Overview
Nieplitz is a river near
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 ...
,
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 ...
. It flows into the
Nuthe near
Gröben.
Origin and History
The river was first mentioned in writing in the
13th century
The 13th century was the century which lasted from January 1, 1201 (represented by the Roman numerals MCCI) through December 31, 1300 (MCCC) in accordance with the Julian calendar.
The Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan, which stretched ...
as ''Niplitz''. The name may have been adopted by Slavic settlers as a Germanic river name (Old High German ''Nebul-'' meaning "fog, darkness") with the Slavic suffix ''-ica''.
Alternative etymologies derive the name entirely from Slavic, interpreting it roughly as "the non-navigable one"—in contrast to the
Nuthe, which was up to 40 meters wide around 1880 and, before various regulations, was partially navigable.
Ecology
Habitat
The Nieplitz meanders through wetlands and floodplains that are part of the
Nuthe-Nieplitz Nature Park, a protected area established in 1999 covering 623 km². These habitats support diverse
flora
Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...
and
fauna
Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...
, including rare species like the
brook lamprey
The brook lamprey (''Lampetra planeri''), also known as the European brook lamprey and the western brook lamprey is a small European lamprey species that exclusively inhabits freshwater environments. The species is related to, but distinct from, ...
, which thrive in the river's oxygen-rich waters.
Birdlife
The Nieplitz lowlands are designated as a European bird protection area. Seasonal flooding creates ideal conditions for birds such as white storks, northern lapwings, black kites, cranes, and kingfishers.
See also
*
List of rivers of Brandenburg
A list of rivers of Brandenburg, Germany:
A
* Alte Oder
* Alte Schlaube
B
* Bäke
* Berste
*Black Elster
* Briese
* Buckau
D
* Dahme
* Demnitz
*Döllnfließ
* Dömnitz
* Dorche
* Dosse
E
*Elbe
*Elde
F
* Finow
* Fredersdorfer Mühlenfließ
G ...
References
Rivers of Brandenburg
Rivers of Germany
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