Ueckermünde Heath (german: Ueckermünder Heide, pl, Puszcza Wkrzańska) is a large area of

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

and

heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler ...

, 1,000 km² in area, in northeastern

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 ...

and northwestern Poland, on the

Oder The Oder ( , ; Czech, Lower Sorbian and ; ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river in total length and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows thr ...

river and the

Szczecin Lagoon Szczecin Lagoon ( pl, Zalew Szczeciński, german: Stettiner Haff, since 1945 sometimes also ''Oderhaff'' (Oder lagoon) or ''Pommersches Haff'' (Pomeranian lagoon)) is a lagoon in the Oder estuary, shared by Germany and Poland. It is separated f ...

. In 1945, the eastern part went to

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

and is now called the ''Puszcza Wkrzańska''. Świdwie Lake near

Tanowo Tanowo (german: Falkenwalde) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Police, within Police County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland, close to the German border. It lies approximately west of Police and north- ...

is the site of 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 ...

and

Ramsar Ramsar may refer to: * Places so named: ** Ramsar, Mazandaran, city in Iran ** Ramsar, Rajasthan, village in India * Eponyms of the Iranian city: ** Ramsar Convention concerning wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran ** Ramsar site, wetland listed in ...

site.

Geography

The region is about 1000 km² large. In the north it borders to the

and in the east on the

. In the west the lowland of the ''Friedländer Großen Wiese'' forms the border and in the south the line Stettin-Pasewalk forms it. The Ueckermünde Heath is a lowland area, where only a few points reach heights above the 20 metre above sea level (except for: Dachsberge south of Hintersee with 48 metres). The forest area is crossed by the rivers

Uecker The Uecker () or Ucker is a river in the northeastern German states of Brandenburg, where it is known as the ''Ucker'', and of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Its source lies in the Uckermark district, one kilometer north of Ringenwalde. It flows no ...

Randow Randow (Polish ''Rędowa''Lech Leciejewicz: Słowianie zachodni : z dziejów tworzenia się średniowiecznej Europy. Wrocław: Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich, 1989, p. 58. ) is a river in the Uckermark region of Brandenburg and the Vorpommern ...

and

Zarow The Zarow is a lowland river in Western Pomerania in the east of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany. Description The lower course of the river, also known topographically as Zarow, is formed from two ditches, the Landgraben and t ...

. There are also numerous protected moors, especially in the border area with

. The swamps were also the reason why the

was colonised relatively late. In the 17th century it was mainly colonists who set up charcoal burners and glassworks. The frequent occurrence of

bog iron Bog iron is a form of impure iron deposit that develops in bogs or swamps by the chemical or biochemical oxidation of iron carried in solution. In general, bog ores consist primarily of iron oxyhydroxides, commonly goethite (FeO(OH)). Iron-bea ...

was the basis for the metal processing plants, primarily in

Torgelow Torgelow () is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in north-eastern Germany. It is situated on the river Uecker, 12 km south of Ueckermünde, and 41 km northwest of Szczecin, Poland ...

. In the middle of the area there is a military training area of about 50 km², which is used by the Bundeswehr (barracks in Torgelow and

Eggesin Eggesin (; csb, Chëczëno) is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated on the river Uecker, 7 km southeast of Ueckermünde, and 42 km northwest of Szczecin. Transp ...

). Today, the Ueckermünde Heath is important for forestry, but also increasingly for tourism. In addition, there is a diverse flora and fauna. Since 2015 there has also been a pack of

wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; plural, : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been reco ...

and their offspring living in the Ueckermünde Heath.Nordkurier: Wölfe in der Ueckermünder Heide haben Nachwuchs
/ref> Cranes, screaming eagles and white-tailed eagles breed in the forests and moors. *Places in Germany: **

Ahlbeck Ahlbeck is a village (''Ortsteil'') of the Heringsdorf, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Heringsdorf municipality on the island of Usedom on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast. It is the easternmost of the so-called ''Kaiserbäder'' ("Imperial Spas") seaside re ...

** Jatznick **

Ueckermünde Ueckermünde () is a seaport town in northeast Germany, located in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, Western Pomerania, near Germany's border with Poland's Police County. Ueckermünde has a long and varied history, going back to its foundin ...

Viereck Viereck is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Eur ...

*Places in

: **

Police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

Nowe Warpno Nowe Warpno (; formerly german: Neuwarp) is a historic town in northwestern Poland, within Police County in West Pomeranian Voivodeship. It lies on the shore of the Szczecin Lagoon, at the border with Germany. It is the seat of the urban-rural ad ...

Szczecin Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major s ...

Trzebież Trzebież (formerly german: Ziegenort) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Police, within Police County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland, close to the German border. It lies approximately north of Police an ...

External links

*
Landschaftssteckbrief des Bundesamtes für Naturschutz
Forests of Poland Forests and woodlands of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania {{WestPomeranian-geo-stub