Black Elster

The Black Elster<ref>Elbe River Basin by the International Commission for the Protection of the Elbe River. Accessed on 16 Jan 2011.</ref> or Schwarze Elster is a  long river in eastern Germany, in the states Saxony, Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt, right tributary of the Elbe. Its source is in the Upper Lusatia region, near Elstra.

The Black Elster flows through the cities Kamenz, Hoyerswerda, Senftenberg, Lauchhammer, Elsterwerda, Bad Liebenwerda, Herzberg and Jessen. It flows into the river Elbe at Elster (Elbe), upstream from Wittenberg.

 Geography 
The river rises in the Lusatian Highlands (Upper Lusatia) about  south of the village Kindisch in the borough of Elstra on the eastern flank of the  high Kuppe, a subpeak of the Hochstein. From here the Black Elster flows initially in a northerly direction through Elstra, Kamenz, Milstrich and Wittichenau; from Hoyerswerda it flows in westwards to Elsterheide. Further downstream, after , it crosses the Saxon-Brandenburg border and flows through Senftenberg, Ruhland and  Lauchhammer to Elsterwerda. From here it heads in a northwesterly direction through Bad Liebenwerda, Herzberg and Jessen before emptying into the Elbe in the municipality of Elster (Elbe) (river kilometre 198.5).

The most important tributaries of the Black Elster'' are the Hoyerswerdaer Schwarzwasser, the Pulsnitz, the Große Röder, the Kleine Elster and the Schweinitzer Fließ.

Tributaries

History 
Field Marshal Blücher crossed the Elbe River near its confluence with the Black Elster on 3 Oct 1813 on his march to Leipzig.

See also 
 There is also a White Elster river in eastern Germany.
 List of rivers of Brandenburg
 List of rivers of Saxony
 List of rivers of Saxony-Anhalt

References

 
Category:Rivers of Brandenburg
Category:Rivers of Saxony
Category:Rivers of Saxony-Anhalt
Category:Geography of Lusatia
Category:Rivers of Germany