The River Elbe at Dresden - On Saxony's Canale Grande, Germany (321/418)

The River Elbe at Dresden - On Saxony's Canale Grande, Germany (321/418)

The 18th and 19th century cultural landscape of Dresden Elbe Valley extends some 18-km along the river from Übigau Palace and Ostragehege fields in the northwest to the Pillnitz Palace and the Elbe River Island in the southeast. It features low meadows, and is crowned by the Pillnitz Palace and the centre of Dresden with its numerous monuments and parks from the 16th to the 20th centuries. The landscape also features 19th and 20th century suburban villas and gardens and valuable natural features. Some terraced slopes along the river are still used for viticulture and some old villages have retained their historic structure and elements from the industrial revolution: notably the 147-m Blue Wonder steel bridge (1891-1893), the single-rail suspension cable railway (1898-1901), and the funicular (1894-1895). The passenger steamships (the oldest from 1879) and shipyard (ca 1900) are still in use.