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The Alster () is a right tributary of the
Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) 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 Republic), then Ge ...
river in
Northern Germany Northern Germany (, ) is a linguistic, geographic, socio-cultural and historic region in the northern part of Germany which includes the coastal states of Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Lower Saxony and the two city-states Hambur ...
. It has its source near
Henstedt-Ulzburg Henstedt-Ulzburg is a municipality in the district of Segeberg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Geography The municipality of Henstedt-Ulzburg is situated approximately 30 km north of Hamburg and 13 km north of Norderstedt. Currently it ...
,
Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...
, flows somewhat southwards through much of the Free and Hanseatic City of
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
and joins the Elbe in central Hamburg. The Alster is Hamburg's second most important river. While the Elbe river is a tidal navigation of international significance and prone to flooding, the Alster is a non-tidal, slow-flowing and in some places, seemingly untouched idyll of nature, in other places tamed and landscaped
urban space An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...
. In the city center, the river forms two lakes, both prominent features in Hamburg's
cityscape In the visual arts, a cityscape (urban landscape) is an artistic representation, such as a painting, drawing, print or photograph, of the physical aspects of a city or urban area. It is the urban equivalent of a landscape. ''Townscape'' is ...
.


Geography

In total, the Alster is long and has an incline from 31 m to 4 m above sea level. Its
drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
is about . Hans Wilhelm Eckhardt. ''Alster'' in ''Hamburg Lexikon'', p. 24 Left tributaries to the Alster are: Rönne, Alte Alster, Sielbek, Ammersbek, Drosselbek,
Bredenbek Bredenbek is a municipality, located in the district of Rendsburg-Eckernförde in the German '' Bundesland'' of Schleswig-Holstein. Bredenbek is part of the '' Amt'' ("collective municipality") Achterwehr. Geography Bredenbek is situated about ...
, Rodenbek, Lohbek, Saselbek,
Osterbek Osterbek is a river of Hamburg, Germany. The Osterbek has its source at Farmsen-Berne in the Hamburg borough of Wandsbek. After crossing into the borough of Hamburg-Nord, the Osterbek becomes navigable as Osterbekkanal. It joins the Alster at Au� ...
, and
Wandse (in sections also called Eilbek) is a river flowing through Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg, Germany. The Wandse rises west of the village of Siek in Kreis Stormarn in Schleswig-Holstein and ends in the center of Hamburg in the Alster. Along ...
(Eilbek); right tributaries to the Alster are: Mühlenau (or Mühlenbach), Diekbek, Mellingbek, Susebek, Tarpenbek, and
Isebek Isebekkanal is a canal in Hamburg, Germany. It has a length of about 3 km and is a remnant of the former stream of Isebek. The small ''Ottersbek'' stream flows into it. The Isebekkanal flows into the Alster The Alster () is a right tribu ...
.


Upper course

The source of the Alster is a small
bog pool A bog pond () is a waterbody in the middle of a raised or kettle bog, formerly also in percolating mires (''Durchströmungsmooren''). It is also called a bog pool, bog eye, raised bog kolk, bog kolk or just kolk. Bog ponds owe their existence ...
in the Timhagen Brook near
Henstedt-Ulzburg Henstedt-Ulzburg is a municipality in the district of Segeberg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Geography The municipality of Henstedt-Ulzburg is situated approximately 30 km north of Hamburg and 13 km north of Norderstedt. Currently it ...
, approximately north of
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
. The small brook makes a couple of curves before entering Hamburg territory at Duvenstedt and Wohldorf-Ohlstedt. At that point, the Alster has passed a couple of smaller locks and has been passed by 15 bridges. From here on, Hamburgers use the river for water sports, especially for canoe and kayak trips on the river, or hikes along its shores. At
Wellingsbüttel Wellingsbüttel (), a quarter in the Wandsbek borough in the city of Hamburg in northern Germany, is a former independent settlement. In 2020 the population was 10,935. History The first records on Wellingsbüttel are from 1296. Wellingsbüttel ...
, the Alster runs past
Wellingsbüttel Manor Wellingsbüttel Manor (German language, German: Rittergut Wellingsbüttel, since Danish times: Kanzleigut Wellingsbüttel) is a former Manorialism, manor with a Baroque architecture, baroque manor house (German: ''Herrenhaus'') in Hamburg, Germany ...
. At Ohlsdorf the Alster reaches a weir, approximately at the height of the former
Fuhlsbüttel is an urban quarter in the north of Hamburg, Germany in the Hamburg-Nord district. It is known as the site of Hamburg's international airport, and as the location of a prison which served as a concentration camp in the Nazi system of repression. ...
Lock, the last water level regulation before reaching the inner city. From Fuhlsbüttel downstream, the Alster's course, has been straightened on several locations, with old and new river beds occasionally forming parallel canal beds. Between city limits and the inner city's first lake − the
Außenalster Außenalster () or Outer Alster Lake is the larger one of two artificial lakes, which are formed by the Alster River and are both located within the city limits of Hamburg, Germany. The other „lake“ is the Binnenalster. The Außenalster and it ...
− the river is crossed by 42 bridges.


