district of Lüneburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Twin towns Adendorf is twinned with: * Saint-Romain-de-Colbosc Saint-Romain-de-Colbosc () is a commune in the Seine-Mariti ...

References

Wasser- und Schifffahrtsamt Uelzen
{{Authority control Canals in Lower Saxony Federal waterways in Germany Canals opened in 1976 CElbeLateral