The Dresden Basin ( German : (Dresdner) Elbtalkessel or Dresdner Elbtalweitung ) is a roughly 45 km long and 10 km wide area of the Elbe Valley between the towns of Pirna and Meißen . The city of Dresden lies in the Dresden Basin.
7-583: The Dresden Basin is formed by the foothills and flanks of the Eastern Ore Mountains and western Lusatian Highlands and the northwestern slopes of Saxon Switzerland . Geologically it is a rift valley and its most important river, the Elbe flows through it in wide meanders . The region is climatically milder than the surrounding area, so that on the northern slopes of the hills vineyards may be cultivated (Saxon Wine Route). In addition, there
14-463: Is intensive fruit farming. The valley climate is significantly drier (average annual precipitation below 700 mm) and warmer (average air temperature 8.5 °C, in Dresden city centre 9.9 °C) than the surrounding hills. The region was settled early due to the fertile soils ( loess ) and the easy river crossings and achieved worldwide importance from a cultural and historical perspective. Today
21-653: The Sudetes range, it is located on the border of the German state of Saxony with the Czech Bohemian region. It is one of the eight natural landscapes of Upper Lusatia . The Lusatian Highlands are named after the historic region of Upper Lusatia , while the southern Czech portion is also known as the Šluknov Hook . The hills are situated between the Elbe Sandstone Mountains to the west and
28-837: The Dresden conurbation almost entirely fills the basin. Parts of the Dresden Basin near the Elbe (the Dresden Elbe Valley ) were given World Heritage Site status between 2004 and 2009 by UNESCO due to their cultural and natural significance. During the East German era, the Basin was jokingly referred to by its inhabitants as the Valley of the Clueless, because they were not able to receive West German television until
35-602: The late 1980s, and then only patchily. The most important towns and cities are (in downstream order): Lusatian Highlands The Lusatian Highlands or Lusatian Hills ( German : Lausitzer Bergland , German pronunciation ; Czech : Šluknovská pahorkatina (for the Czech part only); Upper Sorbian : Łužiske hory ) form a hilly region in Germany and the Czech Republic . A western extension of
42-506: The region are Schirgiswalde , also known as the capital of carnival in Upper Lusatia, Šluknov with its famous arboretum , and Rumburk with a medieval old town centre. Other notable towns include Ebersbach , Velký Šenov , Neukirch/Lausitz , Sohland an der Spree and Kirschau . 51°04′30″N 14°16′42″E / 51.07500°N 14.27833°E / 51.07500; 14.27833 This Saxony location article
49-496: The somewhat higher Lusatian Mountains and the Zittau Mountains to the east. The source of the river Spree , which runs through central Berlin , is located near the small town of Ebersbach . The Lusatian Highlands are a famous tourist region that is portrayed in several movies. They are known for the beauty of the landscape and their picturesque towns with Baroque churches and wooden houses. Popular tourist towns in
#996003