Land Hadeln
Encyclopedia
Land Hadeln is a historic landscape and former administrative district in North Germany with its seat in Otterndorf
on the lower reaches of the River Elbe, in the Elbe-Weser Triangle
between the estuaries of the Elbe and Weser. Together with Land Wursten
and their common hinterland they form, even today, a typical, relatively closed, cultural region.
The name goes back to the Old Saxon
Gau of Haduloha.
es in the lowland bay south of the Elbe estuary. It was surrounding by sandy meltwater
depositions and moraine
s of the Saale glaciation (Pleistocene
), such as the geest
ridges of the Hohe Lieth to the west, the Westerberg
(56 m above NN), and the Wingst
(74 m above NN) to the east. To the south, between the islands of geest, sprawl extensive areas of fen and raised bog, that have been cultivated however, apart from a small terrain remnant in Ahlenmoor.
The marshland itself, forming part of the Elbe Marshes
, is divided in turn into the fertile sea marsh, the so-called Hochland ("highland", ca. 1–2 m above NN; comprising much of today's collective municipality of Hadeln
), and the Sietland
on the edge of the bogs. Drainage is difficult and is handled mainly by the pumping station (Schöpfwerk Otterndorf) in Otterndorf
as well as by the small lock
near Altenbruch. At Otterndorf the waters of the Medem
and its many tributaries, and the water of the Hadler Canal, and Elbe-Weser Shipping Channel, is pumped into the Elbe. Hitherto the area, particularly the lower-lying Sietland which lies about 0.8 m below NN, had been chronically endangered by flooding.
Land Hadeln lies in the Lower Elbe region. Its proximity to the Elbe estuary and the North Sea
brings with it the danger that, in the event of a dyke breach during a storm surge
the area, which lies just above sea level, will suffer major flooding.
Traditionally the land was used for agriculture, with pastureland and cattle farming on the geest and in the Sietland, and arable and fruit farming in the Hochland.
Following the closure of the cement works in Hemmoor
the relatively small number of industrial workers reduced further. Many workers therefore commute to the ports of Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven
and Stade
. The economic importance of tourism
, especially in the beach resorts of Otterndorf and the bogside lakes near Bad Bederkesa, is steadily increasing.
Land Hadeln is a historic landscape and former administrative district in North Germany with its seat in Otterndorf
on the lower reaches of the River Elbe, in the Elbe-Weser Triangle
between the estuaries of the Elbe and Weser. Together with Land Wursten
and their common hinterland they form, even today, a typical, relatively closed, cultural region.
The name goes back to the Old Saxon
Gau of Haduloha.
es in the lowland bay south of the Elbe estuary. It was surrounding by sandy meltwater
depositions and moraine
s of the Saale glaciation (Pleistocene
), such as the geest
ridges of the Hohe Lieth to the west, the Westerberg
(56 m above NN), and the Wingst
(74 m above NN) to the east. To the south, between the islands of geest, sprawl extensive areas of fen and raised bog, that have been cultivated however, apart from a small terrain remnant in Ahlenmoor.
The marshland itself, forming part of the Elbe Marshes
, is divided in turn into the fertile sea marsh, the so-called Hochland ("highland", ca. 1–2 m above NN; comprising much of today's collective municipality of Hadeln
), and the Sietland
on the edge of the bogs. Drainage is difficult and is handled mainly by the pumping station (Schöpfwerk Otterndorf) in Otterndorf
as well as by the small lock
near Altenbruch. At Otterndorf the waters of the Medem
and its many tributaries, and the water of the Hadler Canal, and Elbe-Weser Shipping Channel, is pumped into the Elbe. Hitherto the area, particularly the lower-lying Sietland which lies about 0.8 m below NN, had been chronically endangered by flooding.
Land Hadeln lies in the Lower Elbe region. Its proximity to the Elbe estuary and the North Sea
brings with it the danger that, in the event of a dyke breach during a storm surge
the area, which lies just above sea level, will suffer major flooding.
Traditionally the land was used for agriculture, with pastureland and cattle farming on the geest and in the Sietland, and arable and fruit farming in the Hochland.
Following the closure of the cement works in Hemmoor
the relatively small number of industrial workers reduced further. Many workers therefore commute to the ports of Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven
and Stade
. The economic importance of tourism
, especially in the beach resorts of Otterndorf and the bogside lakes near Bad Bederkesa, is steadily increasing.
