The Maujahn or Maujahn Moor (also known colloquially in German as the ''Maujahnskuhle'') is a

kettle bog A kettle (also known as a kettle lake, kettle hole, or pothole) is a depression/hole in an outwash plain formed by retreating glaciers or draining floodwaters. The kettles are formed as a result of blocks of dead ice left behind by retreating gla ...

North Germany Northern Germany (german: link=no, Norddeutschland) is a linguistic, geographic, socio-cultural and historic region in the northern part of Germany which includes the coastal states of Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Lower Saxony an ...

which began as a

sinkhole A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are locally also known as ''vrtače'' and shakeholes, and to openi ...

. It is located a good two kilometres west of the town of Dannenberg between the villages of Thunpadel and Schmarsau in northeastern

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 ...

Location

The bog is located on the eastern border of the D28 Lüneburg Heath

natural region A natural region (landscape unit) is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography, geology, and climate. From the ecology, ecological point of view, the naturally occurring fl ...

, within the Lower Drawehn, the transition to the D29

Wendland The Wendland is a region in Germany on the borders of the present states of Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. Its heart is the Hanoverian Wendland in the county of Lüchow-Dannenberg in Lower Saxony. In 2 ...

and

Altmark :''See German tanker Altmark for the ship named after Altmark and Stary Targ for the Polish village named Altmark in German.'' The (English: Old MarchHansard, ''The Parliamentary Debates from the Year 1803 to the Present Time ...'', Volume 32. 1 F ...

natural region. Culturally, the Drawehn is usually associated with the

. The Maujahn Moor is protected from the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

macroclimate In viticulture, there are several levels of regional climates that are used to describe the ''terroir'' or immutable characteristics of an area. These levels can be as broad as a macroclimate which includes entire wine regions or as small as a mic ...

of Lower Saxony by the presence of the eastern slopes of the East Hanoverian end moraines (also known as the Göhrde-Drawehn Hills) formed during the

Saalian 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 the climate is therefore clearly sub-continental. The surface of the moor lies 25 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

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 ...

hillocks surrounding it reach heights of just above 50 metres. The most exposed point in the High Drawehn - is the

Hoher Mechtin At a height of (466 feet) the Hoher Mechtin is the highest elevation in the Wendland in the district of Lüchow-Dannenberg in northern Germany, and is at the same time a significant high point on the entire North German Plain. It lies roughly at ...

which climbs to 142 metres above sea level - is 10 kilometres away.

Description

This terrain hollow was formed about 7000 years ago as a result of the collapse of a

salt dome A salt dome is a type of structural dome formed when salt (or other evaporite minerals) intrudes into overlying rocks in a process known as diapirism. Salt domes can have unique surface and subsurface structures, and they can be discovered using ...

that was leached by underground groundwater action - exactly as happened to the

Bullenkuhle The Bullenkuhle is a predominantly marshy lake in the extreme north of the district of Gifhorn in the north German state of Lower Saxony. This strange biotope and geotope has been formed into a natural hollow in the terrain that is termed a sinkhol ...

in the district of Gifhorn. Thanks to

stratigraphic Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock layers (strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks. Stratigraphy has three related subfields: lithostrati ...

research of the bog carried out by Lesemann (1969), we know that, initially, a carr with a covering of peat moss developed on the valley bottom. About 500 years ago there was clearly another collapse which resulted in the creation of two larger

s. These dolines filled with water, the peat moss layer rose and covered the surface of the lake. Today this enclosed, floating layer of grass and peat has a thickness of between 2.5 and 4 metres and is capable of load-bearing. Underneath the eastern sinkhole is a body of water and mud up to 16 metres deep. Even above ground the terrain shows the characteristic relief of a sinkhole: the eastern bog hollow is semi-circular and surrounded by steep walls up to 15 metres high, covered with

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

and

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...

. The rounded, oval, more or less treeless surface of the bog in the eastern sinkhole covers about and is classified as a 'living', i.e. growing, mesotrophic transition moor (''Zwischenmoor'' or ''Übergangsmoor''). It has vegetation typical of a

raised bog Raised bogs, also called ombrotrophic bogs, are acidic, wet habitats that are poor in mineral salts and are home to flora and fauna that can cope with such extreme conditions. Raised bogs, unlike fens, are exclusively fed by precipitation ( ombro ...

however. In addition to various

peat moss ''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, peat moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store wa ...

es, certain types of

cottongrass ''Eriophorum'' (cottongrass, cotton-grass or cottonsedge) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cyperaceae, the sedge family. They are found throughout the arctic, subarctic, and temperate portions of the Northern Hemisphere in acid bog h ...

characterise its appearance, particularly ( Hare's-tail and

Common Cottongrass Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally com ...

