Wasserstrassenkreuz

Central Germany

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You’ll rub your eyes in disbelief when you first see it: a massive, water-filled bridge straddling the Elbe River. The Wasserstrassenkreuz is Europe’s longest canal bridge and a miracle of modern engineering. The 918m-long ‘bathtub’ links two major shipping canals and has made life a lot easier for barge captains navigating between Berlin and western Germany.

It's about 15km northeast of central Magdeburg. Take the Magdeburg-Rothensee exit off the A2 or rent a bicycle and pedal along the scenic Elberadweg.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Dom

    Dom

    7.86 MILES

    Magdeburg’s main historical landmark traces its roots to 937 when Otto I founded a Benedictine monastery and built it into a fully fledged cathedral…

  • Kunstmuseum Kloster Unser Lieben Frauen

    Kunstmuseum Kloster Unser Lieben Frauen

    7.64 MILES

    Magdeburg’s oldest building, a decommissioned medieval monastery, is now a museum presenting regional sculptures and contemporary art from Saxony-Anhalt…

  • Elbauenpark

    Elbauenpark

    6.81 MILES

    The Elbauenpark was carved out of the landscape for a 1999 garden exhibition, and has rose, sculpture and other gardens along with a butterfly house. Its…

  • Grüne Zitadelle

    Grüne Zitadelle

    7.72 MILES

    This piglet-pink building with trees growing from its facade and meadows sprouting on its rooftops was the final design of Viennese artist Friedensreich…

  • Rathaus

    Rathaus

    7.35 MILES

    After the original bronze door of the Rathaus (town hall) on Alter Markt was destroyed by WWII bombing, local artist Heinrich Apel designed the current…

  • Kulturhistorisches Mueum

    Kulturhistorisches Mueum

    7.89 MILES

    This restored and enlarged museum boasts the original Magdeburger Reiter statue from 1240. A gilded copy is on Alter Markt.

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Nearby Central Germany attractions

1. Elbauenpark

6.81 MILES

The Elbauenpark was carved out of the landscape for a 1999 garden exhibition, and has rose, sculpture and other gardens along with a butterfly house. Its…

2. Rathaus

7.35 MILES

After the original bronze door of the Rathaus (town hall) on Alter Markt was destroyed by WWII bombing, local artist Heinrich Apel designed the current…

4. Grüne Zitadelle

7.72 MILES

This piglet-pink building with trees growing from its facade and meadows sprouting on its rooftops was the final design of Viennese artist Friedensreich…

5. Dom

7.86 MILES

Magdeburg’s main historical landmark traces its roots to 937 when Otto I founded a Benedictine monastery and built it into a fully fledged cathedral…

6. Kulturhistorisches Mueum

7.89 MILES

This restored and enlarged museum boasts the original Magdeburger Reiter statue from 1240. A gilded copy is on Alter Markt.