Land Hadeln is a historic landscape and former administrative district in North Germany with its seat in Otterndorf
on the lower reaches of the River Elbe, in the Elbe-Weser Triangle
between the estuaries of the Elbe and Weser. Together with Land Wursten
and their common hinterland they form, even today, a typical, relatively closed, cultural region.
The name goes back to the Old Saxon
Gau of Haduloha.
es in the lowland bay south of the Elbe estuary. It was surrounding by sandy meltwater
depositions and moraine
s of the Saale glaciation (Pleistocene
), such as the geest
ridges of the Hohe Lieth to the west, the Westerberg
(56 m above NN), and the Wingst
(74 m above NN) to the east. To the south, between the islands of geest, sprawl extensive areas of fen and raised bog, that have been cultivated however, apart from a small terrain remnant in Ahlenmoor.
The marshland itself, forming part of the Elbe Marshes
, is divided in turn into the fertile sea marsh, the so-called Hochland ("highland", ca. 1–2 m above NN; comprising much of today's collective municipality of Hadeln
), and the Sietland
on the edge of the bogs. Drainage is difficult and is handled mainly by the pumping station (Schöpfwerk Otterndorf) in Otterndorf
as well as by the small lock
near Altenbruch. At Otterndorf the waters of the Medem
and its many tributaries, and the water of the Hadler Canal, and Elbe-Weser Shipping Channel, is pumped into the Elbe. Hitherto the area, particularly the lower-lying Sietland which lies about 0.8 m below NN, had been chronically endangered by flooding.
Land Hadeln lies in the Lower Elbe region. Its proximity to the Elbe estuary and the North Sea
brings with it the danger that, in the event of a dyke breach during a storm surge
the area, which lies just above sea level, will suffer major flooding.
Traditionally the land was used for agriculture, with pastureland and cattle farming on the geest and in the Sietland, and arable and fruit farming in the Hochland.
Following the closure of the cement works in Hemmoor
the relatively small number of industrial workers reduced further. Many workers therefore commute to the ports of Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven
and Stade
. The economic importance of tourism
, especially in the beach resorts of Otterndorf and the bogside lakes near Bad Bederkesa, is steadily increasing.
Otterndorf
Otterndorf is a town on the coast of the North Sea in the region of Lower Saxony, Germany, and is part of the Samtgemeinde Land Hadeln . The town is at the mouth of the river Medem on part of the Elbe delta in the district Cuxhaven...
on the lower reaches of the River Elbe, in the Elbe-Weser Triangle
Elbe-Weser Triangle
The region between Bremen , Hamburg and Cuxhaven forms the Elbe-Weser Triangle in northern Germany. It is also colloquially referred to as the Nasses Dreieck or "Wet Triangle"...
between the estuaries of the Elbe and Weser. Together with Land Wursten
Land Wursten
Land Wursten is a Samtgemeinde in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 20 km southwest of Cuxhaven, and 15 km north of Bremerhaven...
and their common hinterland they form, even today, a typical, relatively closed, cultural region.
The name goes back to the Old Saxon
Old Saxon
Old Saxon, also known as Old Low German, is the earliest recorded form of Low German, documented from the 8th century until the 12th century, when it evolved into Middle Low German. It was spoken on the north-west coast of Germany and in the Netherlands by Saxon peoples...
Gau of Haduloha.
Landscape
Today the name 'Land Hadeln' is mainly restricted to the dyked marshMarsh
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....
es in the lowland bay south of the Elbe estuary. It was surrounding by sandy meltwater
Meltwater
Meltwater is the water released by the melting of snow or ice, including glacial ice and ice shelfs over oceans. Meltwater is often found in the ablation zone of glaciers, where the rate of snow cover is reducing...
depositions and moraine
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
s of the Saale glaciation (Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
), such as the geest
Geest (topography)
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...
ridges of the Hohe Lieth to the west, the Westerberg
Westerberg (Lamstedt)
The Westerberg is a low ridge in North Germany in the north of the collective municipality of Börde Lamstedt in the state of Lower Saxony. It is covered with mixed forest and, like the nearby Wingst ridge, it is an end moraine from the Saale glaciation period...
(56 m above NN), and the Wingst
Wingst
Wingst is a municipality in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany.Wingst belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen, established in 1180. In 1648 the Prince-Archbishopric was transformed into the Duchy of Bremen, which was first ruled in personal union by the Swedish Crown -...
