Why are there so few dikes here? - Student excursion from the Netherlands visits Dresden

A student excursion of the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) consisting of about 50 students of the Faculty of Civil Engineering took the opportunity to visit the city of Dresden on Friday (May 20, 2022). Through the long-standing contacts of the Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and the strategic partnership with Delft University of Technology, it was thus possible to organize an impressive guided tour along the Flood Trail in the city center. Dipl.-Ing. Dirk Fleischer from the Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and B.Sc. Charlotte Marx, who studies civil engineering (specialization hydraulic engineering) at the TU Dresden, gave an insight into the flood protection measures along the Elbe and Weißeritz rivers.

© IWD

The high water markings on the Elbe level of the Augustus Bridge during the floods of the century in 2002 and 2013 provided some fascinating moments. Even for Dutch conditions, a high water level of more than 9m is quite a number!

Also the question: "Why does Dresden have no dikes here?" could be answered. The narrow valley shape combined with large amounts of water would make huge dikes necessary, which would be too expensive and would also not fit into the cityscape. There are more effective measures here, such as advance warning, flood protection walls and retention basins in the catchment area.