The Elbe marshes () are an extensive region of

marsh In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...

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 ...

land along the lower and middle reaches of the

River Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...

in northern Germany. It is also referred to as the Lower Elbe Marsch by Dickinson and is region D24 in the BfN's list of the

natural regions of Germany This division of Germany into major natural regions takes account primarily of geomorphological, geological, hydrological, and pedological criteria in order to divide the country into large, physical units with a common geographical basis. Politic ...

. The Germans refer to these polders as ''Marschen'' (singular: ''Marsch''). Originally this flat strip of land along the Elbe was completely tidal. But following the construction of the barrage near

Geesthacht Geesthacht () is the largest city in the Lauenburg (district), District of the Duchy of Lauenburg (Herzogtum Lauenburg) in Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany, south-east of Hamburg on the right bank of the Elbe, River Elbe. History A church ...

, the Elbe is no longer affected by the tide above that point. The part of the Elbe remaining tidal is called the

Unterelbe The Unterelbe () or, in English usually the Lower Elbe, refers to the lower reaches of the river Elbe in Germany influenced by the tides. It starts at kilometre 586, at the sluice of Geesthacht, where the Elbe forms the border between Lower ...

(Low Elbe). As a result of regular land reclamation with the help of Dutch settlers (a process known in German as ''Hollerkolonisation'') large areas of the previously flood-prone Elbe marshes were diked and reclaimed for the purposes of cultivation. The Elbe marshes are very fertile and dominated by large areas of grassland. In addition to cattle rearing, especially of dairy herds, they are also used for arable farming.

Dithmarschen Dithmarschen (, ; archaic English: ''Ditmarsh''; ; ) is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Nordfriesland, Schleswig-Flensburg, Rendsburg-Eckernförde, and Steinburg, by the ...

is especially well known for its cabbages, the Altes Land is one of the largest fruit growing regions of central Europe, the Vierlande and Marschlande near Hamburg belong to the most important areas for growing vegetables and flowers. The Kehdinger Land and the Lüneburg Elbe marshes are home to numerous stud farms. For over 200 years the successful Hanoverian horses have been bred here. In the 1990s there were national reports from the Elbe marshes that there had been a higher incidence of

leukaemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

in the area around the GKSS Research Centre and the Krümmel nuclear power station. However, no direct link has been proven between the levels of illness and the nuclear facilities.

Holstein Elbe marshes

The Holstein Elbe marshes lie in southern

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...

along the Lower Elbe. They are intensively farmed. Many commuters who work in Hamburg also live in the area. The land is flat and lies barely one metre above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

. In the vicinity of Neuendorf near Wilster is the lowest point in Germany. As a result, the countryside here is also at risk from storm floods and is protected by dikes along the Elbe. The Elbe marshes here are made up (from north to south) of the Wilster Marsh between the

Kiel Canal The Kiel Canal (, until 1948 called in German the ) is a fresh water canal that links the North Sea () to the Baltic Sea (). It runs through the Germany, German states of Germany, state of Schleswig-Holstein, from Brunsbüttel to the Holtenau di ...

and

Stör The Stör () is a river in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, right tributary of the Elbe. Its total length is . The Stör rises east of Neumünster, and flows west through Neumünster, Kellinghusen, and Itzehoe. The Stör joins the Elbe near Glücksta ...

, the Kremper Marsh, between Stör and Krückau, the Seestermühe Marsh between Krückau and Pinnau and the Haseldorf Marsh between Pinnau and the edge of the

geest Geest (, , ) is a type of landform, slightly raised above the surrounding countryside, that occurs on the plains of Northern Germany, the Northern Netherlands and Denmark. It is a landscape of sandy and gravelly soils formed as a glacial outw ...

area near

Wedel Wedel () is a town in the Pinneberg (district), district of Pinneberg, in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Elbe, approximately south of Elmshorn, and west of Hamburg. History Foundation and Mi ...

Lower Saxon Elbe marshes

The Lower Saxon Elbe marshes begin at Land Hadeln and Kehdingen and stretch east of

Stade Stade (; ), officially the Hanseatic City of Stade (, ) is a city in Lower Saxony in northern Germany. First mentioned in records in 934, it is the seat of the Stade (district), district () which bears its name. It is located roughly to the wes ...

through the Altes Land as far as the city limits of Hamburg in Cranz. Running up the Elbe from Hamburg they follow the Winsen and Lüneburg Elbe marshes ( Elbmarsch).

References

Literature

*Hans-Eckhard Dannenberg & Norbert Fischer & Franklin Kopitzsch (Hrsg.): Land am Fluss. Beiträge zur Regionalgeschichte der Niederelbe. Stade 2003 *Michael Ehrhardt: "Ein guldten Bandt des Landes". Zur Geschichte der Deiche im Alten Land. Stade 2003 *Norbert Fischer: Wassersnot und Marschengesellschaft - Zur Geschichte der Deiche in Kehdingen. Stade 2003 *Norbert Fischer: Im Antlitz der Nordsee - Zur Geschichte der Deiche in Hadeln. Stade 2007

External links

Report by Deutsche Welle
{{Authority control Natural regions of Germany Regions of Schleswig-Holstein Regions of Lower Saxony Marshes of Germany Landforms of Schleswig-Holstein Landforms of Lower Saxony North German Plain

Holstein Elbe marshes

Lower Saxon Elbe marshes

See also

References

Literature

External links