(74 m above NN) to the east. To the south, between the islands of geest, sprawl extensive areas of fen and raised bog, that have been cultivated however, apart from a small terrain remnant in Ahlenmoor.
The marshland itself, forming part of the Elbe Marshes
Elbe marshes
The Elbe marshes are an extensive region of marsh or polderland along the lower and middle reaches of the River Elbe in northern Germany. It is also referred to as the Lower Elbe Marsch by Dickinson and is region D24 in the BfN's list of the natural regions of Germany...
, is divided in turn into the fertile sea marsh, the so-called Hochland ("highland", ca. 1–2 m above NN; comprising much of today's collective municipality of Hadeln
Hadeln
Hadeln is a former Samtgemeinde in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It was situated in the Land of Hadeln near the mouth of the river Elbe, approximately 15 km east of Cuxhaven. Its seat was in the town Otterndorf...
), and the Sietland
Sietland
Sietland is a former Samtgemeinde in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It was situated in the historical Land of Hadeln approx. 20 km southeast of Cuxhaven. Its seat was in the village Ihlienworth...
on the edge of the bogs. Drainage is difficult and is handled mainly by the pumping station (Schöpfwerk Otterndorf) in Otterndorf
Otterndorf
Otterndorf is a town on the coast of the North Sea in the region of Lower Saxony, Germany, and is part of the Samtgemeinde Land Hadeln . The town is at the mouth of the river Medem on part of the Elbe delta in the district Cuxhaven...
as well as by the small lock
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
near Altenbruch. At Otterndorf the waters of the Medem
Medem (river)
Medem is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany.-See also:*List of rivers of Lower Saxony...
and its many tributaries, and the water of the Hadler Canal, and Elbe-Weser Shipping Channel, is pumped into the Elbe. Hitherto the area, particularly the lower-lying Sietland which lies about 0.8 m below NN, had been chronically endangered by flooding.
Land Hadeln lies in the Lower Elbe region. Its proximity to the Elbe estuary and the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
brings with it the danger that, in the event of a dyke breach during a storm surge
Storm surge
A storm surge is an offshore rise of water associated with a low pressure weather system, typically tropical cyclones and strong extratropical cyclones. Storm surges are caused primarily by high winds pushing on the ocean's surface. The wind causes the water to pile up higher than the ordinary sea...
the area, which lies just above sea level, will suffer major flooding.
Traditionally the land was used for agriculture, with pastureland and cattle farming on the geest and in the Sietland, and arable and fruit farming in the Hochland.
Following the closure of the cement works in Hemmoor
Hemmoor
Hemmoor is a municipality in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the river Oste, approx. 40 km northeast of Bremerhaven, and 25 km south of Brunsbüttel.-History:...
the relatively small number of industrial workers reduced further. Many workers therefore commute to the ports of Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven is a city at the seaport of the free city-state of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms an enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the River Weser on its eastern bank, opposite the town of Nordenham...
and 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...
. The economic importance of 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...
, especially in the beach resorts of Otterndorf and the bogside lakes near Bad Bederkesa, is steadily increasing.
Land Hadeln is a historic landscape and former administrative district in North Germany with its seat in Otterndorf
Otterndorf
Otterndorf is a town on the coast of the North Sea in the region of Lower Saxony, Germany, and is part of the Samtgemeinde Land Hadeln . The town is at the mouth of the river Medem on part of the Elbe delta in the district Cuxhaven...
on the lower reaches of the River Elbe, in the Elbe-Weser Triangle
Elbe-Weser Triangle
The region between Bremen , Hamburg and Cuxhaven forms the Elbe-Weser Triangle in northern Germany. It is also colloquially referred to as the Nasses Dreieck or "Wet Triangle"...
between the estuaries of the Elbe and Weser. Together with Land Wursten
Land Wursten
Land Wursten is a Samtgemeinde in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 20 km southwest of Cuxhaven, and 15 km north of Bremerhaven...
and their common hinterland they form, even today, a typical, relatively closed, cultural region.
The name goes back to the Old Saxon
Old Saxon
Old Saxon, also known as Old Low German, is the earliest recorded form of Low German, documented from the 8th century until the 12th century, when it evolved into Middle Low German. It was spoken on the north-west coast of Germany and in the Netherlands by Saxon peoples...
