Hochwasserschutz Saaledeich

Calbe, May 2026: With the completion of the final section of length approximately two kilometres, the main flood protection dyke on the right bank of the Saale between Calbe (Saale) and Barby, with a total length of about 14 kilometres, was officially inaugurated on 28 May 2026. Among those present were environment minister Prof. Dr Armin Willingmann and the director of the state agency for flood protection and water management (LHW), Martina Grosse-Sudhues. Jörg Mielitz, Inros Lackner’s head of major hydraulic engineering projects, also attended.

Our teams in Dresden, Potsdam and Rostock provided general planning and design services for the renovation of the final section of the River Saale dyke. This section had failed near the village of Breitenhagen in 2013, flooding an area of approximately 85 km² – with severe consequences for people, homes and infrastructure.

The last section of the Saale dyke to be completed was raised and equipped with a dyke-top path and an access road. Measures taken to compensate for the green areas lost during the renovation work included the planting of shrubs and trees across an area of around one hectare. Prof. Dr. Armin Willingmann emphasised in an interview with MDR that the flooding events of recent decades clearly showed that flood protection is an ongoing societal responsibility. “In 2003 and again in 2013, Saxony-Anhalt experienced severe flooding and learned from it. We have been investing heavily in flood protection since 2002 – strengthening, raising, stabilising and renovating dykes in accordance with DIN standards.”