Uelzen (Germany Lower Saxony)

Uelzen is an Ilmenau River/Elbe River cruise port and town in Germany's Lower Saxony state (Uelzen district), with population around 35,000. The town is part of Metropolregion Hamburg (metro population 5,1+ million), which also includes the districts Cuxhaven, Harburg, Luchow-Dannenberg, Luneburg, Rotenburg, Soltau-Fallingbostel, and Stade.

The town is located on Ilmenau River that originates in the Luneburg Heath (woodland south of Uelzen). The 121-km (75-mi) long river is a tributary of Elbe River (their confluence is near Winsen-Luhe). The largest towns on Ilmenau are Uelzen and Luneburg.

Uelzen is a hub on the transport links Hamburg-Hanover (Lower Saxony's capital and largest city) and Bremen-Berlin. Town's economy also benefits from the Elbe-Seitenkanal (Elbe Lateral Canal) - a 115-km (71 mi) long important for shipping waterway running from Mittelland Canal to Elbe River (Artlenburg). The town's largest employers are Nordzucker AG (sugarbeet refinery), Nestle SA (Swiss food and drink corporation), Uelzena Group (dairy products), C. Hasse und Sohn (insulation materials producing company), HELIOS Klinikum (hospital).

As a travel destination, the town attracts tourists with its Brick Gothic architecture (timber-framed houses), Museum Schloss Holdenstedt (Castle Museum), lush river banks, water meadows, nearby densely forested nature parks (with moors and lakes), including Elbhohen-Wendland (fka Elbufer-Drawehn), Luneburg Heath, Elbe Biosphere Reserve. The settlement was founded in the mid-13th-century and received town status (Stadtrechte) in 1270.

As cruise port, Uelzen is included in the schedules of Germany's largest and two of Europe's largest river cruise companies - Nicko Cruises (ship Frederic Chopin) and Phoenix Reisen (ship Saxonia). The next tables show some of the Uelzen-visiting cruise tour itineraries as ports sequences and prices per person (double occupancy rates).

(Nicko Cruises) 7-day itinerary between homeports Berlin and Kiel, from ~USD 1600 pp

(Phoenix Reisen) 9-day itinerary roundtrip from homeport Potsdam