The Black Elster or Schwarze Elster () is a long river in eastern
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 betwe ...
, in the states
Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
,
Brandenburg
Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a states of Germany, state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an ar ...
and
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of
and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it the ...
, 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 Repu ...
. Its source is in the
Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia (german: Oberlausitz ; hsb, Hornja Łužica ; dsb, Górna Łužyca; szl, Gōrnŏ Łużyca; pl, Łużyce Górne or ''Milsko''; cz, Horní Lužice) is a historical region in Germany and Poland. Along with Lower Lusatia to the ...
region, near
Elstra
Elstra (; Sorbian language, Sorbian: ''Halštrow'') is a town in the Bautzen (district), district of Bautzen, in Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Schwarze Elster, 6 kilometres southeast of Kamenz, and 34 kilometres northeast of Dresden ...
.
The Black Elster flows through the cities
Kamenz
Kamenz () or Kamjenc ( Sorbian) is a town (''Große Kreisstadt'') in the district of Bautzen in Saxony, Germany. Until 2008 it was the administrative seat of Kamenz District. The town is known as the birthplace of the philosopher and poet Gotthol ...
,
Hoyerswerda,
Senftenberg
Senftenberg ( wen, Zły Komorow) is a town in Lower Lusatia, Brandenburg, Germany, capital of the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district.
Geography
Senftenberg is located in the southwest of the historic Lower Lusatia region at the border with Saxony. It ...
,
Lauchhammer,
Elsterwerda
Elsterwerda (; Lower Sorbian: ''Wikow'') is a town in the Elbe-Elster district, in southwestern Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the Black Elster river, 48 km northwest of Dresden, and 11 km southeast of Bad Liebenwerda.
Histo ...
,
Bad Liebenwerda
Bad Liebenwerda () is a spa town in the Elbe-Elster district, in southwestern Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the river Schwarze Elster, 57 km northwest of Dresden, and 28 km east of Torgau.
History
The first written mention is ...
,
Herzberg and
Jessen. It flows into the river Elbe at
Elster (Elbe), upstream from
Wittenberg
Wittenberg ( , ; Low Saxon language, Low Saxon: ''Wittenbarg''; meaning ''White Mountain''; officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg (''Luther City Wittenberg'')), is the fourth largest town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Wittenberg is situated on the Ri ...
.
Geography
The
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
rises in the
Lusatian Highlands
The Lusatian Highlands[''Upper Lusatia''](_blank)
at www.silvaportal.info. Accessed on 10 July 20 ...
(
Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia (german: Oberlausitz ; hsb, Hornja Łužica ; dsb, Górna Łužyca; szl, Gōrnŏ Łużyca; pl, Łużyce Górne or ''Milsko''; cz, Horní Lužice) is a historical region in Germany and Poland. Along with Lower Lusatia to the ...
) about south of the village Kindisch in the borough of
Elstra
Elstra (; Sorbian language, Sorbian: ''Halštrow'') is a town in the Bautzen (district), district of Bautzen, in Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Schwarze Elster, 6 kilometres southeast of Kamenz, and 34 kilometres northeast of Dresden ...
on the eastern flank of the high ''Kuppe'', a subpeak of the
Hochstein. From here the ''Black Elster'' flows initially in a northerly direction through Elstra,
Kamenz
Kamenz () or Kamjenc ( Sorbian) is a town (''Große Kreisstadt'') in the district of Bautzen in Saxony, Germany. Until 2008 it was the administrative seat of Kamenz District. The town is known as the birthplace of the philosopher and poet Gotthol ...
,
Milstrich and
Wittichenau; from
Hoyerswerda it flows in westwards to
Elsterheide
Elsterheide, in Sorbian Halštrowska hola, is a municipality in the district of Bautzen, in Saxony, Germany.
The municipality is part of the recognized Sorbian settlement area in Saxony. Upper Sorbian has an official status next to German.
H ...
. Further downstream, after , it crosses the Saxon-Brandenburg border and flows through
Senftenberg
Senftenberg ( wen, Zły Komorow) is a town in Lower Lusatia, Brandenburg, Germany, capital of the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district.
Geography
Senftenberg is located in the southwest of the historic Lower Lusatia region at the border with Saxony. It ...
,
Ruhland
( Sorbian: ''Rólany'') is a town in the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district, in Upper Lusatia, Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the river Schwarze Elster, 12 km southwest of Senftenberg.
Ruhland station is a major railway junction, for f ...
and
Lauchhammer to
Elsterwerda
Elsterwerda (; Lower Sorbian: ''Wikow'') is a town in the Elbe-Elster district, in southwestern Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the Black Elster river, 48 km northwest of Dresden, and 11 km southeast of Bad Liebenwerda.
Histo ...
. From here it heads in a northwesterly direction through
Bad Liebenwerda
Bad Liebenwerda () is a spa town in the Elbe-Elster district, in southwestern Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the river Schwarze Elster, 57 km northwest of Dresden, and 28 km east of Torgau.
History
The first written mention is ...
,
Herzberg and
Jessen before emptying into the Elbe in the municipality of
Elster (Elbe) (river kilometre 198.5).
The most important tributaries of the ''Black Elster'' are the
Hoyerswerdaer Schwarzwasser
Hoyerswerdaer Schwarzwasser is a river of Saxony, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Schwarze Elster, which it joins in Hoyerswerda.
See also
*List of rivers of Saxony
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refe ...
, the
Pulsnitz
Pulsnitz () or Połčnica (Upper Sorbian) is a town in the district of Bautzen, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the small river Pulsnitz, 11 km southwest of Kamenz, and 24 km northeast of the centre of Dresden.
...
, the
Große Röder
The Große Röder is a river of Saxony and Brandenburg, eastern Germany. It is a left tributary of the river Black Elster. It rises near Arnsdorf, about east of Dresden. It flows in a generally northwestern direction, through the towns Radeberg ...
, the
Kleine Elster
Kleine Elster is a river of Brandenburg, Germany. It flows into the Black Elster in Wahrenbrück.
See also
*List of rivers of Brandenburg
A list of rivers of Brandenburg, Germany:
A
* Alte Oder
* Alte Schlaube
B
* Bäke
*Berste
*Black Els ...
and the
Schweinitzer Fließ
Schweinitzer Fließ is a river in Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It flows into the Schwarze Elster near Jessen (Elster).
See also
*List of rivers of Brandenburg
*List of rivers of Saxony-Anhalt
A list of rivers of Saxony-Anhalt, Germ ...
.
Tributaries
History
Field Marshal Blücher crossed the
Elbe River near its confluence with the Black Elster on 3 Oct 1813 on his march to
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
.
[ Wright, George Newenham (1836). ''A New and Comprehensive Gazetteer, Volume 3'', p. 78.]
See also
* There is also a
White Elster river in eastern Germany.
*
List of rivers of Brandenburg
*
List of rivers of Saxony
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
*
List of rivers of Saxony-Anhalt
References
{{Authority control
Rivers of Brandenburg
Rivers of Saxony
Rivers of Saxony-Anhalt
Geography of Lusatia
Rivers of Germany