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The Elbe
begins in the Giant Mountains in the Czech Republic, near the border with Poland.
From there it flows through the Ore Mountains near Saxony and over the North German Plain.
It empties into the North Sea at Hamburg, via a fan-shaped estuary. One-third of the Elbe passes
through the Czech Republic and two-thirds through Germany. The Elbe formed an important
natural European border, marking Charlemagne’s eastern boundary while, after the Second
World War, it formed part of the demarcation between East and West Germany.
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