The Anklamer Torfmoor, also called the Anklamer Stadtbruch od ''Städtisches Torfmoor'', is an extensive area of bog on the western shore of the Stettin Lagoon. Much of the area is part of the Anklamer Stadtbruch Nature Reserve. A

storm surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the ...

on 4 November 1995 caused the dyke to break and the Anklamer Stadtbruch was subsequently permanently flooded, resulting in the formation of the Anklamer Torfmoor, which was opposed by the local inhabitants who were affected. Those responsible at the time decided not to repair the embankments and not to pump out the water. Since then its use for forestry has been limited and trees are dying off. In the past there were several attempts to drain the bog in order to extract

peat Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...

. Thanks to the old farm tracks that lead into the area, almost all of it may be visited and explored. The bog lies within the borough of

Anklam Anklam (), formerly known as Tanglim and Wendenburg, is a town in the Western Pomerania region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in north-eastern Germany. It is situated on the banks of the Peene river, just 8 km from its mouth in the , the western ...

. The surrounding municipalities are Bargischow,

Bugewitz Bugewitz () is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in north-eastern Germany. It is the least densely populated municipality in what was East Germany, and the fifth-least densely populated in all of Germ ...

and

Leopoldshagen Leopoldshagen is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Geography Immediately northwest of Leopoldshagen begins the Anklamer Torfmoor, a protected wetland which runs along the western shore of the ...

. In 2020, journalist Andrew Müller in the ''

taz Taz or TAZ may refer to: Geography *Taz (river), a river in western Siberia, Russia *Taz Estuary, the estuary of the river Taz in Russia People * Taz people, an ethnic group in Russia ** Taz language, a form of Northeastern Mandarin spoken by ...

'' mentioned the 1995 dyke breach and its impact as an "unplanned" example of so-called 'passive rewilding', a form of

rewilding Rewilding is a form of ecological restoration aimed at increasing biodiversity and restoring natural processes. It differs from other forms of ecological restoration in that rewilding aspires to reduce human influence on ecosystems. It is also d ...

concept.

References

External links

''Anklamer Stadtbruch''
at web.archive.org. Retrieved 7 Apr 2017.
''Rückdeichung - Wo Salz dem Naturschutz dient.''
In: spektrum.de dated 8 February 2016 {{Coord, 53, 48, 45, N, 13, 51, 25, E, type:waterbody_region:DE-MV, display=title Bogs of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Vorpommern-Greifswald