4.4-2 Lower Saxony WS Region.Pdf
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chapter4.4_Neu.qxd 08.10.2001 16:11 Uhr Seite 195 Chapter 4.4 The Lower Saxony Wadden Sea Region 195 near Sengwarden have remained fully intact. The With the exception of the northern section’s water tower on „Landeswarfen“ west of tourist visitors, the Voslapper Groden mainly Hohenkirchen is a landmark visible from a great serves as a sea rampart for Wilhelmshaven’s distance, constructed by Fritz Höger in 1936 to commercial buildings, a function also served by serve as Wangerooge’s water supply. the Rüstersieler Groden (1960-63) and the Hep- Of the above-mentioned scattered settlements penser Groden, first laid out as a dyke line from characteristic to this region, two set themselves 1936-38, although construction only started in physically apart and therefore represent limited 1955. It remains to be seen whether the histori- forms within this landscape. cally preserved parishes of Sengwarden and Fed- Some sections of the old dyke ring whose land derwarden, now already part of Wilhelmshaven, was considered dispensable from a farming or will come to terms with the consequences of this land ownership perspective served as building and the inexorable urban growth through appro- space for erecting small homes of farm labourers priate planning. and artisans who otherwise made their homes in The cultural landscape of the Wangerland and small numbers on larger mounds. Among these the Jeverland has been able to preserve its were the „small houses“ referred to in oral tradi- unmistakable character to a considerable degree. tion north of Middoge, the Oesterdeich (an early The genesis of landscape forms is mirrored in the groden dyke), the Medernser Altendeich, the patterns of settlement, the lay of arable land and Norderaltendeich and foremost the area west of in landmark monuments. The variety offered by Horumersiel up to Hooksiel. With few excep- this cultural landscape is still largely free from tions, the houses themselves are all renovated, the effects of large-scale intrusions such as however. extensive commercial or industrial development, The second deviating type of settlement is a while new home development has not yet spilled sluice harbor. While all sluices on the Jeverland out into the countryside to mar or destroy the side of the Harlebucht have no real function total impression. since dyking has been completed on their sea- In addition to the unavoidable highways, there ward side, two sluices on the Jade have at least is unattractive development in the areas border- indirectly retained their function. When the first ing the cities of Wilhelmshaven and Jever. The dyke was constructed in front of the groden in increasing levels of tourism along the coasts 1542, Horumertief, Hohenstief, Crildumer Tief have also left their mark on the landscape. A and Hooktief (1546?) each had a new sluice con- particularly insensitive measure was the estab- structed. With the passage of time the three lishment of the main garbage tip for the admin- northern canals were linked up and since 1962 istrative district of Friesland north of Jever. they drain off water via the Wangersiel to the south of Horumersiel. All that is visible of the 4.4.2.5 Harlingerland Crildumer Siel today is the dyke line with a closeable opening. The other two sluices have The Harlingerland covers the whole northern been shut down. The Horumer sluice harbor has part of the East Frisian administrative district of in any case always been of only modest signifi- Wittmund, including the two islands of cance, and only a single historical building, a Spiekeroog and Langeoog. The north-western former storehouse, reminds us of its existence. part of the Harlingerland, formed by what was After the silting up of the Hooktief in Jever’s har- once the Dornumer Bucht, extends into the bor rendered it impassable, Hooksiel became the Aurich administrative district. In its north-east- main harbor of the Jeverland, attested to by the ern extension large parts of the re-dyked former harbor bowl with three large warehouses from Harlebucht, which borders onto the Wangerland, 1821 as well as numeros inns and residential already belong to the Oldenburg district of Fries- homes of the 18th and 19th centuries. The sluice land (Frisia). The border begins near Dornumer- itself was renovated (as was the older sluice near siel in the north-west and runs along the Dor- Rüschenstede) in 