is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the southern part of
Brandenburg ,
Germany . Neighboring districts are
Teltow-Fläming ,
Dahme-Spreewald ,
Oberspreewald-Lausitz ,
Riesa-Großenhain ,
Torgau-Oschatz ,
Wittenberg . The district has a partnership with the
Märkischer Kreis .
The district was established in
1993 by merging the former districts (''
Bezirk e'') of Finsterwalde, Bad Liebenwerda and Herzberg.
The district is named after two rivers: The
Elbe river forms the western border with
Saxony . The
Schwarze Elster ("Black Elster") is a tributary of the Elbe and runs through the district. The district is part of the
Lusatia region. The fens along the Black Elster are a habitat of several rare animals, like
Kingfisher s,
Beaver s and
Otter s.
