End of exhibition:
25. March 2025
A unique portrait of the Elbe and its landscapes.
The Elbe - a river with many facets. Originating as a rushing mountain river, it makes its way through low mountain ranges and alluvial forests and provides a home for rare species such as beavers, ospreys and stag beetles. No other river in Western Europe is so close to nature, shows so much biological diversity and is still allowed to move so freely. 29 passionate photographers from the Society of German Nature Photographers (GDT) spent over two years on the Elbe for the photo book “Wilde Elbe” and the traveling exhibition. They explored the entire length of the river, from its source in the Czech Krkonoše Mountains to its mouth in the Wadden Sea.
The photographers went on the trail of kingfishers and sea eagles, discovered the rare checkerboard flower or the hemlock water fennel, observed the huge flocks of wading birds on the coast and had countless fascinating experiences. None of this can be taken for granted in today's cultural landscape. It was and is important to the authors to show the exhibition in Magdeburg. Since its foundation, the city and the river have been very closely connected and have become one. In addition, despite visible human influence, the entire course of the Elbe in Saxony-Anhalt still shows a natural diversity that is absolutely worth preserving. Coordinated by the Middle Elbe Biosphere Reserve, there are many forward-looking river restoration projects from the Scharzen Elster near Wittenberg to the “Hohe Garbe” in the Altmark. In this exhibition, visitors embark on an extraordinary photographic journey.
In addition to familiar motifs, many new perspectives of the river open up: Water forests by the river, calling cranes on the Elbe meadows and dozing seals on the sandbank. Experience the morning mist on the river and the floating ice on the river on a cold winter morning. It is fascinating, if you look at this picture for a few seconds and then close your eyes, you think you can hear the clinking of the ice floes.
The photo exhibition is complemented by a series of designed showcases with specimens of endangered species from the museum's zoological collection, including otters, gray herons and white-tailed eagles, which can be observed in the Middle Elbe floodplain in our region.
At the opening ceremony on October 30 at 6 p.m., photographer Gernot Pohl will present the joint project with a short audiovisual presentation. All interested parties are cordially invited to attend.