Gau of Haduloha.
Landscape
Today the name 'Land Hadeln' is mainly restricted to the dyked marshMarsh
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....
es in the lowland bay south of the Elbe estuary. It was surrounding by sandy meltwater
Meltwater
Meltwater is the water released by the melting of snow or ice, including glacial ice and ice shelfs over oceans. Meltwater is often found in the ablation zone of glaciers, where the rate of snow cover is reducing...
depositions and moraine
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
s of the Saale glaciation (Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
), such as the geest
Geest (topography)
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...
ridges of the Hohe Lieth to the west, the Westerberg
Westerberg (Lamstedt)
The Westerberg is a low ridge in North Germany in the north of the collective municipality of Börde Lamstedt in the state of Lower Saxony. It is covered with mixed forest and, like the nearby Wingst ridge, it is an end moraine from the Saale glaciation period...
(56 m above NN), and the Wingst
Wingst
Wingst is a municipality in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany.Wingst belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen, established in 1180. In 1648 the Prince-Archbishopric was transformed into the Duchy of Bremen, which was first ruled in personal union by the Swedish Crown -...
(74 m above NN) to the east. To the south, between the islands of geest, sprawl extensive areas of fen and raised bog, that have been cultivated however, apart from a small terrain remnant in Ahlenmoor.
The marshland itself, forming part of the Elbe Marshes
Elbe marshes
The Elbe marshes are an extensive region of marsh or polderland along the lower and middle reaches of the River Elbe in northern Germany. It is also referred to as the Lower Elbe Marsch by Dickinson and is region D24 in the BfN's list of the natural regions of Germany...
, is divided in turn into the fertile sea marsh, the so-called Hochland ("highland", ca. 1–2 m above NN; comprising much of today's collective municipality of Hadeln
Hadeln
Hadeln is a former Samtgemeinde in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It was situated in the Land of Hadeln near the mouth of the river Elbe, approximately 15 km east of Cuxhaven. Its seat was in the town Otterndorf...
), and the Sietland
Sietland
Sietland is a former Samtgemeinde in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It was situated in the historical Land of Hadeln approx. 20 km southeast of Cuxhaven. Its seat was in the village Ihlienworth...
on the edge of the bogs. Drainage is difficult and is handled mainly by the pumping station (Schöpfwerk Otterndorf) in Otterndorf
Otterndorf
Otterndorf is a town on the coast of the North Sea in the region of Lower Saxony, Germany, and is part of the Samtgemeinde Land Hadeln . The town is at the mouth of the river Medem on part of the Elbe delta in the district Cuxhaven...
as well as by the small lock
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
near Altenbruch. At Otterndorf the waters of the Medem
Medem (river)
Medem is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany.-See also:*List of rivers of Lower Saxony...
and its many tributaries, and the water of the Hadler Canal, and Elbe-Weser Shipping Channel, is pumped into the Elbe. Hitherto the area, particularly the lower-lying Sietland which lies about 0.8 m below NN, had been chronically endangered by flooding.
Land Hadeln lies in the Lower Elbe region. Its proximity to the Elbe estuary and the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
brings with it the danger that, in the event of a dyke breach during a storm surge
Storm surge
A storm surge is an offshore rise of water associated with a low pressure weather system, typically tropical cyclones and strong extratropical cyclones. Storm surges are caused primarily by high winds pushing on the ocean's surface. The wind causes the water to pile up higher than the ordinary sea...
the area, which lies just above sea level, will suffer major flooding.
Traditionally the land was used for agriculture, with pastureland and cattle farming on the geest and in the Sietland, and arable and fruit farming in the Hochland.
Following the closure of the cement works in Hemmoor
Hemmoor
Hemmoor is a municipality in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the river Oste, approx. 40 km northeast of Bremerhaven, and 25 km south of Brunsbüttel.-History:...
the relatively small number of industrial workers reduced further. Many workers therefore commute to the ports of Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven is a city at the seaport of the free city-state of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms an enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the River Weser on its eastern bank, opposite the town of Nordenham...
and 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...
. The economic importance of 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...
, especially in the beach resorts of Otterndorf and the bogside lakes near Bad Bederkesa, is steadily increasing.
