4.4 Lower Saxony

chapter4.4_Neu.qxd 08.10.2001 16:10 Uhr Seite 165 Chapter 4.4 The Lower Saxony Wadden Sea Region 165 4.4 Lower Saxony 4.4 The Lower Saxony trict of Land Wursten, directly west of the Hohe Wadden Sea Region Lieth, it is bounded by two distinct lines: in the east by the Grauwall canal that was enlarged in by Jan-Joost Assendorp, Doris Böker, Gernot the 1950s, and in the west by the Bremerhaven- Fischer, Elke Först, Falk-Reimar Sänger, Rolf Cuxhaven railway line that runs on the eastern Bärenfänger, Wiebke Dreeßen, Volker edge of the high marsh with its relatively firm Gläntzer, Jörg Eckert, Hermann Schiefer, ground. Gregor Schlicksbier, Wolfgang Schwarz, The first settlement on a major scale on the Friedrich-Wilhelm Wulf; sea walls and surf embankments on the outer Editing: Gregor Schlicksbier, edge of the old marsh took place in the last cen- Jan-Joost Assendorp tury B.C. Although scattered traces of older settlements from the iron age were found on the 4.4.1 The land between Elbe and Weser higher parts of the banks, only the uptake of land (Elbe-Weser Districts) from the first century left behind permanent traces in the cultural landscape. As the farms 4.4.1.1 Introduction and villages were first laid out on level ground, The marsh areas between the Weser and the the ever increasing tidal storm surges that were Elbe, which for the most part form part of the running on shore forced the settlers to rebuild Cuxhaven administrative district, may be divided their farms and eventually whole villages on into three different geographic and cultural dwelling mounds that had to be thrown up high- units. In the north, the line of the terminal er and higher. In the district of Land Hadeln, Lüd- moraine of the Hohe Lieth, the so-called Wurster ingworth and the adjacent sea mounds are Heide, separates the Wurster Marsch on the impressive examples of the dwelling mounds Weser mouth in the west from the district of constructed along the Elbe during the Roman Land Hadeln on the Elbe mouth. To the south of empire. In the district of Osterstade, Aschwarden Bremerhaven the districts of Landwürden and and Wurthfleth were developed along the Weser. Osterstade lie along the Weser. Their geological The examples that have been most thoroughly genesis as well as the histories of their settle- investigated in the district of Land Wursten are ment until the High Middle Ages are very similar the line of village mounds set up in the first cen- in their essentials, so that these can be described tury and abandoned in the time of the migration together. of the peoples: starting from Dingen in the The marshes were formed under the influence south, through Mulsum and Dorum as far as of the rise in the sea level after the last ice age Alsum in the north. The three big dwelling and for the most part are barely raised above the mounds in the southern district of Land Wursten, mean sea level. Apart from the varied composi- the Barward, Fallward, and Feddersen Wierde, tion of the soil, it is the difference in level still lie vacant in the area today. The excavations between the recent (high) marsh and the old of the Feddersen Wierde have produced an (low) marsh that plays the decisive role for the impressive amount of evidence on the genesis of settlement and the utilization of the marsh. Due settlement on the surf embankment from the to differing conditions for sedimentation before late iron age. The extensive finds from Saxon the dykes were built, the marshes are subdivided graves from the Fallward emphasize the eco- into highlands with sandy, chalky soils, near the nomic appeal of the marsh settlements. Height- coast or the river banks, and the Sietland behind ened storm surge activity nonetheless led to the them which is lower lying as a result of the short settlement region being abandoned in the fifth supply of sediment, has soils rich in clay, and century. especially on the geest edge is mostly made bog- A few centuries later, the strings of dwelling gy from being saturated with water and is there- mounds again formed the starting point for the fore inimical to settlement. In the whole region, renewed acquisition of land by settler groups the Sietland was only put under cultivation very that then began afresh in the 7th and 8th cen- late and with little success. Where it was sys- turies. In the district of Land Wursten these tematically drained, the boggy subsoil shrank so came from outside for the first time, from the that in the long run there was hardly any west Frisian North Sea coast (in the Late Middle improvement. These days the