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A woman photographs the formation of icebergs along the banks of the Elbe River in Germany, Jan. 19, 2026.

Video. Giant ice blocks transform Elbe river in northern Germany

Updated:

Giant blocks of ice give the Elbe river an almost Arctic appearance 50 kilometres upstream from Hamburg in northern Germany.

People in northern Germany flocked to the Elbe river Monday to marvel at giant Arctic-style ice floes that have clogged up a stretch of the waterway, creating a headache for shipping but delighting visitors.

The ice formed upstream in recent weeks during a cold snap that saw temperatures plummet to minus 15 degrees Celsius.

Icebreakers have since smashed through the ice, sending the floes downstream where they accumulated at a barrage at Geesthacht, near the river-port of Hamburg, said Tilman Treber from the federal navigation authority.

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