THE BEAUTFUL RIVER ELBE AND ITS FLOODPLAINS WERE NEVER JUST IN THE FOCUS OF THE CITY’S INHABITANTS BUT ALSO IN THAT OF MANY FAMOUS PAINTERS. THE MOST NOTABLE PAINTINGS WERE CREATED BY CASPAR DAVID FRIEDRICH UND JOHANN CHRISTIAN CLAUSEN DAHL. HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSON, A DANISH WRITER, HAS VISITED THE SAXONY SWITZERLAND AND WROTE A NICE TRAVEL DIARY.

IN THE PAST THERE WERE A LOT OF CHANGES IN THE PROPERTIES ALONGSIDE THE RIVER AND THE FLOODPLAINS. SO YOU WILL FIND TODAY AREAS THAT LOOK MUCH DIFFERENT TO THE PAINTED PICTURES WHILE OTHERS ARE STILL REALY CLOSE. A FEW YEARS AGO WE HAD IN DRESDEN A BIG DISCUSSION ABOUT A NEW BRIDGE THAT SHOULD CROSS THE ELBE NEXT TO THE WALDSCHLÖSSCHEN. THE DAILY TRAFFIC OVER THE EXISTING BRIDGES WAS CAUSED THERE TRAFFIC JAMS DAILY. THE NEW BRIDGE SHOULD REDUCE THE PROBABILITY OF TRAFFIC JAMS. BUT A LARGE NUMBER OF INHABITANTS OF THE CITY LIKE THE UNESCO REJECTED THE PLAN TO BUILD A NEW BRIDGE THERE. THE MAIN REASON FOR THAT WAS IT WOULD DISTURB THE APPEARENCE OF THE RIVER AND FLOODPLAINS IN THE AREA. NEVERTHELESS THE BRIDGE WAS BUILT AND THE WORLD HERITAGE TITLE WAS WITHDRAWN BY THE UNESCO.

THE IMGAE TO THE RIGHT WILL SHOW YOU THAT YOU CAN ALSO FIND AMAZING AREAS ON THE RIVER ELBE NOWADAYS. THE RIVER IS WORTH TO BE VISITED EVERY DAY. AT SOME PLACES YOU WILL THINK THE APPEARANCE DOES NOT REALLY DIFFER FROM THAT WHAT HAS BEEN PAINTED IN 18th AND 19th CENTURY.