The swollen Elbe River peaked early today in the eastern German city of Magdeburg but dykes held back the floods.
Authorities had considered moving 20,000 people out of vulnerable areas of the city but decided against the move, confident the sandbags and dykes would hold back the water.
The river peaked in the early hours at 22 feet - nearly a foot lower than expected - and has begun slowly falling.
About 80,000 people have already been evacuated in eastern Germany because of the floods which have killed at least 109 across Europe.
High flood ramparts helped Budapest, the Hungarian capital, also escape largely unscathed as the Danube peaked yesterday at an historic high. By midday the river's level in the city had fallen by 16 inches.
The floods have wiped out or severely damaged scores of roads, railway lines, bridges, stores and private homes in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
The countries have been left with a major clean-up and reconstruction bill estimated at €13 billion.
AFP