The Pietzmoor (literally "Pietz Bog") is a bog southeast of the town of

Schneverdingen Schneverdingen (; Lower Saxon language, Low Saxon ''Snevern'') is a city in the northern part of the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the area known as Lüneburg Heath. Geography Location Schneverdingen is situate ...

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 ...

Geography

The Pietzmoor is the largest contiguous area of bog on the

Lüneburg Heath Lüneburg Heath (german: Lüneburger Heide) is a large area of heath, geest, and woodland in the northeastern part of the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. It forms part of the hinterland for the cities of Hamburg, Hanover and Bremen a ...

. The

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; a ...

lies southeast of the town of

and is bordered to the south by the village of Heber. The Pietzmoor has an average

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 ...

depth of 4 m, its maximum thickness is 7.5 m. The bog is the source of the rivers Böhme and

Veerse Veerse is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany. It flows into the Wümme near Scheeßel. See also *List of rivers of Lower Saxony All rivers in the German state of Lower Saxony flow directly or indirectly into the North Sea. A–Z A B D E F ...

History

The bog is named after the little village of Pietz. For centuries the bog provided the inhabitants of the surrounding villages with peat for fuel. Today the Pietzmoor is a tourist destination in the

Lüneburg Heath Nature Reserve The Lüneburg Heath Nature Reserve (German: ''Naturschutzgebiet Lüneburger Heide'') is one of the oldest and largest nature reserves ('' Naturschutzgebiete'' or ''NSG''s) in Germany, and the oldest and largest in Lower Saxony. It was first establ ...

with an area of 2.5 km². Two board walks, 4.8 km and 6.6 km long, run right through the marshy terrain.

External links

Pietzmoor at schneverdingen-touristik.de
Lüneburg Heath Bogs of Lower Saxony BPietzmoor Heidekreis {{SoltauFallingbostel-geo-stub