Tips for Water Hiking

Please note that the waters are navigable for different types of boats. Marked and closed off tributaries may not be navigated.

All courses of the Tourist Water Association are open to canoeists. On some sections of the White Elster, special regulations apply to protect nature - please observe these.

In order to ensure that the White Elster can be used in harmony with nature, the section between Knauthain and Wehr Großzschocher is not open for navigation between February 15 and May 15. Below the TSV 1893 Leipzig Wahren entry point, navigation in guided groups is permitted from August 1 of each year.

Use of the waters is at your own risk. Please wear a life jacket for your own safety. Please also observe the right-hand rule on all waters and the instructions for operating the locks. Also pay particular attention to the current conditions near weirs and barrages. For your own safety, always keep a sufficient distance here.

Use the specially designated and marked areas. Avoid the sensitive riverbank areas with reeds, riparian shrubs, wet meadows and dense riverbank woodland to avoid intruding into the habitat of birds, small animals and plants.

Please be considerate of nature and your fellow human beings, do not travel in large groups, especially in the natural sections of the waterways, and avoid unnecessary noise. Likewise, it is not permitted to travel in the bathing areas of the lakes and other places marked by buoys (e.g. in the southern part of Lake Cospuden). Note: The regulations on seasonal travel bans in the nature priority areas and on travel bans during low water are voluntary commitments to protect nature and the landscape. The efficiency of all regulations is checked as part of a monitoring process that accompanies the development of water tourism use in the protected areas. If the framework conditions change, adjustments can be made. With regard to the voluntary commitments to date, this can lead to formal recognition (signing of a rule book by clubs, commercial providers, local authorities) or even legal anchoring in nature conservation or water law regulations.

Before you start a boat trip, find out about the conditions on the water. Information about flood warnings and water levels can be found on the relevant websites (see below). If the water is flooded, in poor visibility or in a storm, you should refrain from taking a boat trip for your own safety or cancel it immediately. At the Palmengarten weir, if the water level is high, a special warning is given by a red ball that is clearly visible on the building above the central pillar. You should also refrain from navigating the water when the water level is low (< 30 cm for muscle-powered boats and < 60 cm for motorboats), not only for reasons of nature conservation and water ecology, but also for your own safety.

Please keep a sufficient distance from the banks, especially in natural water areas, to avoid disturbing the flora and fauna.

Motorboat traffic is permitted on sections of the Weiße Elster and the Pleiße, the Elster and Pleiße flood beds, the Karl-Heine Canal, in Lindenau Harbor and also on certain connecting canals between the lakes. Motor-driven boat and raft travel is only permitted with a permit. This can be obtained from the responsible water authorities of the city of Leipzig and the district authorities. Please make sure that when driving a motorboat you do not interfere with the sporting activities of the numerous organized rowers and canoeists as well as with the citizens seeking recreation.

When travelling by motorboat, please observe the general speed limit of 5 km/h on rivers, canals and mill ditches. On the Weiße Elster between Pistorissteg and Palmengartenwehr as well as on the Elster and Pleiße flood beds and on the lakes, the maximum speed is 10 km/h.

The Floßgraben is an ecologically particularly valuable but also extremely sensitive body of water in the southern floodplain forest of the city of Leipzig. It is of outstanding importance as a breeding ground for the kingfisher, which is strictly protected under the Federal Nature Conservation Act and is a target species of the European bird sanctuary "Leipzig Floodplain Forest".

The breeding season of the kingfisher in the Floßgraben can begin as early as the beginning of March. The species is particularly sensitive to disturbances at the beginning of the breeding season, especially since the attachment to the nesting site is still weak and the birds need a lot of time to dig the nesting tubes.

Since March 1, 2015, the general decree on special protective measures for the kingfisher has been in effect for the Floßgraben. Kayaks and canoes are therefore only allowed on the Floßgraben every day from 11 a.m. to 13 p.m., 15 p.m. to 18 p.m. and 20 p.m. to 22 p.m. However, it is forbidden to use the water with any type of motorized watercraft, to enter the 20-meter-wide bank areas on either side and to let dogs run free along the Floßgraben.

Canoeists have the opportunity to navigate the unique natural areas of the White Elster by observing a few rules of conduct and special protection periods. The regulations on a seasonal ban on navigating in the nature priority areas serve to protect nature and the landscape. Compliance is in everyone's interest and an obligation that every nature lover is happy to fulfill.

You can obtain permits for the Weiße Elster here:
State Administration Office of Saxony-Anhalt, Department of Nature Conservation, Landscape Management
Head of Department: Dr. Thalmann,
Dessauer Str. 70, 06118 Halle/Saale

Phone: + 49 (0) 345 514-2600
Email: uwe.thalmann@lvwa.sachsen-anhalt.de

According to the protected area regulations, canoe trips there must be announced three working days in advance.

You can obtain special permits from: 

water hiking warden/popular sports
Harald Zeiler
Wilhelm-Schrader-Str. 9a, 06120 Halle
Telephone/mobile: +49 (0) 345 7703185 / +49 (0) 172 3651623
Email: zeiler-kunststoffe@gmx.de

The regulations on seasonal navigation in nature priority areas and on refraining from travel during low water periods are voluntary commitments to protect nature and the landscape.

As part of a monitoring process that accompanies the development of water tourism in the protected areas, the efficiency of all regulations is checked. If the framework conditions change, corrective action can be taken. With regard to the voluntary commitments made to date, this can lead to formal recognition (signing of a rule book by associations, commercial providers, local authorities) or even legal anchoring in nature conservation or water law regulations.