Lauenburg is a town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated at the northern bank of the Elbe river, east of Hamburg. Lauenburg belongs to the Kreis (district) of Lauenburg. The town was founded in 1182 by Bernard of Ascania, the ancestor of the dukes of Lauenburg. Lauenburg was a duchy until 1689. The area of the medieval fief was roughly identical with the today's district. In medieval times Lauenburg was a waypoint on the Old Salt Route. Today it is the southern terminus of the Elbe-Luebeck Canal.