Elbe Floodplains Near Tespe

Very nice view of the meadows, worthwhile in every season.

Always nice to see the Elbe landscape. But that also applies to other Elbe floodplains along the Elbe up to Hamburg.

Since the construction of the weir at Rönne - commissioning in 1960 - the effects of ebb and flow in the Elbe have ended here. While the water level below the weir still fluctuates on average about 2.20 meters with the tide, the much smaller water level fluctuations above the weir are only changed by the amount of the headwater inflow.
At this point, the landscape of the Elbe is shaped by the technical structures on the opposite bank of Schleswig-Holstein. In addition to the Krümmel nuclear power plant with its high-voltage lines, the green pipes of the pumped storage plant that lead up the slope of the Elbe also catch the eye. If there is an excess of electricity, water is pumped through these pipes into the basin above; In times of high load, electricity is generated by lowering the water masses. Corresponding pumps and turbines ensure that electricity is stored mechanically.From here, down the Elbe, the foreland of the dike expands, offering not only a floodplain for the water, but also a habitat for numerous plants and animals. Here rare and endangered plants such as B. the meadow elephant, the swan flower, the large meadow button, the yellow meadow rue and the felty butterbur can be found.The reeds and willow bushes along the banks of the Elbe are not only a beautiful sight but also serve numerous animals such as z. B. Tasmanian titmouse, reed bunting, nightingale, dragonflies and hornets as a habitat. More and more traces of the beaver feeding on pastures on the banks of the Elbe are also found more and more frequently. It spreads further and further from upstream.The wide open meadows are used by meadow breeders such as skylark and lapwing in summer and by numerous species of geese in winter. Due to this particular importance, the Elbe foreland and the Elbe were placed under protection as part of the European Natura 2000 protected area system.samtgemeinde-elbmarsch.de/agenda21/deichvorlanddtespe.html