1885. It relinquished its func- num Canal to Dornum. From here it stretches tional role to a new sluice gate facility after south along the Sielhammer (Accumer) Canal dredging works and extensive dyking were com- and follows the extension of that canal along pleted from 1971-74 at the Voßlapper Groden. the present-day boundary between the districts The most recent extensive growth of communi- of Aurich and Wittmund until it reaches the so- ties is attributable (similarly in Horumersiel) to called „Ewiges Meer“ (permanent mere). In the summer visitors. south-west the border runs through the Meer- Wadden Sea Ecosystem No. 12 - 2001 chapter4.4_Neu.qxd 08.10.2001 16:11 Uhr Seite 196 196 Chapter 4.4 The Lower Saxony Wadden Sea Region husen and Tannenhausen Moors to the north of the Harlebucht where the dykes have been Tannenhausen, Plaggenburg and Middels rebuilt. towards the Norder Tief and the Leerhafer Tief Thus, the Harlingerland features every type of (Harle). Here, the border corresponds roughly to landscape that the coastal region of Lower Sax- the former boundary between the judicial dis- ony has to offer. These include the dune islands tricts of Friedeburg and Wittmund. In the formed from alluvial sand, the Wadden Sea with south-east, Wittmund und Asel, lying on the its salt meadows offshore from the present edge of the geest, are included before the bor- mainland, the recent (sea) marshes of the former der line bends towards the north-east. The Dornumer Bucht in the west and of the eastern shoreline of the Wittmund and Sandel Harlebucht in the east, the old marsh and the branches of the Harlebucht, where in mediaeval brackish marsh off the geest edges, as well as times the sea had broken in, represents the the regions of geest and boggy marsh in the eastern boundary of the Harlingerland to the geest ridge of Oldenburg and East Frisia, formed Wangerland, which is part of Jeverland. The in the Ice Age, with the large offshore geest border between Jeverland, a part of Oldenburg, island of Esens. and East Frisia (the „golden line“) was estab- The old moraine landscape of the Pleistocene lished in 1666 and finally confirmed in 1743. For geest represents the oldest soil and geological the mainland this border line is still in force formation. According to K.-E. Behre (1995, 7ff) today and runs virtually through the middle of the geest ridge of Oldenburg and East Frisia is 5 5 7 5 7 5 7 55 5 5 7 7 7 7 5 5 7 5 5 55 5 5 5 7 5 5 55 57 5 5 5 5 5 5 7 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 7 5 5 7 5 5 5 5 5 5 75 5 75 5 5 7 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 55 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 55 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 7 5 5 5 5 5 55 5 5 5 7 7 7 75 7 7 55 555 7 5 5 55 55 5 55 5 5 5 5 55 5 555 5 5 5 5 7 5 55 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 55 5 5 5 55 5 5 5 55 7 55 5 55 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 75 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 55 5 7 7 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 7 5 5 5 5 5 555 5 5 5 5 5 7 5 5 7 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 55 5 5 5 5 5 55 555 55 5 5 7 5 5 7 55 5 5 5 5 5 hwelling2moundG2ilevted5 5 5 5 5 7 5 5 Fig. 4.64: 5 55 5 5 5 ple2of2residene2@ll2typesA5 5 The dykes and dwelling 5 5 7 5 5 5 55 5 egrrin2uilding 5 5 mounds in the region of 5 5 5 H5 I5 5 P Q R uilometers5 5 5 5 5 the Harlebucht hyke 5 5 5 5 5 5 7 5 Source: LGN 5 5 7 5 Wadden Sea Ecosystem No. 12 - 2001 chapter4.4_Neu.qxd 08.10.2001 16:11 Uhr Seite 197 Chapter 4.4 The Lower Saxony Wadden Sea Region 197 thought to have formed during the Elster Glacial edges of the geest. In the second half of the period and was definitely laid down during the Atlantic period and the subsequent Subboreal a Saale Glacial period in its final form, with more or less continuous covering of high moor- rivulets draining off to the North Sea. The Lauen- land developed along the peaks of the geest burg clay from the Elster Ice Age, which is fre- ridge, which remained unaffected by ground quently used in the manufacture of bricks, can water. Old surfaces of the marsh have been dis- be found just beneath the surface on the north- covered by drilling at about 5 m below mean sea ern edge of the geest between Norden, Esens level (foundation of the present marsh) as well und Wittmund. In the older phase of the Saale as between 3 and 2 m below sea level.