The Abelitz (''-litz'' = ''Leide'' = channel) is a river of

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, in

East Frisia East Frisia or East Friesland (german: Ostfriesland; ; stq, Aastfräislound) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia ...

. It is about long and flows from

Marienhafe Marienhafe is a municipality in the district of Aurich, in Lower Saxony, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, a ...

to its mouth on the ''Alte

Greetsiel Greetsiel is a small port on the bight of Leybucht in western East Frisia, Germany that was first documented in letters from the year 1388. Since 1972, Greetsiel has been part of the municipality of Krummhörn, which has its administrative seat in ...

er Sieltief''. This type of river that drains the low-lying

polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a lake or the seabed # Flood plains s ...

s through a sluice in the sea dyke is also known locally as a ''Tief'' and is often the course of an old creek between mudflats.Ortschronisten der Ostfriesischen Landschaft
''Uthwerdum, Gemeinde Südbrookmerland, Landkreis Aurich''
(PDF; 890 kB), retrieved 19 April 2013. The Abelitz passes through Südbrookmerland, where it flows past the village of the same name, (a district of Südbrookmerland), and the

Krummhörn Krummhörn is a municipality in the district of Aurich, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the Ems estuary, approximately 15 km southwest of Norden, and 10 km northwest of Emden. The community (Gemeinde) of Krummhörn compr ...

. It is long, up to wide, up to deep and navigable by boats with a draught of and maximum speed of . The banks of the Abelitz are often near-natural and covered in

reed beds A reedbed or reed bed is a natural habitat found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions and estuaries. Reedbeds are part of a succession from young reeds colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground. As ...

. There are several parallel channels (''Nebenläufe'') that enclose small islands or run through

wetlands A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

. The river is very rich in fish and is well known as an angling area. The bird life on and near the Abelitz is very diverse. During the breeding season riverside walkers and anglers are expected to conduct themselves considerately. The Abelitz is linked to Moordorf by the Abelitz-Moordorf Canal.

References

Rivers of Lower Saxony Geography of East Frisia Rivers of Germany {{LowerSaxony-river-stub

See also

References