The Abelitz (''-litz'' = ''Leide'' = channel) is a river of

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 ...

, in

East Frisia East Frisia () or East Friesland (; ; ; ) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisia (peninsula), East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia and to the ...

. It is about long and flows from

Marienhafe Marienhafe is a municipality in the district of Aurich, in Lower Saxony, 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 Alp ...

to its mouth on the ''Alte

Greetsiel Greetsiel is a small seaport, port on the bight of Leybucht in western East Frisia, Germany, that was first documented in letters from the year 1388. Since 1972, Greetsiel has been part of the municipality of Krummhörn, which has its administrati ...

er Sieltief''. This type of river that drains the low-lying

polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrology, hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as levee, dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclamation, Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a ...

s through a sluice in the sea dyke is also known locally as a ''Tief'' and is often the course of an old creek between mudflats. The Abelitz passes through

Südbrookmerland Südbrookmerland is a municipality in the Aurich (district), district of Aurich, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 7 km west of Aurich. Its seat is in the village Victorbur. Subdivisions Südbrookmerland is divided into ...

, where it flows past the village of the same name, , and the

Krummhörn Krummhörn is a municipality in the Aurich (district), district of Aurich, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the Ems (river), Ems estuary, approximately 15 km southwest of Norden, Lower Saxony, Norden, and 10 km northwest of ...

. It is long, up to wide, up to deep and navigable by boats with a draught of and maximum speed of . The banks of the Abelitz are often near-natural and covered in

reed beds A reedbed or reed bed is a natural habitat found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions and estuaries. Reedbeds are part of a succession from young reeds colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground. As ...

. There are several parallel channels (''Nebenläufe'') that enclose small islands or run through

wetlands A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

. The river is very rich in fish and is well known as an angling area. The bird life on and near the Abelitz is very diverse. During the breeding season riverside walkers and anglers are expected to conduct themselves considerately. The Abelitz is linked to Moordorf by the Abelitz-Moordorf Canal.

References

External links

Rivers of Lower Saxony Geography of East Frisia Rivers of Germany {{LowerSaxony-river-stub

See also

References

External links