A ''Ländchen'' (literally "little land" or "little country") is the German name given to several

Ice Age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

x in the

Havelland Geographically, the Havelland () is the region around which the River Havel flows in a U-shape between Oranienburg to the northeast and Rhinow to the northwest. The northern boundary of the Havelland is formed by the River Rhin and the Rhin Cana ...

region, which climb to over 70 metres above the formerly marshy ''

urstromtal An ''urstromtal'' (plural: ''Urstromtäler'') is a type of broad glacial valley, for example, in northern Central Europe, that appeared during the ice ages, or individual glacial periods of an ice age, at the edge of the Scandinavian ice sheet and ...

'' levels (old glacial meltwater valleys) of the Havelland Luch and the

Rhinluch The Rhinluch is a fen landscape in the German state of Brandenburg, bisected by the river Rhin to which it owes its name. This wetland region lies north of Fehrbellin in the county of Ostprignitz-Ruppin. The upper Rhinluch covers an area of abou ...

. The difference between these ''Ländchen'' and the surrounding countryside is even more marked because of the different land uses to which they are put. Extensive pastures in the lowlands contrast with the arable fields and woods on the low hills. Geologically they are largely complete formations of

ground moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice she ...

from the

Saale The Saale (), also known as the Saxon Saale ( ) and Thuringian Saale (), is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Fränkische Saale, Franconian Saale, a right-bank tributary of the M ...

and Weichselian glaciations that, in places, are covered by gently rolling

end moraine A terminal moraine, also called an end moraine, is a type of moraine that forms at the terminal (edge) of a glacier, marking its maximum advance. At this point, debris that has accumulated by plucking and abrasion, has been pushed by the front e ...

s. Their names are: *

Ländchen Bellin The Ländchen was a region east of Wiesbaden, Germany that comprised ten villages: Breckenheim, Delkenheim, Diedenbergen, Igstadt, Langenhain, Massenheim, Medenbach, Nordenstadt, Wallau, and Wildsachsen, plus Domäne Mechtildshausen. Ländchen wa ...

near

Fehrbellin Fehrbellin () is a municipality in Germany, located 60 km NW of Berlin. It had 9,310 inhabitants as of 2005, but has since declined to 8,606 inhabitants in 2012. History In 1675, the Battle of Fehrbellin was fought there, in which the troop ...

Ländchen Friesack ''Ländchen Friesack'' is a small ridge, up to 77 metres above sea level (NN). It is situated in Brandenburg, northwest of Germany's capital city, Berlin and southwest of the town of Friesack. The '' Ländchen'' (German for "small land" or "littl ...

near

Friesack Friesack (; also Friesack/Mark) is a town in the Havelland district, in Brandenburg, in north-eastern Germany. It is situated northeast of Rathenow, and southwest of Neuruppin. It is known for its Mesolithic archaeological site. History Durin ...

* Ländchen Glien near Paaren im Glien north of

Falkensee Falkensee is a town in the Havelland district, Brandenburg, Germany. It is the most populated municipality of its district and it is situated at the western border of Berlin. History The commune Falkensee was formed in 1923 by the merger of Falk ...

* Ländchen Rhinow near

Rhinow Rhinow () is a town in the Havelland (district), Havelland district (Landkreis), in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated 16 km north of Rathenow, and 22 km south of Kyritz. Rhinow is the administrative seat (Verwaltungssitz) of the Rhinow ...

near the confluence of the

Rhin The Rhin is a long river in Brandenburg, Germany, right tributary to the river Havel. It flows through the city Neuruppin and several lakes. A few kilometres downstream from Rhinow it flows into the Havel, about upstream from where the Have ...

and the

Havel The Havel () is a river in northeastern Germany, flowing through the States of Germany, states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Berlin and Saxony-Anhalt. The long Havel is a right tributary of the Elbe. However, the direct distance from ...

* Land Schollene between Havel and the Elbe valley, west of

Rathenow Rathenow () is a town in the district of Havelland (district), Havelland in Brandenburg, in eastern Germany, with a population of 24,063 (2020). Overview The Protestant church of St. Marien Andreas, originally a basilica, and transformed to the Go ...

* Ribbeck Heath, part of the

Nauen Plateau The Nauen Plateau () is a low plateau in the German states of Brandenburg and Berlin. It rises above the surrounding countryside by an average of and is a largely contiguous upland area that was formed during the Saale glaciation, Saale and Weichs ...

* Zootzen north of Friesack, scarcely higher than the '' Luche''

Sources

Topographic map, 1:100,000 series, Sheets C 3538 ''Brandenburg an der Havel'' and C 3542 ''Berlin West'', both fro
LGB Brandenburg
{{DEFAULTSORT:Landchen Geography of Brandenburg Regions of Brandenburg Havelland Landforms of Germany