Altes Land
Encyclopedia
Land reclamation
Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, is the process to create new land from sea or riverbeds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground or landfill.- Habitation :...
marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
land straddling parts of Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
and Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. The region is situated downstream
Downstream
-Science:* In geography, away from the source of a stream or river* In meteorology, away from the source of an air parcel or mass, along the normal direction of water or air flow* Downstream , in computer or telecommunications networks...
from Hamburg on the southwestern riverside of the Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
around the towns of Stade
Stade
Stade is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany and part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region . It is the seat of the district named after it...
, Buxtehude
Buxtehude
Buxtehude is a town on the Este River in Northern Germany in the district of Stade and part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region . Buxtehude is a steadily growing medium-sized town and the second largest in the district of Stade. It lies on the southern borders of the Altes Land within easy reach of...
, Jork
Jork
Jork is a small town on the left bank of the Elbe, near Hamburg .Jork belongs to the district of Stade, in Lower Saxony. The town is the capital of the Altes Land, one of the biggest fruit growing areas in Europe, and Jork is home to a Fruit Research Center.-History:Jork was mentioned for the first...
and the Samtgemeinde
Amt (subnational entity)
Amt is a type of administrative division governing a group of municipalities, today only found in Germany, but formerly also common in northern European countries. Its size and functions differ by country and the term is roughly equivalent to a U.S...
of Lühe
Lühe
Lühe is a Samtgemeinde west of Hamburg . Lühe has a population of circa 10,000 and belongs to the district of Stade, Lower Saxony...
. In Hamburg it includes the quarters of Neuenfelde
Neuenfelde
Neuenfelde is a rural quarter located in the borough Harburg of Hamburg, Germany near the Lower Saxony border. The quarter is well known for its quality of fruit and unique houses, many of which prove to be popular attractions for tourists passing through, it belongs to the Altes Land region and is...
, Cranz
Cranz, Hamburg
Cranz is a quarter in the Harburg borough of Hamburg, Germany. It is on the left bank of the Elbe river and one of the 105 quarters of Hamburg. In 2006 the population was 857.-History:Cranz belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen...
, Francop
Francop
Francop is a quarter in the Harburg borough of the Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg in northern Germany. In 2008 the population was 643.-Geography:...
and Finkenwerder.
The region – the biggest contiguous fruit-producing region in Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
– extends over 143 km² (55 sq mi). 76.8% of the trees are apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
s, 12.7% are cherries
Cherry
The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....
. The areas closest to the Elbe are those with the highest population. They include the most fertile marshlands; towards the Geest
Geestland
Geest is a type of slightly raised landscape that occurs in the plains of in Northern Germany, the Northern Netherlands and Denmark. It is a landscape of sandy and gravelly soils, usually mantled by a heathland vegetation, comprising glacial deposits left behind after the last ice age during the...
the area connects to fen
Fen
A fen is a type of wetland fed by mineral-rich surface water or groundwater. Fens are characterised by their water chemistry, which is neutral or alkaline, with relatively high dissolved mineral levels but few other plant nutrients...
s.
The fertile land led to the development of a culture dominated by farming. The villages are known as Marschhufendörfer, a special kind of village where the farmyards are set along a street with the land directly behind them. A characteristic feature is the richly-decorated half-timbered
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
farmhouses with their elaborate gateways.
Etymology
The region's official standard GermanStandard German
Standard German is the standard variety of the German language used as a written language, in formal contexts, and for communication between different dialect areas...
name is Altes Land, which means "old country". However, Altes Land is a mistranslation of the original Low Saxon
Low Saxon
Low Saxon may refer to:In political or territorial respect:*Of or relating to Lower Saxony*Of or relating to Saxe-Lauenburg*Of or relating to Lower Saxon CircleIn linguistic respect:*Any West Low German speech variety*The Northern Low Saxon dialect...
Olland, which originally had nothing to do with "old": It stems from Holland. This is a reference to the area's original reclamation and colonisation by Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
settlers. The first colonisation agreement goes back to 1113 and was drawn up during the time of Archbishop Friedrich I
Archbishopric of Bremen
The Archdiocese of Bremen was a historical Roman Catholic diocese and formed from 1180 to 1648 an ecclesiastical state , named Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen within the Holy Roman Empire...
of Bremen
Archbishopric of Bremen
The Archdiocese of Bremen was a historical Roman Catholic diocese and formed from 1180 to 1648 an ecclesiastical state , named Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen within the Holy Roman Empire...
. One of the municipalities of the Altes Land is Hollern
Hollern-Twielenfleth
Hollern-Twielenfleth is a municipality in the district of Stade, Lower Saxony, Germany.-History:In the year 1059 the district Twielenfleth was founded. It then belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen. In 1648 the Prince-Archbishopric was transformed into the Duchy of Bremen, which was first...
, a name which comes from Holländer (German for the Dutch). However, the mistranslation of Olland as Altes Land has now come full circle, since most Low Saxon
Low Saxon
Low Saxon may refer to:In political or territorial respect:*Of or relating to Lower Saxony*Of or relating to Saxe-Lauenburg*Of or relating to Lower Saxon CircleIn linguistic respect:*Any West Low German speech variety*The Northern Low Saxon dialect...
speakers today refer to the region as dat Ole Land (literally the old land). There also is an eponymous periodical.
Geography and history
Luhe (river)
The Luhe is a river that runs through the Lüneburg Heath in northern Germany and discharges into the River Ilmenau. It is part of the Elbe river system....
, was first dyked and then settled in around 1140. The second mile is the area east of the first between the Lühe and the Este
Este (river)
Este is a river of Hamburg, Germany.-See also:*List of rivers of Hamburg...
, an area which was dyked at the end of the 12th century. The third mile, called Terra Nova (new land), between the Este and the Elbe, was only dyked at the end of the 15th century when the area was especially hard-hit by storm tide
Storm tide
A storm tide is a tide with a high flood period caused by a storm. Storm tides can be a severe danger to the coast and the people living along the coast. The water level can rise to more than 5 meters above the normal tide....
s.
As of 2008 tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
plays a major role in the local economy, particularly during the cherry blossom and apple blossom seasons. However, parts of the orchard plantations are slowly being displaced by residential developments. Many of these new homes are then sold or rented to commuters who work in nearby Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
.
External links
- 3 Meilen vor Hamburg - official web site of the Altes Land tourism association