The Rahden-Diepenau Geest () is a
natural region
A natural region (landscape unit) is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography, geology, and climate.
From the ecological point of view, the naturally occurring flora and ...
in the extreme northeast of
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...
and in the neighbouring state of
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...
in north
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 includes the overwhelmingly gently rolling
geest
Geest (, , ) is a type of landform, slightly raised above the surrounding countryside, that occurs on the plains of Northern Germany, the Northern Netherlands and Denmark. It is a landscape of sandy and gravelly soils formed as a glacial outw ...
between the
Lübbecker Lößland to the south, the
to the north, the
Middle Weser Valley
The Middle Weser Valley () is part of the Weser Depression around the River Weser on the North German Plain, extending from the gap of Porta Westfalica to the town of Hoya. It is not a true valley, because it is only bordered by low hills at two ...
to the east and the western
Wiehen Hills
The Wiehen HillsElkins, T.H. (1972). ''Germany'' (3rd ed.). London: Chatto & Windus, 1972. . (, , also locally, just ''Wiehen'') are a hill range in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony in Germany. The hills run from west to east like a long f ...
and
Bersenbrück Land to the west. The Rahden-Diepenau Geest is part of the
Dümmer Geest Depression and thus belongs to the
North German Plain
The North German Plain or Northern Lowland () is one of the major geographical regions of Germany. It is the German part of the North European Plain. The region is bounded by the coasts of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea to the north, Germany's ...
, although they include foothills of the
Central Uplands
The Central UplandsDickinson (1964), p.18 ff. (N.B. In German die ''Mittelgebirge'' (plural) refers to the Central Uplands; das ''Mittelgebirge'' refers to a low mountain range or upland region (''Mittel'' = "medium" and ''-gebirge'' = "range").) ...
in the shape of the
Stemmer Berge.
Political divisions
In the North Rhine-Westphalian district of
Minden-Lübbecke
Minden-Lübbecke is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the northeastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Diepholz (district), Diepholz, Nienburg (district), Nienburg, Schaumburg, Lippe, Herford (district), Herford, Osnabr ...
, the municipalities of
Espelkamp
Espelkamp () is a town in the Minden-Lübbecke district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Geography
Espelkamp is situated approximately 10 kilometers north of Lübbecke and 20 kilometers north-west of Minden.
The is located on the site of a ...
, and most of
Rahden
Rahden is a town in the far north of North Rhine-Westphalia between Bielefeld and Bremen and between Hanover and Osnabrück. Rahden is part of the Minden-Lübbecke District in East Westphalia-Lippe.
Rahden was first mentioned in 1033, and from 1 ...
and
Stemwede
Stemwede (; ) is a municipality in the Minden-Lübbecke district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Following a recent regional reorganization, in 1973, the former
districts of Dielingen-Wehdem and Levern were consolidated and the district of "S ...
as well as part of
Hille Hille may refer to:
Places
*Hille (Belgium), a hamlet
*Hille, Germany, a town in the Minden-Lübbecke district in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
*Hille, Agder, an island in Lindesnes municipality in Agder county, Norway
Other uses
* ...
and
Petershagen
Petershagen is a town in the Minden-Lübbecke district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It lies on the Westphalian Mill Route. The core is formed by the districts of Petershagen and Lahde, located opposite each other on the Weser.
Geography
...
lie within this region.
In the Lower Saxon district of
Nienburg the region contains most of the municipalities of
Diepenau and
Warmsen and smaller elements of
Raddestorf, and in the district of
Osnabrück
Osnabrück (; ; archaic English: ''Osnaburg'') is a city in Lower Saxony in western Germany. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population of 168 ...
, most of
Bohmte
Bohmte is a municipality in the district of Osnabrück, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Hunte, approx. 20 km northeast of Osnabrück. The foundation of today's Bohmte is a result of the regional reorganization of 19 ...
lies within the geest region.
Sources
* Meynen, Emil (Ed.): ''Handbuch der naturräumlichen Gliederung Deutschlands.'' Selbstverlag der Bundesanstalt für Landeskunde, Remagen 1959-1962 (Teil 2, enthält Lieferung 6-9).
External links
BfN Landscape fact file
{{Coord, 52.398648, N, 8.609848, E, type:landmark_region:DE-NW, format=dms, display=title
Geest
Regions of North Rhine-Westphalia
Minden-Lübbecke