); other typical species are the Common cranberry,

Bog-rosemary ''Andromeda polifolia'', common name bog-rosemary, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae, native to northern parts of the Northern Hemisphere. It is the only member of the genus ''Andromeda'', and is only found in bogs in ...

Cross-leaved heath ''Erica tetralix'', the cross-leaved heath, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae, native to western Europe, from southern Portugal to central Norway, as well as a number of boggy regions further from the coast in Central Europe ...

and

Common heather ''Calluna vulgaris'', common heather, ling, or simply heather, is the sole species in the genus ''Calluna'' in the flowering plant family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing evergreen shrub growing to tall, or rarely to and taller, and is found wide ...

, various

sedge The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' wit ...

White beak-sedge ''Rhynchospora alba'', the white beak-sedge, is a plant in the sedge family, Cyperaceae. It is a tufted herbaceous perennial around 50 cm tall, with white inflorescences that flower in August. The fruit of the sedge is a small achene with a ...

(''Rhynchospora alba'') and the rare Rannoch-rush (''Scheuchzeria palustris''). On the periphery is a strip of carr which is dominated by

Grey Willow Grey willow or gray willow may refer to: *''Salix atrocinerea'', a species of willow native to Europe commonly called grey willow *''Salix cinerea'', a species of willow native to Europe and western Asia, also occasionally called grey sallow *''Sal ...

and

Alder Buckthorn ''Frangula alnus'', commonly known as alder buckthorn, glossy buckthorn, or breaking buckthorn, is a tall deciduous shrub in the family Rhamnaceae. Unlike other "buckthorns", alder buckthorn does not have thorns. It is native to Europe, northern ...

bushes as well as

Downy Birch ''Betula pubescens'' (syn. ''Betula alba''), commonly known as downy birch and also as moor birch, white birch, European white birch or hairy birch, is a species of deciduous tree, native and abundant throughout northern Europe and northern Asia ...

. In places

Bog-bean ''Menyanthes'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Menyanthaceae containing the single species ''Menyanthes trifoliata''. The North American form is often referred to as ''M. trifoliata'' var. ''minor'' Michx. It is known ...

and Bog Arum may also be found in the undergrowth. The western part of this waterlogged terrain is more fen-like (''Niedermoor''), with reed beds and tall herbaceous vegetation as well as

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech-oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 30 ...

and

alder Alders are trees comprising the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus comprises about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few sp ...

trees. Information about the fauna of the region may be found in the book by Timm (1983). Unlike the normal situation with these transition moors, the raised centre of the moor body, currently only a few decimetres high, is thought to be at its climatic climax. Any further

succession Succession is the act or process of following in order or sequence. Governance and politics *Order of succession, in politics, the ascension to power by one ruler, official, or monarch after the death, resignation, or removal from office of ...

into a true

- with its surface bulging noticeably in the middle, from which the groundwater has fully retreated and which is only fed by rainwater, is not expected. This may be put down to its

orographic Orography is the study of the topographic relief of mountains, and can more broadly include hills, and any part of a region's elevated terrain. Orography (also known as ''oreography'', ''orology'' or ''oreology'') falls within the broader discipl ...

situation, particularly the kettle hole formation, as well as the very low annual precipitation in the area of well under 600 millimetres per year. This makes the region very different from the

and sub-Atlantic raised bogs of western and central Lower Saxony. No information is available about the derivation of the name ''Maujahn'', however it may have Slavic roots, like the

Drawehn The Drawehn is a partly wooded and partly agricultural region of hills in the northeastern part of the German state of Lower Saxony, lying between the districts of Lüneburg and Uelzen in the west and Lüchow-Dannenberg in the east. It is named af ...

Threats and conservation

Like the majority of the few still remaining raised and transition bogs in North Germany, the Maujahn is threatened by drainage and changes in nutrient levels. The quality of this valuable biotope is at risk because the surface of the moor dries out from time to time, causing a mineralisation of the

peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...

layer and encouraging the settlement of trees (downy birch, alder, pine, willow). This threatens to oust the highly specialised, moorland flora and fauna that only thrive in isolated spots. The reason for this intermittent loss of water is that there have been some particularly dry years (for example 2003: 435 mm/a in

Lüchow Lüchow (Wendland) () is a city in northeastern Lower Saxony, in Germany. It is the seat of the ''Samtgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") Lüchow (Wendland), and is the capital of the district Lüchow-Dannenberg. Situated approximately 13&nbs ...

