The Heide-Itzehoe Geest (german: Heide-Itzehoe Geest) is a division of a larger natural region in the west of the German state of

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sc ...

. It belongs to the Hohe Geest and thus to the Schleswig-Holstein Geest natural region. It covers an area of 1,182 square kilometres.''Heide-Itzehoer Geest''
at bfn.de. Retrieved 31 January 2023. The Heide-Itzehoe Geest was pushed up during the

Saale glaciation The Saale glaciation or Saale Glaciation, sometimes referred to as the Saalian glaciation, Saale cold period (german: Saale-Kaltzeit), Saale complex (''Saale-Komplex'') or Saale glacial stage (''Saale-Glazial'', colloquially also the ''Saale-Eiszei ...

and so belongs to the geologically oldest areas in the state. The region lies south of the

Eider-Treene Depression The Eider-Treene Depression (german: Eider-Treene-Niederung; da, Ejder-Trene-Sænkningen) is a landscape in west Schleswig-Holstein in North Germany. It covers around the rivers Eider, Treene and Sorge. The Eider-Treene Depression is the larg ...

, east of the Dithmarsch and Wilster marshes, north of the Elbe marshes and west of the Vorgeest. It is clearly demarcated, particularly in the west, for long stretches along the old coastline, recognisable by its prominent

cliff In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on ...

s (''Kleve''). The southernmost part is the

Münsterdorf Geest Island Münsterdorf is a municipality in the district of Steinburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. References Steinburg {{Steinburg-geo-stub ...

south of the river

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 Glückst ...

and north of the

Krempe Marsh The Krempe Marsh (german: Kremper Marsch or ''Krempermarsch'') is one of the Holstein Elbe marshes and lies northeast of the River Elbe between its tributaries of the Krückau and Stör and the edge of the geest. The main settlement in the Krem ...

. The geest lies mainly in the present-day districts of

Dithmarschen Dithmarschen (, Low Saxon: ; archaic English: ''Ditmarsh''; da, Ditmarsken; la, label=Medieval Latin, Tedmarsgo) is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Nordfriesland, Schle ...

and

Steinburg Steinburg () is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, administered from Itzehoe. It is bounded by (from the west and clockwise) the districts of Dithmarschen, Rendsburg-Eckernförde, Segeberg and Pinneberg, and by the Elbe River (and the d ...

. It is bisected by the

Kiel Canal The Kiel Canal (german: Nord-Ostsee-Kanal, literally "North- oEast alticSea canal", formerly known as the ) is a long freshwater canal in the Germany, German states of Germany, state of Schleswig-Holstein. The canal was finished in 1895, ...

which uses a valley between the Dithmarsch Geest in the north and the Hohenwestedt Geest in the south. For an

old moraine Old and Young Drift are geographic names given to the morainic landscapes that were formed in Central Europe; the Old Drift during the older ice ages and the Young Drift during the latest glaciations – the Weichselian in North Germany and t ...

landscape the Heide-Itzehoe has relatively large height differences. At just under 80 metres above

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

the highest elevations on the west coast of the state are found on the Heide-Itzehoe Geest. The soils are very unsuitable for agriculture (with an 'arable value' of between 26 and 35 on a scale of 100).

References

External links

Landscape fact file
by the

Bundesamt für Naturschutz The German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (german: Bundesamt für Naturschutz, ''BfN'') is the German government's scientific authority with responsibility for national and international nature conservation. BfN is one of the government' ...

Detailed description by the Schleswig-Holstein Environment Ministry (German)
{{coord missing, Schleswig-Holstein Natural regions of Germany Regions of Schleswig-Holstein Geest Dithmarschen Steinburg