Osterholz Geest
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The Osterholz Geest (
Northern Low Saxon Northern Low Saxon (in Standard German, Standard High German: ', also ', lit. ''North(ern) Low Saxon/German''; in Dutch language, Standard Dutch: ') is a subgroup of Low Saxon dialects of Low German. As such, it covers a great part of the West ...
: ''Oosterholter Geest'') is an undulating, sandy area of
ground moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice she ...
between the city of
Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...
and the towns of
Bremerhaven Bremerhaven (; ) is a city on the east bank of the Weser estuary in northern Germany. It forms an exclave of the Bremen (state), city-state of Bremen. The Geeste (river), River Geeste flows through the city before emptying into the Weser. Brem ...
and
Bremervörde Bremervörde () is a town in the north of the district (''Landkreis'') of Rotenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the Oste river near the centre of the "triangle" formed by the rivers Weser and Elbe, roughly equidistant from the ci ...
.


Geography

The Osterholz Geest forms the southern part of the
Wesermünde Geest The Wesermünde Geest (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Wersermünner Geest'') is the collective name for several geest ridges in the west of Cuxhaven district and Bremen's in northern Germany. The ridges are separated from one another by wetlands. These ...
. To the west it borders on the marsh known as Osterstade on the east bank of the Lower Weser and to the east on the Hamme depression with its great bog, the
Teufelsmoor The Teufelsmoor is a region of bog and moorland north of Bremen, Germany. It forms a large part of the district of Landkreis Osterholz, Osterholz, and extends into the neighbouring districts of Landkreis Rotenburg (Wümme), Rotenburg (Gnarrenburg ...
("Devil’s Bog"). To the north it transitions into the depressions, interspersed with geest ridges, between the coastal marshes of
Land Wursten Land Wursten is a former ''Samtgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It was situated approximately southwest of Cuxhaven, and north of Bremerhaven. Its seat was in the village Dorum. It wa ...
and the River
Oste Oste () is a river in northern Lower Saxony, Germany with a length of . It is a left tributary of the Elbe. The Oste flows through the Harburg (district), districts of Harburg, Rotenburg (district), Rotenburg, Stade (district), Stade and Cuxhav ...
, which form the northern part of the Wesermünde Geest. To the south it extends as far as the high river banks on the Weser and
Lesum The Lesum () is a river in northern Germany, right tributary of the Weser, navigable for Class III ships. It is formed at the confluence of the rivers Wümme and Hamme, near Ritterhude, northwest of Bremen. It flows west and flows into the W ...
. This sharply defined edge of geest runs northeast through the parish of
Ritterhude Ritterhude (Northern Low Saxon: ''Hu’e'') is a municipality in the district of Osterholz, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Hamme, approx. 6 km southwest of Osterholz-Scharmbeck, and 13 km northwest of Bremen. Ge ...
and the county town of
Osterholz-Scharmbeck Osterholz-Scharmbeck (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Oosterholt-Scharmbeek'') is a town and the capital of the district of Osterholz, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Osterholz-Scharmbeck is situated between the cities of Bremen and Bremerhaven. Geography N ...
as far as the region of Bremervörde. There the Osterholz Geest borders on the Zeven Geest near Karlshöfen. The Joch, which forms both ridges of geest at this point, dates back to a
Saale glaciation The Saale glaciation or Saale Glaciation, sometimes referred to as the Saalian glaciation, Saale cold period (), Saale complex (''Saale-Komplex'') or Saale glacial stage (called the Wolstonian Stage in Britain), covers the middle of the three lar ...
water outlet (''Gletschertor'') and is the northern end of the Hamme glacial valley, in whose depression the Teufelsmoor ("Devil’s Bog") was formed. The northern and western edge of the geest are, by contrast, flat and transition in the northwest into the ''Beverstedt Moorgeest'' region around Bremerhaven. The highest point 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 ...
is the ''Langen Heide'' () between Osterholz-Scharmbeck and
Garlstedt Osterholz-Scharmbeck (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Oosterholt-Scharmbeek'') is a town and the capital of the district of Osterholz, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Osterholz-Scharmbeck is situated between the cities of Bremen and Bremerhaven. Geography N ...
.


