The Elbe marshes (german: Elbmarsch) are an extensive region of
marsh or
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 ...
land along the lower and middle reaches of the
River Elbe in northern Germany. It is also referred to as the Lower Elbe Marsch by Dickinson
and is region D24 in the
BfN
The German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (german: Bundesamt für Naturschutz, ''BfN'') is the German government's scientific authority with responsibility for national and international nature conservation. BfN is one of the government' ...
's list of the
natural regions of Germany. The Germans refer to these polders as ''Marschen'' (singular: ''Marsch'').
Originally this flat strip of land along the Elbe was completely tidal. But following the construction of the barrage near
Geesthacht, the Elbe is no longer affected by the tide above that point. The part of the Elbe remaining tidal is called the
Unterelbe
The Unterelbe or, in English usually the Lower Elbe, refers to the lower reaches of the river Elbe in Germany influenced by the tides.
It starts at kilometre 586, at the sluice of Geesthacht, where the Elbe forms the border between Lower Sa ...
(Low Elbe). As a result of regular land reclamation with the help of Dutch settlers (a process known in German as ''Hollerkolonisation'') large areas of the previously flood-prone Elbe marshes were
dike
Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to:
General uses
* Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian"
* Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment
* Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice
* Dikes, ...
d and reclaimed for the purposes of cultivation.
The Elbe marshes are very fertile and dominated by large areas of grassland. In addition to cattle rearing, especially of dairy herds, they are also used for arable farming.
Dithmarschen is especially well known for its cabbages, the
Altes Land is one of the largest fruit growing regions of central Europe, the
Vierlande
Vierlande is the name given to a roughly 77-square kilometre region in the Hamburg district of Bergedorf which has a population of 18,419 and comprises four quarters of the city.
Its name goes back to the year 1556 and refers to the four chu ...
and
Marschlande near Hamburg belong to the most important areas for growing vegetables and flowers. The
Kehdinger Land and the Lüneburg Elbe marshes are home to numerous stud farms. For over 200 years the successful
Hanoverian
The adjective Hanoverian is used to describe:
* British monarchs or supporters of the House of Hanover, the dynasty which ruled the United Kingdom from 1714 to 1901
* things relating to;
** Electorate of Hanover
** Kingdom of Hanover
** Province o ...
horses have been bred here.
In the 1990s there were national reports from the Elbe marshes that there had been a higher incidence of
leukaemia in the area around the GKSS Research Centre and the
Krümmel nuclear power station
Krümmel is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a community belonging to a '' Verbandsgemeinde'' – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The community belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Selters, a kind of collective municipality.
...
. However, no direct link has been proven between the levels of illness and the nuclear facilities.
Holstein Elbe marshes
The Holstein Elbe marshes lie in southern
Schleswig-Holstein along the Lower Elbe. They are intensively farmed. Many commuters who work in Hamburg also live in the area. The land is flat and lies barely one metre above
sea level. In the vicinity of
Neuendorf near Wilster is the lowest point in Germany. As a result, the countryside here is also at risk from
storm flood
A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the no ...
s and is protected by dikes along the Elbe.
The Elbe marshes here are made up (from north to south) of the
Wilster Marsh
Wilster () is a town in Steinburg district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
History
Wilster was granted town rights under Lübeck law in 1282, and thereby counts itself among Schleswig-Holstein's oldest towns. Wilster forms the centre of the W ...
between the
Kiel Canal and
Stör, the
Kremper Marsh, between Stör and
Krückau, the
Seestermühe Marsh between Krückau and
Pinnau
Pinnau is an ''Amt'' ("collective municipality") in the district of Pinneberg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The ''Amt'' Pinnau was formed in January 2007 by the merger of the ''Ämter'' Bönningstedt and Pinneberg-Land. The seat of the ''Amt' ...
and the
Haseldorf Marsh between Pinnau and the edge of the
geest
Geest is a type of landform, slightly raised above the surrounding countryside, that occurs on the plains of Northern Germany, the Northern Netherlands and Denmark. It is a landscape of sandy and gravelly soils formed as a glacial outwash plai ...
area near
Wedel
Wedel is a town in the district of Pinneberg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Elbe, approximately south of Elmshorn, and west of Hamburg.
History
Foundation and Middle Ages
The first known mention of ...
.
Lower Saxon Elbe marshes
The Lower Saxon Elbe marshes begin at
Land Hadeln and
Kehdingen
Kehdingen is the name of a landscape in the north German district of Landkreis Stade, Stade on the Niederelbe, Lower Elbe, the lower reaches of the River Elbe. It extends roughly from the mouth of the Oste in the north to the town of Stade in the s ...
and stretch east of
Stade
Stade (), officially the Hanseatic City of Stade (german: Hansestadt Stade, nds, Hansestadt Stood) is a city in Lower Saxony in northern Germany. First mentioned in records in 934, it is the seat of the district () which bears its name. It is l ...
through the
Altes Land as far as the city limits of Hamburg in
Cranz. Running up the Elbe from Hamburg they follow the
Winsen and Lüneburg Elbe marshes (
Elbmarsch).
See also
*
Geography of Germany
*
Natural regions of Germany
References
Literature
*Hans-Eckhard Dannenberg & Norbert Fischer & Franklin Kopitzsch (Hrsg.): Land am Fluss. Beiträge zur Regionalgeschichte der Niederelbe. Stade 2003
*Michael Ehrhardt: "Ein guldten Bandt des Landes". Zur Geschichte der Deiche im Alten Land. Stade 2003
*Norbert Fischer: Wassersnot und Marschengesellschaft - Zur Geschichte der Deiche in Kehdingen. Stade 2003
*Norbert Fischer: Im Antlitz der Nordsee - Zur Geschichte der Deiche in Hadeln. Stade 2007
External links
Report by Deutsche Welle
{{Authority control
Natural regions of Germany
Regions of Schleswig-Holstein
Regions of Lower Saxony
Marshes of Germany
Landforms of Schleswig-Holstein
Landforms of Lower Saxony
North German Plain