) and the fact that drainage of the hollow southwest into Prissersche Bach valley by a ditch has not been fully prevented. Periodic clearance work by nature conservationists has enabled the invading trees to be removed from the surface of the bog. In addition the diffusion of nutrients from agriculture in the area (''Abdrift'') and atmospheric pollution (i.e. the deposition and mobilisation of nitrogen), particularly in central Europe, is a problem. This leads to the unnatural fertilisation of the

oligotrophic An oligotroph is an organism that can live in an environment that offers very low levels of nutrients. They may be contrasted with copiotrophs, which prefer nutritionally rich environments. Oligotrophs are characterized by slow growth, low rates of ...

to mesotrophic moor and alters the mix of plant communities. * Visitors should note that the moor is out of bounds due to its sensitive

quaking bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; ...

surface. Its vegetation is very sensitive to being trodden on; in addition there is a danger of falling through the surface in places. Due to its regional landscape uniqueness as a

biotope A biotope is an area of uniform environmental conditions providing a living place for a specific assemblage of plants and animals. ''Biotope'' is almost synonymous with the term "habitat", which is more commonly used in English-speaking countrie ...

and

geotope A geotope is the geological component of the abiotic matrix present in an ecotope. Example geotopes might be an exposed outcrop of rocks, an erratic boulder, a grotto or ravine, a cave, an old stone wall marking a property boundary, and so forth. ...

and its importance as a habitat for numerous rare, plants and animals, the Maujahn has been declared a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

(area: ). The area was also designated by the EU Commission in Brüssel as a

Special Area of Conservation A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...

as part of the European conservation project

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectively ...

The legend of Maujahn

Unsurprisingly, there are also legends about how the Maujahn was formed. These stories have been passed down the generations in various forms. This version was told by Miss Ungewitter, a teacher at Dannenberg Primary School (around 1970). {{blockquote, Not far from the village of Thunpadel is a hollow in the ground, called Maujahn. Legend has it that at this spot there was once a high hill on which a castle stood, and in which there lived a knight of the heath with many armed servants. He was feared far and wide for his robberies. From the heights of his castle he could survey the roads round about from above. Many merchants were robbed and dragged off into the castle. They only regained their freedom in return for a high ransom. One day the heath knight appeared before Count Adalbert on the moor. The count was shocked, but received him in friendly fashion. Great was his dismay, however, when the knight asked him for the hand of his daughter, the beautiful Agnes. Fearing revenge, Count Adalbert assented. The wedding was fixed for Midsummer's Day. How disconsolate was the lovely Agnes! Day and night she prayed to God, to prevent her becoming the wife of the robber baron. She promised in return to build a monastery. The nearer the day of the wedding came, the heavier was her heart. On Midsummer's Day the bride was with her family in the church at Dannenberg awaiting the groom, the heath knight. But that morning the knight had seen a train of wares coming along the road and wanted to seize it and bring it to the castle. His chief adviser urged him not to do this on his wedding day. He rejected the advice with the words: "Beautiful Agnes can wait, the little dove won't fly away!" When he was underway, a heavy storm arose, so that one of his servants begged him to turn back. With the words: "Now may your god be merciful" he slew him with his sword. At once there was a brilliant flash of lightning and a loud thunderclap! Everyone lay prostrate as if they were dead. When the servants came to their senses again, the heath knight had disappeared. They hurried to the castle. But that had gone too. On the site of the castle, before which they stood, was a deep hole. God had punished the ungodly heath knight. When news of the demise of the knight reached the church, everyone was joyful, especially the beautiful Agnes. She did as she had promised God and had the Abbey of St. George built near Dannenberg. Right across the land, the people were glad that the heath knight was dead. Out of gratitude they built a large stone with the inscription: "Do not sin, you people; God will not be mocked."

Sources

* B. Lesemann: ''Pollenanalytische Untersuchungen zur Vegetationsgeschichte of the Hannoverschen Wendlandes''. Flora (Abt. B), Morph. Geobot., 1969, 158: 480-518 * T. Timm: ''Faunistische Charakterisierung and Bewertung of the subkontinentalen Maujahn Moores in NE-Lower Saxony''. Abh. naturwiss. Ver., Hamburg 1983, (NF) 25: 169-186 * R. Tüxen: ''The Maujahn''. Veröff. Geobot. Inst., Zürich 1962, 37: 267-301 Bogs of Lower Saxony Special Areas of Conservation in Germany Nature reserves in Lower Saxony Lüchow-Dannenberg Regions of Lower Saxony