Elbe Flood Canal

The flood canal, together with the "Pretziener Wehr", is a flood protection facility for Magdeburg and the municipalities and agricultural areas east of the city. Schönebeck, south of Magdeburg, also benefits from the plant.
Due to the road and railway embankment constructions that took place in the early to mid-19th century, the flood conditions in the east of Magdeburg deteriorated dramatically. Although the new routes had been provided with flood bridges as a precautionary measure, dangerous floods occurred in 1845 and 1862. Since the old dikes of the villages in the east of Magdeburg had also proven to be increasingly unsafe, the three dike associations mentioned above were formed in accordance with the "Statute for the Magdeburger, the Elbenauer and the Ehle Association of 24 July 1868" issued by the Prussian king, in which the villages in the polders participated as compulsory members. The execution of the buildings according to the approved melioration plan was entrusted to a special building commission headed by a Royal Commissioner.

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