The Elbe River ( , , , ) is one of the major waterways of central Europe. It comes from the North West Czech Republic. It flows through much of Germany. At Cuxhaven, it flows into the Wadden Sea, which is part of the North Sea. Important big cities on the boards of the river are Hradec Králové, Pardubice and Ústí nad Labem in the Czech Republic, and Dresden, Magdeburg and Hamburg in Germany. 