Europe's Wild River: the Elbe

It flows through rugged valleys, past fortresses, picturesque townships and castles until it reaches Hamburg harbour, and eventually into the North Sea: The river Elbe. Like an 1100-kilometre-long rope, it stretches across the Czech Republic and Germany. For the most part, the river has managed to retain much of its original naturalness - along the Elbe, many animal species thrive, including those which have become rare elsewhere in Europe. Animal filmmakers Svenja and Ralph Schieke spent two years exploring the course of the Elbe, visited famous and less well-known regions and now present the animals of this unique river landscape. The first part of this Elbe portrait ends in Dresden, the so-called "Florence of the Elbe". It introduces us to remote, natural paradises, takes us along into surprisingly diverse landscapes and gives us an insight into the unusual behavioural patterns of the animals living on the banks of the raging river. The second part of the meticulously well-made documentary follows the Elbe from Saxon Torgau to Cuxhaven, where the river deltas into the North Sea. (Verleiher-Text)