Photo Gallery Chained to the Tracks
The controversial cargo arrived at Dannenberg early on Monday morning. From here, the nuclear waste will travel 20 kilometers by road to the Gorleben temporary nuclear facility.
There are 11 Castor containers, named after acronym for the casks used for the transport and storage of the radioactive material. In Dannenberg they are moved by crane onto special transporters.
The annual shipment took 109 hours to reach Dannenberg, making it the longest journey since the controversial transports began in 1995. Here a police officer removes an anti-nuclear demonstrator who had chained himself to the tracks.
Some activists chained themselves to a 600-kilogram concrete pyramid, causing substantial delays.
The four protesters held out for 15 hours before releasing themselves from their chains. Police attempts to remove them had failed.
There were protests at various points of the journey on Sunday. Near Dannenberg, demonstrators ignited a barricade of car tires.
A policeman stands watch by a barbed wire fence along the side of the tracks.
In Germany around 20,000 police have been mobilized. Here an officer on horseback avoids fireworks launched by protesters.
Police in riot gear advance behind an armored vehicle, while demonstrators hurl stones and fireworks.
Near the temporary facility at Gorleben, protesters gather to block the streets leading into the site.
Police secure a length of track for the shipment after removing protesters from the rails.
A policeman checks the tracks for damage. At least 3,000 demonstrators have joined the bid to delay the progress of the nuclear waste.