Administration

The largest part of this landscape belongs to the district of
Osterholz Osterholz is a district (''Landkreis'') in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by (from the west and clockwise) the districts of Wesermarsch, Cuxhaven, Rotenburg and Verden, and by the city of Bremen. History Originally the prince-archbishop ...
, the north to
Cuxhaven Cuxhaven (; ) is a town and seat of the Cuxhaven district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town includes the northernmost point of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the shore of the North Sea at the mouth of the Elbe River. Cuxhaven has a footprint o ...
and
Rotenburg district Rotenburg is a district (''Landkreis'') in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is landlocked by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Stade, Harburg, Heidekreis, Verden, Osterholz and Cuxhaven. History In medieval times the region was part o ...
s, the southwest to Bremen-Nord. The border area between Bremen-Nord and the district of Osterholz is also known as ''
Bremen Switzerland Bremen Switzerland (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Bremer Swiez'') is an undulating geest landscape in the north of Bremen (Bremen Nord) and the adjacent district of Osterholz, and forms the western portion of the Osterholz Geest. In comparison to the r ...
''.Area planning for the southern part of the Osterholz Geest (DOC)


Settlement and vegetation

In the south of the Osterholz Geest there is a band of settlement from
Schwanewede Schwanewede is a municipality in the district of Osterholz, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 14 km west of Osterholz-Scharmbeck, and 22 km northwest of Bremen. It belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen. ...
to Bremen-Nord,
Ritterhude Ritterhude (Northern Low Saxon: ''Hu’e'') is a municipality in the district of Osterholz, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Hamme, approx. 6 km southwest of Osterholz-Scharmbeck, and 13 km northwest of Bremen. Ge ...
and Osterholz-Scharmbeck. The rest of the area is sparsely populated. About half the land consists of arable farmland, almost a third is covered in forest, predominantly
coniferous Conifers () are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a sin ...
. Part of the forested area near
Garlstedt Osterholz-Scharmbeck (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Oosterholt-Scharmbeek'') is a town and the capital of the district of Osterholz, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Osterholz-Scharmbeck is situated between the cities of Bremen and Bremerhaven. Geography N ...
and Schwanewede is not accessible to the public for military reasons.


Cultural monuments

In summer 1982 a comprehensive survey into monument conservation was carried out by a working group in the town and county of
Osterholz-Scharmbeck Osterholz-Scharmbeck (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Oosterholt-Scharmbeek'') is a town and the capital of the district of Osterholz, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Osterholz-Scharmbeck is situated between the cities of Bremen and Bremerhaven. Geography N ...
. It was known that (in comparison with the 19th century) a large number of archaeological sites must have already been destroyed especially by settlement in the area. A review was carried out of the information collected by former district local historian, H. Fitschen, the archaeological land records by H. J. Killmann (formerly of the department of heritage sites) and observations carried out over many years by K. P. Schultz (Head of the Osterholz district local history museum), in order to gain clarity about the actual sites and their condition. As a result, in 1982 the following above-ground, visible monuments were identified on the town and county terrain: * 9
megalithic A megalith is a large Rock (geology), stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. More than 35,000 megalithic structures have been identified across Europe, ranging ...
graves **Osterholz-Scharmbeck
megalithic tomb A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. More than 35,000 megalithic structures have been identified across Europe, ranging geographically f ...
**Megaliths (''Hünensteine'') near
Axstedt Axstedt is a municipality in the district of Osterholz, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen. In 1648 the Prince-Archbishopric was transformed into the Duchy of Bremen, which was first ruled in personal unio ...
**Stone chamber near Meyenburg * 361
tumuli A tumulus (: tumuli) is a mound of Soil, earth and Rock (geology), stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, mounds, howes, or in Siberia and Central Asia as ''kurgans'', and may be found through ...
(e. g. in der Neegenbargsheide north of
Schwanewede Schwanewede is a municipality in the district of Osterholz, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 14 km west of Osterholz-Scharmbeck, and 22 km northwest of Bremen. It belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen. ...
and near Oldenbüttel) * 8 fortifications * 249
wurt A ''terp'', also known as a ''wierde, woerd, warf, warft, werf, werve, wurt'' or ''værft'', is an artificial dwelling mound found on the North European Plain that has been created to provide safe ground during storm surges, high tides and ...
s * 4 ''Schalensteine'' * 12 other objects **Seemoor environmental and prehistoric trail near Lübberstedt All nine megalithic graves are located on the ''Osterholz Geest''. Because of the numerous finds of characteristic ceramic artefacts in these sites this prehistoric period is referred to as the
funnelbeaker culture The Funnel(-neck-)beaker culture, in short TRB or TBK (, ; ; ), was an archaeological culture in north-central Europe. It developed as a technological merger of local neolithic and mesolithic techno-complexes between the lower Elbe and middle V ...
.


References


Sources

* LGN = Landesvermessung und Geobasisinformation Niedersachsen, Regionalkarten 1:100 000, Blätter 3 (Elbe-Weser-Dreieck) und 4 (Großraum Bremen) {{Coord, 53, 15, N, 8, 45, E, elevation:40_dim:40000_type:landmark_region:DE-HB/DE-NI, display=title Geography of Bremen (state) Landforms of Lower Saxony Osterholz Cuxhaven (district) Geest