View of the Elbe Lateral Canal from the Bridge

Due to the inner-German division, a very important shipping connection was lost for the Federal Republic of Germany, because the Magdeburg waterway junction was in the GDR. As a result, the Elbe (and the North Sea) could no longer be reached from the Mittelland Canal. To create an alternative for this, a new canal was built between 1968 and 1976.West of Wolfsburg near Edesbüttel, the Elbe Lateral Canal branches off from the Mittelland Canal and runs close to Uelzen and Lüneburg to Artlenburg, where it flows into the Elbe.Since Lüneburg was only about 25 km from the former inner-German border, the eastern canal embankment was created as a barrier for tank troops. On the western side, the bridges and underpasses were equipped with explosive shafts.The channel is 115.2 kilometers long, has an average depth of 4.0-4.5 meters and a width of 55-70 meters. The height difference of approx. 61 meters is overcome by the Uelzen lock (23 metres) and the Scharnebeck ship lift (38 metres). The canal's water supply comes exclusively from the Elbe by means of pumping stations at the canal stages. About 80% of the canal is secured with 22 cm thick asphalt concrete to prevent water from escaping.
Source: lustauflueneburg.de/elbe-seitenkanal/#gsc.tab=0