News
Erzählungen von der Elbe: Now Available as a Booklet
How can we tell a new story about the river Elbe and its ecosystems? Which voices and stories have gone unheard until now – and what can we learn from these diverse perspectives on the river for a sustainable future? These questions were at the heart of a unique transdisciplinary project: Students from the Sustainable Regional Development (HNEE) degree programme and the Design and Social Work degree programmes (University of Applied Sciences Potsdam) set out to explore the river Elbe together with local stakeholders from the Wittenberge region. The module was part of the InNoWest collaborative project.
The aim of the project was to highlight the diverse relationships between people, nature and space from unusual, often overlooked perspectives. In a workshop held in Wittenberge in June 2025, the students developed new perspectives on the River Elbe and its communities through dialogue with practitioners.
Building on this, the students worked in interdisciplinary groups to produce the booklet Erzählungen von der Elbe – über Flussgemeinschaften in Wittenberge, focusing on the ecological, cultural and social dimensions of the river. The result was five chapters that portray the Elbe not only as a natural environment, but as a place of encounter, remembrance and shaping the future:
- the smells of the Elbe as traces of memory and everyday life
- a new perspective on the mitten crab – as an invasive species, but also as a symbol of change
- the riverbed as a mirror of ecological and social processes
- Myths and legends of the Elbe – a new perspective on issues of sustainable development
- bridges and borders as metaphors for the connection and separation of the people living along the Elbe
The brochure is not a finished work, but rather combines academic research, personal perspectives and creative narratives. It invites readers to question familiar viewpoints and stimulates new discussions about the future of the Elbe region.
Project contributors
- Prof Dr Heike Molitor, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, Chair of Environmental Education and Education for Sustainable Development, and the InNoWest participation team
- Dr Jennifer Krah, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, Co-ordinator and Head of the Coordination Office for Sustainability at Brandenburg’s Universities and the InNoWest participation team
- Eva Greischel, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, InNoWest Team for Education for Sustainable Development and Participation
- Lea Fischer, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, InNoWest Team for Education for Sustainable Development and Participation
- Prof Myriel Milicevic, University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, Professor of Elementary Design – Form and Process
- Katja Stephan, University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, Department of Social and Educational Sciences and InNoWest Participation Team
- Elise Werner, University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, InNoWest Team for Participation, specialising in Citizen Science