Lower course

For Hamburg's inner city, the river is a major geographical feature and greatly defines its
cityscape In the visual arts, a cityscape (urban landscape) is an artistic representation, such as a painting, drawing, print or photograph, of the physical aspects of a city or urban area. It is the urban equivalent of a landscape. ''Townscape'' is ...
. Through ponding of the river in the 13th century, two artificial lakes, the
Außenalster Außenalster () or Outer Alster Lake is the larger one of two artificial lakes, which are formed by the Alster River and are both located within the city limits of Hamburg, Germany. The other „lake“ is the Binnenalster. The Außenalster and it ...
(Outer Alster) and the smaller
Binnenalster Binnenalster () or Inner Alster Lake is one of two artificial lakes within the city limits of Hamburg, Germany, which are formed by the river Alster (the other being the Außenalster). The main annual festival is the ''Alstervergnügen''. The la ...
(Inner Alster) were created in central Hamburg. These two lakes and the surrounding parks serve as important
recreation Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for happiness, enjoyment, amusement, ...
al areas in the heart of the city. Binnenalster and the subsequent Kleine Alster form important urban spaces. The Alster's final section between Kleine Alster and its mouth at Binnenhafen, is called Alsterfleet, as part of a network of inner-city canals, including Bleichenfleet, Herrengrabenfleet, Mönkedammfleet, Neuerwallfleet and
Nikolaifleet Nikolaifleet is a canal in the Altstadt, Hamburg, Altstadt of Hamburg, which was the original branch of the Alster estuary. It separates the Cremon island from the mainland. First mentioned in 1188, the Nikolaifleet is considered one of the oldest ...
. Alsterfleet is regulated by two locks at
Rathaus In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...
/ Rathausmarkt and Baumwall, the latter protecting it from the Elbe tide.


History

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
was founded at the mouth of the Alster river in the 9th century and used it as a port. The water was used to flood the
moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...
s of the fortifications. The Alster has been dammed since 1190, originally to power a watermill. In 1235 a further dam was built for a second mill, which changed the shape of the river to be like a lake. In the 15th and 16th century, an Alster canal was built to connect Hamburg with
Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...
. The canal was about long and built from the Alster to the Beste, a tributary of the
Trave The Trave () is a river in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is approximately long, running from its source near the village of Gießelrade in Ostholstein to Travemünde, where it flows into the Baltic Sea. It passes through Bad Segeberg, Bad Old ...
river, at
Sülfeld Sülfeld is a municipality in the district of Segeberg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. History The church in Sülfeld was first mentioned in 1207. Remains of the Alster-Beste Canal, constructed in the first half of the 16th century, are still ...
. Because of the difficulties in holding water, especially near marsh areas, the long waterway from Hamburg to Lübeck was navigable from 1529 to 1550 only. Hamburg expanded along the shores of the Alster, and several locks were constructed to make the river navigable. Until the 19th century water transport with
barge A barge is typically a flat-bottomed boat, flat-bottomed vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. Original use was on inland waterways, while modern use is on both inland and ocean, marine water environments. The firs ...
s were used up to the town of
Kayhude Kayhude is a municipality in the district of Segeberg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and th ...
. The barges—transporting building material, fuel, and foods—were staked or hauled.


Economy

The Alster is navigatable some 9 km upstream from the mouth. Alster Touristik GmbH (ATG), a
subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company (law), company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidia ...
of the
Hamburger Hochbahn Hamburger Hochbahn AG (HHA), founded in 1911, operates the Hamburg U-Bahn, underground system and large parts of the bus system in Hamburg, Germany. Its name comes from the initial name given to the Hamburg metro system, ''Hochbahn'' (German: ''el ...
, provides public and touristic transport on a fleet of Alster ferries in the city of Hamburg. Along the entire course within Hamburg, rowing or paddle boats are available for rent.


Ecology

In general, the Alster is assessed to be clean. Hamburg's Alster and its lakes and canals are famous for its white swans, cared for out of public funds since the 16th century.


Legacy

The Alster basin was an important model for the design of the
Charles River The Charles River (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ), sometimes called the River Charles or simply the Charles, is an river in eastern Massachusetts. It flows northeast from Hopkinton, Massachusetts, Hopkinton to Boston along a highly me ...
basin, constructed in the early 20th century. Throughout much of Germany, an Alsterwasser (literally: "Alster's water") is the name for a type of
shandy Shandy is beer or cider mixed with a lemon flavoured beverage, usually half lemonade and half beer or cider, resulting in a lower ABV for the finished drink. Shandies are popular in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Caribbea ...
, a concoction of equal parts of beer and lemonade. The river inspired the Hamburg-born composer Oscar Fetrás to compose the popular
waltz The waltz ( , meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom dance, ballroom and folk dance, in triple (3/4 time, time), performed primarily in closed position. Along with the ländler and allemande, the waltz was sometimes referred to by the ...
"Mondnacht auf der Alster"Oscar Fetrás - Mondnacht auf der Alster
youtube.com
(in English: "Moonlit Night on the Alster"). Hamburg's largest aquatic center, the Alster-Schwimmhalle, is named after the river.


See also

*
List of rivers of Schleswig-Holstein A list of rivers of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany: A * Aalbek, flowing through the Hemmelsdorfer See and into the Baltic Sea * Aalbek, tributary of the Stör *Alster * Alte Schwentine * Arlau B * Barnitz * Basshornlaufgraben * Bekau * Beste * ...
*
List of rivers of Hamburg A list of rivers of Hamburg, Germany: A *Alster B * Berner Au * Bille * Bredenbek D * Deepenhorngraben * Dove Elbe * Dradenau * Düpenau E *Elbe * Este F * Flottbek G * Glinder Au * Gose Elbe K * Köhlbrand * Kollau L * Ladenbek * Lottbek * ...
*
List of bridges in Hamburg This list of bridges in Hamburg is incomplete, with an overview of their history and geography. In this article, the bridges are listed by Hamburg's List of rivers of Hamburg, three major rivers (Alster, Bille (Elbe), Bille and Elbe) and the respe ...


References


Literature


External links


Images
on bildarchiv-hamburg.de
Images
on bilderbuch-hamburg.de {{Authority control Rivers of Hamburg Rivers of Schleswig-Holstein Rivers of Germany