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The Alster () is a right tributary of 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 ...
river in
Northern Germany Northern Germany (german: link=no, Norddeutschland) 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 an ...
. 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 i ...
,
Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sc ...
, flows somewhat southwards through much of the Free and Hanseatic City of
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...
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, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, ...
. 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, Publishing, print or photograph, of the physical aspects of a city or urban area. It is the urban equivalent of a landscape. ''Town ...
.


Geography

In total, the Alster is long and has an incline from 31 m to 4 m above sea level. Its drainage basin 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 abou ...
, Rodenbek, Lohbek,
Saselbek Saselbek is a short, little river of Hamburg, Germany. It flows into the Alster near Hamburg- Bergstedt. See also *List of rivers of Hamburg A list of rivers of Hamburg, Germany: A * Alster B * Berner Au * Bille * Bredenbek D * Deepenhorng ...
,
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 (Eilbek); right tributaries to the Alster are: Mühlenau (or Mühlenbach), Diekbek, Mellingbek, Susebek,
Tarpenbek Tarpenbek is a stream running from Norderstedt (Schleswig-Holstein) through parts of Hamburg before joining the Alster in Eppendorf. See also *List of rivers of Schleswig-Holstein *List of rivers of Hamburg A list of rivers of Hamburg, Germa ...
, 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. Location The canal is located in ...
.


Upper course

The source of the Alster is a small bog pool 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 i ...
, approximately north of
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...
. The small brook makes a couple of curves before entering Hamburg territory at
Duvenstedt is a quarter of Hamburg, Germany, in the borough of Wandsbek. It is located on the northern boundaries of the borough and of the city. It is part of the area of Walddörfer (lit. ''forest villages''). Geography Duvenstedt borders the quarters ...
and
Wohldorf-Ohlstedt Wohldorf-Ohlstedt () is a neighborhood of Hamburg, Germany, in the borough Wandsbek. It is the most northern quarter and one of the wealthiest in Hamburg. Geography Wohldorf-Ohlstedt borders the quarters Duvenstedt, Lemsahl-Mellingstedt and Be ...
. 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: Rittergut Wellingsbüttel, since Danish times: Kanzleigut Wellingsbüttel) is a former manor with a baroque manor house (German: ''Herrenhaus'') in Hamburg, Germany, which once enjoyed imperial immediacy (''Reichsfr ...
. At Ohlsdorf the Alster reaches a weir, approximately at the height of the former Fuhlsbüttel 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 − 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, Publishing, print or photograph, of the physical aspects of a city or urban area. It is the urban equivalent of a landscape. ''Town ...
. Through ponding of the river in the 13th century, two artificial lakes, the Außenalster (Outer Alster) and the smaller Binnenalster (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 enjoyment, amusement, or plea ...
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 of Hamburg, which was the original branch of the Alster The Alster () is a right tributary of the Elbe river in Northern Germany. It has its source near Henstedt-Ulzburg, Schleswig-Holstein, flows some ...
. 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 a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
/ Rathausmarkt and Baumwall, the latter protecting it from the Elbe tide.


History

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...
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, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...
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 (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the state ...
. 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. 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 Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels. ...
s were used up to the town of Kayhude. 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 owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a ...
of the
Hamburger Hochbahn Hamburger Hochbahn AG (HHA), founded in 1911, operates the underground system and large parts of the bus system in Hamburg, Germany. History The HHA was founded by Siemens & Halske and AEG as a consortium on 27 May 1911. The first chairman ...
, 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: ''Quinobequin)'' (sometimes called the River Charles or simply the Charles) is an river in eastern Massachusetts. It flows northeast from Hopkinton to Boston along a highly meandering route, that doubles bac ...
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 or a lemon-lime flavored beverage. The citrus beverage, often called lemonade, may or may not be carbonated. The proportions of the two ingredients are adjusted to taste but are usually half lemonad ...
, a concoction of equal parts of beer and lemonade. The river inspired the Hamburg-born composer
Oscar Fetrás Oscar Fetrás (16 February 1854 – 10 January 1931) was a German composer of popular dance music, military marches, piano pieces and arrangements. Fetrás had over 200 compositions to his name. His best known work is his waltz "Mondnacht auf d ...
to compose the popular
waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wa ...
"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 * List of rivers of Hamburg *
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 three major rivers (Alster, Bille and Elbe) and the respectively crossed body of water (river, ...


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