Bleckede (Germany Lower Saxony)

Bleckede is an Elbe River cruise port and town in Germany's Lower Saxony state (Niedersachsen's district Luneburg) with population around 10,000. The town is located approx 20 km (12 mi) east of Luneburg (Hanseatic City) and approx 70 km (50 mi) from Hamburg - Germany's 2nd largest city (after Berlin) with population over 1,8 million and country's largest seaport.

The town was founded in the 11th-century as part of Herzogtum Sachsen (Duchy of Saxony / 804-1296) and was burnt down and destroyed completely in 1666. In 1810 it became part of France, in 1815 - part of the Kingdom of Hanover (1814-1866) and in 1866 - part of Prussia. After WW2 (1939-1945), the town's north quarters were occupied by USSR (Soviet Zone) while its south quarters became part of West Germany's Lower Saxony. Together with Mecklenburg, in 1949, the area became part of East Germany. Since 1952, the border was sealed off and inaccessible to the citizens of Neu Bleckede and Neu Wendischthun. After West and East Germany merged in 1989, in 1993 Neu Bleckede was annexed to Lower Saxony.

As cruise port, Bleckede is included in the schedule of some of Europe's largest river cruise companies - CroisiEurope (ships Victor Hugo and Mona Lisa) and Nicko Cruises (ships Frederic Chopin and Katharina von Bora). The next tables show some of the cruise tour itineraries as ports sequences and prices per person (double occupancy rates).

(CroisiEurope) 6-day itinerary between homeports Berlin and Hamburg, from ~USD 1300 pp

(Nicko Cruises) 8-day itinerary between homeports Potsdam and Hamburg, from ~USD 1700 pp