The Heide-Itzehoe Geest (german: Heide-Itzehoe Geest) is a division of a larger natural region in the west of the German state of

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sch ...

. It belongs to the Hohe Geest and thus to the

Schleswig-Holstein Geest The Schleswig Geest (german: Schleswigsche Geest, da, Slesvigsk Gest, Midtslesvig or Midtsletten) lies between the North Frisian Marsh and Schleswig-Holstein Uplands in the north of Schleswig-Holstein (Southern Schleswig) in Germany. To the south, ...

natural region. It covers an area of 1,182 square kilometres.''Heide-Itzehoer Geest''
at bfn.de. Retrieved 31 January 2023. The Heide-Itzehoe Geest was pushed up during the

Saale glaciation The Saale glaciation or Saale Glaciation, sometimes referred to as the Saalian glaciation, Saale cold period (german: Saale-Kaltzeit), Saale complex (''Saale-Komplex'') or Saale glacial stage (''Saale-Glazial'', colloquially also the ''Saale-Eiszei ...

and so belongs to the geologically oldest areas in the state. The region lies south of the Eider-Treene Depression, east of the Dithmarsch and Wilster marshes, north of the

Elbe marshes The Elbe marshes (german: Elbmarsch) are an extensive region of marsh or polderland 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 ...

and west of the Vorgeest. It is clearly demarcated, particularly in the west, for long stretches along the old coastline, recognisable by its prominent

cliff In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on co ...

s (''Kleve''). The southernmost part is the Münsterdorf Geest Island south of the river

Stör The Stör () is a river in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, right tributary of the Elbe. Its total length is . The Stör rises east of Neumünster, and flows west through Neumünster, Kellinghusen, and Itzehoe. The Stör joins the Elbe near Glücksta ...

and north of the Krempe Marsh. The geest lies mainly in the present-day districts of

Dithmarschen Dithmarschen (, Northern Low Saxon, Low Saxon: ; archaic English: ''Ditmarsh''; da, Ditmarsken; la, label=Medieval Latin, Tedmarsgo) is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of ...

and

Steinburg Steinburg () is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, administered from Itzehoe. It is bounded by (from the west and clockwise) the districts of Dithmarschen, Rendsburg-Eckernförde, Segeberg and Pinneberg, and by the Elbe River (and the dist ...

. It is bisected by the

Kiel Canal The Kiel Canal (german: Nord-Ostsee-Kanal, literally "North- oEast alticSea canal", formerly known as the ) is a long freshwater canal in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. The canal was finished in 1895, but later widened, and links the N ...

which uses a valley between the Dithmarsch Geest in the north and the Hohenwestedt Geest in the south. For an

old moraine Old and Young Drift are geographic names given to the morainic landscapes that were formed in Central Europe; the Old Drift during the older ice ages and the Young Drift during the latest glaciations – the Weichselian in North Germany and th ...

landscape the Heide-Itzehoe has relatively large height differences. At just under 80 metres above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...

the highest elevations on the west coast of the state are found on the Heide-Itzehoe Geest. The soils are very unsuitable for agriculture (with an 'arable value' of between 26 and 35 on a scale of 100).

References

External links

Landscape fact file
by the

Bundesamt für Naturschutz 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 ...

Detailed description by the Schleswig-Holstein Environment Ministry (German)
{{coord missing, Schleswig-Holstein Natural regions of Germany Regions of Schleswig-Holstein Geest Dithmarschen Steinburg