The term ''Luch'' (plural: ''Luche'') is German and refers to an area of originally expansive,

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 ...

y or

bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and musk ...

gy lowland in northeast

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 ...

, especially in the state of

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

. ''Luche'' are found mainly in

Young Drift 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 ...

regions; but they also occur on

Old Drift 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 ...

landscapes. According to Leser the term should not be translated.

Location and history

''Luche'' mainly formed in the main

urstromtal An ''urstromtal'' (plural: ''Urstromtäler'') is a type of broad glacial valley, for example, in northern Central Europe, that appeared during the ice ages, or individual glacial periods of an ice age, at the edge of the Scandinavian ice sheet and ...

valleys or their side valleys. After the end of the

Ice Age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...

, the water table rose during the

postglacial The Holocene () is the current geologic time scale, geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago. It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene to ...

period resulting in the formation of

s. The

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 ...

thickness is not particularly great; in most cases it is less than 2 metres thick. Before the installation of artificial drainage networks excess water often accumulated in the ''Luche'' in ponds. In contrast with lowlands with natural watercourses, they were give a different name from the neighbouring ''Bruche'' ( carrs), such as the

Oderbruch The Oderbruch () is a landscape located at the Oder river in eastern Germany on the Polish border, with a small part also in Poland. It extends from the towns Oderberg and Bad Freienwalde in the north to Lebus in the south, in the county of Märkisc ...

to the east and the Hohennauen Bruch on the Havel to the west. Most of the ''Luche'' in Brandenburg have since been drained by man and have thus become more culturally-associated rather than biospherically outstanding. After alteration of the land, they were commonly used as

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

for grazing. Archaeologists like Klaus Goldmann believe that some of this reclamation began during the Slavic period, but that this was reversed by a worsening of the drainage conditions as a result of the construction of

mill dam A mill dam (International English) or milldam (US) is a dam constructed on a waterway to create a mill pond. Water passing through a dam's spillway is used to turn a water wheel and provide energy to the many varieties of watermill. By raising t ...

s on the Havel. There are many ''Luche'' in Brandenburg; the largest are however beyond its state borders. Even several placenames are derived from the term ''Luch''. Examples are

Luckenwalde Luckenwalde (; Upper Sorbian language, Upper and , , ) is the capital of the Teltow-Fläming district in the state of Brandenburg in eastern Germany. It is situated on the Nuthe river north of the Fläming Heath, at the eastern rim of the Nuthe-Ni ...

and Doberlug. If the generic term ''Luch'' is used, it usually refers to the regions of the Havelland Luch or Rhinluch.

Examples

Havellaendisches-Luch-Kranichrastplatz-08-XI-2007-004

– Most of these ''Luche'' are parts of larger ''Luche'' as shown in the list – * Golmer Luch *

Havelland Luch The Havelland Luch () is a lowland area inside a bend of the River Havel west of Berlin, and forms the heart of the Havelland region. Location The ''luch (landform), luch'', a former marshland, lies in a basin that is part of the Berlin ''ur ...

Rhinluch The Rhinluch is a fen landscape in the German state of Brandenburg, bisected by the river Rhin to which it owes its name. This wetland region lies north of Fehrbellin in the county of Ostprignitz-Ruppin. The upper Rhinluch covers an area of abou ...

Kremmener Luch The Kremmener Luch is a shallow fen, known locally as a '' luch'', between the Glien plateau (near Berlin) in the south, and the Beetzer Heath in the north. Overview The western Rhin flows through the Kremmener Luch, where it is called the Kre ...

** Wustrauer Luch *

Rotes Luch Rotes Luch (literally "Red Glade") is a reclaimed (i.e. drained) fen area, known locally as a ''luch (landform), luch'', and extends to a width of about over a length of approximately from southwest to northeast. It is located in the southwester ...

* Langes Luch * Luchwiesen * Alt Zaucher Luch

References

{{coord missing, Brandenburg Glacial landforms Landforms of Brandenburg Bogs of Germany