old marsh lies in Ages this was to become much more common front of the higher, sandy geest in the form of with the colonization of the marshes by Hollan- virtually unsettled strips of grassland. In the dis- ders, as the west Frisians were known at the Wadden Sea Ecosystem No. 12 - 2001 chapter4.4_Neu.qxd chapter4.4_Neu.qxd 09.10.2001 Uhr 13:57 166 Seite 166 Wadden Wadden Sea Ecosystem No. 12 - 2001 Survey area Lower Saxony Chapter 4.4 The Lower Saxony Wadden Sea Region Fig. 4.57: ȳጵጲጶጥጹȀɁጲጥɁ ȬጯጷጥጲȀȳɁጸጯጮጹ Ȭ Ȭ Ɂ ጮጳጥጬጮ Ɂ ጮ ጳጩጳɃጨጥȀȩ ጮ ጤ ጲጩጥ ጤ ȯጳጴጦ ጮ Ȁ Ȁ Ȭ ጬ ȷ ȷ ጥ ɁጮጤȀȨɁጤ ጵ ጵ ጲ ጲ ጳ ȷ ጳ ጴ ጴ ጥ Ɂ ጥ ጮ ጮጧ ጮ ȨɁጲጬ ጮጤ ȏȀ ጥ ȢጯጲጤጥጲȀጯጦȀጴጨጥ ጬɁጮጤ ጩጮጧጥጲጬɁ Ȫጥ ጲጬɁ ጥጲ ጶጥ ጮጤ ጳጵጲጶጥጹȀɁጲጥɁ ጲጤ ጲጬɁ Ȯጯ ጮጤ Ȣ Ȣ ጲ ጵ ጯ ጴጪɁ ጯ ጤጩጮጧጥጮ ȫ ጫጭ ጲጵ ጥ ጭ ጲጬɁጮ ȬɁጮጤȍ ጭ ጤ ጷᎼጲጤጥጮ ጨ ȦጲጩጥጳጩጳɃጨጥ ȯ Ꮆ ȷ ȳ ጲ ጥጨጤጥ ጴ ጳ ጮ Ɂ ጤ ጴ ጥ ጬɁ ጥ ጤ ጮ ጲ Ȯ ȭ ጬɁጮ ጤ ጳ ጥጲ ጴ ጯጯጲጭ Ɂ ጤ ጥ ȳ ጤ ጴ Ɂ ጮ ጥ ጥጲጬ ጤ Ȑ ȕ ȑȐ ȑȕ ȒȐ ȫጩጬጯጭጥጴጥጲጳ Ȳጨጥጩጤ ጩጮ ጮ ጧጥ ȯጶጥጲጬጥጤጩጮጧጥ ጮ ȬȡȮȣȥȷȡȤȀȰጲጯጪጥɃጴȍȮጩጥጤጥጲጳɁɃጨጳጥጮ ȢጥጺጩጲጫጳጲጥጧጩጥጲጵጮጧȀȬᎼጮጥɂጵጲጧ ȢጥጺጩጲጫጳጲጥጧጩጥጲጵጮጧȀȷጥጳጥጲȍȥጭጳ ȳጯጵጲɃጥȀጯጦȀጴጯጰጯጧጲɁጰጨጹȀጤɁጴɁȚ ȴȫȒȕȍȲɁጳጴጥጲጤɁጴጥጮȀጤጥጲȀȬȧȮȀȍ ȬɁጮጤጥጳጶጥጲጭጥጳጳጵጮጧȋȀȧጥጯɂɁጳጩጳȍ ጩጮጦጯጲጭɁጴጩጯጮȀȮጩጥጤጥጲጳɁɃጨጳጥጮ chapter4.4_Neu.qxd 08.10.2001 16:10 Uhr Seite 167 Chapter 4.4 The Lower Saxony Wadden Sea Region 167 time). The silting up of the mud flats, however, Hanover and Prussia. Regrettably, neither in made it possible for the higher, fertile unculti- Hadeln nor in Wursten have the historic dykes or vated land to be settled quite soon. The two vil- their remains been recorded by an archaeologi- lage mounds of Wremen and Misselwarden in cal inventory. the district of Land Wursten attest to this uptake As far as the harbor installations, sluices, of land, as do Altenbruch, Otterndorf or Belum in floodgates or pumping stations are concerned, the district of Land Hadeln. however, no objects of historical value in the dis- The process of establishing settlements on the trict of Land Wursten have been preserved. In newly reclaimed land is related to the building of the district of Land Hadeln, in contrast, the mea- the early dykes in both the districts of Land sures for controlling the water are clearly visible Wursten and Land Hadeln. We are particularly in many examples in the area (ditches, canal sys- well informed about the complexity and the tems up to the Hadeln canal of 1853 and the chronology of dyke building in the district of pumping stations from the 20th century). The Land Wursten. The dyking was carried out along stone sluice head from Rechtenfleth has been the three main lines of Oberstrich (upstream moved to Osterstade and is preserved there. dyke), Niederstrich (downstream dyke) and Dyke construction and drainage of the land Altendeich (old dyke) which run from south- facilitated the increasing settlement and culti- south-west to north-north-east, with ribbon- vation of the land from the 12th century. In shaped meadows arranged in perpendicular Hadeln, settlers from Holland were brought into fashion, and with a drainage canal for each dis- the land by the provincial administration. Under trict, all of which together characterize the dis- their influence, the elongated ribbon or strip vil- trict of Land Wursten between Solthörn in the lages such as Bülkau were developed. The south and Deichsende (dyke’s end) near Nord- improvement and stabilization of the natural holz. conditions of the area, culminating in dyke The first completed line of dykes in the district building, led to a clear increase in the economic of Land Wursten, the upstream one, is probably welfare of the whole marsh region, which may a summer dyke, on the inner side of which most still be seen today, especially in the many of the dwelling mounds today lie deserted. Since churches that have been preserved from the the creation of the oldest living levels in the Middle Ages. 12th and 13th centuries during the Late Middle The stone churches from the 12th to the 14th Ages, they were thrown up to a height of about centuries form the outstanding type of historic 4 m above sea level. The foreshore that was sub- monument in this region because of their num- sequently formed was protected by the down- ber and quality. More often than not, their fur- stream dyke, erected in the 14th and 15th cen- nishings are also of great cultural-historical sig- turies as a winter dyke. Therefore the row of nificance. Thus the parish churches of Dedesdorf dwelling mounds accompanying it reach only a and Cappel possess valuable Arp Schnitger relatively small height. Today only a few frag- organs and in Sandstedt there are wall paintings ments of this dyke remain.

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