Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
that flows through part of the
Lüneburg Heath
Lüneburg Heath (, ) is a large area of heath (habitat), 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 and is ...
The Meiße rises south of Wietzendorf in the nature reserve of
Großes Moor (near Becklingen)
The Großes Moor near Becklingen () is a nature reserve in Germany with an area of , of which lie in Celle district and in Soltau-Fallingbostel district. Since 16 December 1985 the area has been protected under conservation law. An area of is ...
. Originally the upper course of the upper Wietze (Örtze) was the headstream of the Meiße before the Großes Moor diverted the Wietze into the River Örtze at a point south of the sharp bend in the river near Wietzendorf as a result of
headward erosion
Headward erosion is erosion at the origin of a stream channel, which causes the origin to move back away from the direction of the stream flow, lengthening the stream channel.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Ed, Stephen Marshak It can also refer t ...
. The Meiße flows through the villages of
Bleckmar
Bleckmar is a village administered by the Lower Saxon town of Bergen in the northern part of Celle district on the Lüneburg Heath in North Germany. It lies about north of Bergen on the B 3 federal road and has 464 inhabitants (2019). It is adm ...
, Hasselhorst (in the
unincorporated area
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
Bergen-Hohne Training Area
The Bergen-Hohne Training Area (German: ''NATO-Truppenübungsplatz Bergen'' or ''Schießplatz Bergen-Hohne'') is a NATO military training area in the southern part of the Lüneburg Heath, in the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. It c ...
), Belsen, Hörsten, Gudehausen and Hartmannshausen (all three also belonging to Lohheide), as well as
Meißendorf
Meißendorf is a village and ''Ortschaft'' (municipal division) of the municipality of Winsen an der Aller in the Lower Saxon district of Celle in northern Germany.Hodenhagen after about .
Its left-hand tributary streams are the ''Berger Bach'', which flows through the town of
Bergen
Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo.
By May 20 ...
and joins the Meiße near Belsen, and the small ''Geltteichsgraben'' and ''Bruchbach'', which originate in the
British Royal Family
The British royal family comprises Charles III and other members of his family. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is considere ...
in the past.
The ''Meierbach'', which emerges in the
Bergen-Hohne Training Area
The Bergen-Hohne Training Area (German: ''NATO-Truppenübungsplatz Bergen'' or ''Schießplatz Bergen-Hohne'') is a NATO military training area in the southern part of the Lüneburg Heath, in the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. It c ...
, flows through the Meiersee and discharges into the Meiße shortly before Hodenhagen. The ''Hohe Bach'' also starts in the military training area, flows past the '' Sieben Steinhäuser'' and also joins the Meiße shortly before Hodenhagen. Before the Meiße reaches the Aller it branches again into the ''Hudemühlener Meiße''.
Near the
Autobahn
The (; German , ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'.
Much of t ...
services of ''Ostenholzer Moor'' (A7, E 45), a
canal
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...
known as the ''Esseler Kanal'' crosses the Meiße. This is made up of the ''Nordkanal'' and ''Südkanal'', each of which drains the
Ostenholz Moor
Ostenholz Moor (German: ''Ostenholzer Moor'') is a raised bog on the Lüneburg Heath in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is named after the village of Ostenholz and is not far from Meißendorf. The bog is almost entirely within the Bergen-H ...
. The Meiße mainly has water quality of Class II i.e. only moderately polluted.
History
As early as 1881 work began on the Sunder Estate (''Gut Sunder'') to deepen and impound the Meiße in order to create ponds for fish-farming. Over the course of time, fish ponds were established over an area of . Today these form part of the
Meißendorf Lakes and Bannetze Moor
The Meißendorf Lakes and Bannetze Moor () are a nature reserve and bird reserve of national importance on the edge of the Lüneburg Heath in the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany.
The special importance of this nature reserve is underli ...
nature reserve. Until the 1970s there was also a
watermill
A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as mill (grinding), milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in ...
and
sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...
here.History of fish-farming on the Sunder Estate /ref> In the surrounding area ponds were created covering a further 250 hectares. Near Gudehausen (in the unincorporated area of Lohheide) the ''Herrengraben'' ditch was dug which supplied many of the ponds with water.
In 1998 Celle district began to renaturalise parts of the Meiße again. To the northwest of Sunder Manor House the old course of the Meiße has been largely re-established.
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
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
*Purrmühlenbach
R
S
T
*Tiefenbeek
*Trillkebach
*Trutenbeek
*Twiste (Oste), Twiste
U
*Uffe ...