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

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found a ...

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 muskeg; a ...

gy lowland in northeast

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

, especially in the state of

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 square ...

. ''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 th ...

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 t ...

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 gre ...

, the water table rose during the

postglacial The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene together ...

period resulting in the formation of

s. The

peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...

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 ( pl, Kotlina Freienwaldzka) 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 ...

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 become cultural landscapes. After

land improvement Land development is the alteration of landscape in any number of ways such as: * Changing landforms from a natural or semi-natural state for a purpose such as agriculture or housing * Subdividing real estate into lots, typically for the purpose o ...

, they were commonly used as

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

. 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 Mill Dam is a wetland in western Shapinsay, in Orkney, Scotland. This water body was not shown on the 1840 survey map of the island, since it is a man-made creation from a damming in the 1880s.G.T, Masters, ''Orkney, Approaches to Kirkwall'', HMS ...

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 and dsb, Łukowc) is the capital of the Teltow-Fläming district in the German state of Brandenburg. It is situated on the Nuthe river north of the Fläming Heath, at the eastern rim of the Nuthe-Nieplitz Nature Park, ab ...

and

Doberlug Doberlug-Kirchhain ( dsb, Dobrjoług-Góstkow) is a German town in the district of Elbe-Elster, Lower Lusatia, Brandenburg. History 937. The town of Kirchhain was built by Margrave Gero. A document written in 1005 mentions the town 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 (german: Havelländisches 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'', a former marshland, lies in a basin that is part of ...

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 about ...

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. The western Rhin flows through the Kremmener Luch, where it is called the Kremmener Rhin ...

** Wustrauer Luch *

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

* Langes Luch * Luchwiesen *

Alt Zaucher Luch Alt or ALT may refer to: Abbreviations for words * Alt account, an alternative online identity also known as a sock puppet account * Alternate character, in online gaming * Alternate route, type of highway designation * Alternating group, math ...

References

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