Land Hadeln is a historic landscape and former administrative district in North Germany with its seat in Otterndorf
Otterndorf
Otterndorf is a town on the coast of the North Sea in the region of Lower Saxony, Germany, and is part of the Samtgemeinde Land Hadeln . The town is at the mouth of the river Medem on part of the Elbe delta in the district Cuxhaven...
on the lower reaches of the River Elbe, in the Elbe-Weser Triangle
Elbe-Weser Triangle
The region between Bremen , Hamburg and Cuxhaven forms the Elbe-Weser Triangle in northern Germany. It is also colloquially referred to as the Nasses Dreieck or "Wet Triangle"...
between the estuaries of the Elbe and Weser. Together with Land Wursten
Land Wursten
Land Wursten is a Samtgemeinde in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 20 km southwest of Cuxhaven, and 15 km north of Bremerhaven...
and their common hinterland they form, even today, a typical, relatively closed, cultural region.
The name goes back to the Old Saxon
Old Saxon
Old Saxon, also known as Old Low German, is the earliest recorded form of Low German, documented from the 8th century until the 12th century, when it evolved into Middle Low German. It was spoken on the north-west coast of Germany and in the Netherlands by Saxon peoples...
Gau of Haduloha.
Landscape
Today the name 'Land Hadeln' is mainly restricted to the dyked marshMarsh
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....
es in the lowland bay south of the Elbe estuary. It was surrounding by sandy meltwater
Meltwater
Meltwater is the water released by the melting of snow or ice, including glacial ice and ice shelfs over oceans. Meltwater is often found in the ablation zone of glaciers, where the rate of snow cover is reducing...
depositions and moraine
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
s of the Saale glaciation (Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
), such as the geest
Geest (topography)
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...
ridges of the Hohe Lieth to the west, the Westerberg
Westerberg (Lamstedt)
The Westerberg is a low ridge in North Germany in the north of the collective municipality of Börde Lamstedt in the state of Lower Saxony. It is covered with mixed forest and, like the nearby Wingst ridge, it is an end moraine from the Saale glaciation period...
(56 m above NN), and the Wingst
Wingst
Wingst is a municipality in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany.Wingst belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen, established in 1180. In 1648 the Prince-Archbishopric was transformed into the Duchy of Bremen, which was first ruled in personal union by the Swedish Crown -...
(74 m above NN) to the east. To the south, between the islands of geest, sprawl extensive areas of fen and raised bog, that have been cultivated however, apart from a small terrain remnant in Ahlenmoor.
The marshland itself, forming part of the Elbe Marshes
Elbe marshes
The Elbe marshes are an extensive region of marsh or polderland along the lower and middle reaches of the River Elbe in northern Germany. It is also referred to as the Lower Elbe Marsch by Dickinson and is region D24 in the BfN's list of the natural regions of Germany...
, is divided in turn into the fertile sea marsh, the so-called Hochland ("highland", ca. 1–2 m above NN; comprising much of today's collective municipality of Hadeln
Hadeln
Hadeln is a former Samtgemeinde in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It was situated in the Land of Hadeln near the mouth of the river Elbe, approximately 15 km east of Cuxhaven. Its seat was in the town Otterndorf...
), and the Sietland
Sietland
Sietland is a former Samtgemeinde in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It was situated in the historical Land of Hadeln approx. 20 km southeast of Cuxhaven. Its seat was in the village Ihlienworth...
on the edge of the bogs. Drainage is difficult and is handled mainly by the pumping station (Schöpfwerk Otterndorf) in Otterndorf
Otterndorf
Otterndorf is a town on the coast of the North Sea in the region of Lower Saxony, Germany, and is part of the Samtgemeinde Land Hadeln . The town is at the mouth of the river Medem on part of the Elbe delta in the district Cuxhaven...
as well as by the small lock
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
near Altenbruch. At Otterndorf the waters of the Medem
Medem (river)
Medem is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany.-See also:*List of rivers of Lower Saxony...
and its many tributaries, and the water of the Hadler Canal, and Elbe-Weser Shipping Channel, is pumped into the Elbe. Hitherto the area, particularly the lower-lying Sietland which lies about 0.8 m below NN, had been chronically endangered by flooding.
Land Hadeln lies in the Lower Elbe region. Its proximity to the Elbe estuary and the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
brings with it the danger that, in the event of a dyke breach during a storm surge
Storm surge
A storm surge is an offshore rise of water associated with a low pressure weather system, typically tropical cyclones and strong extratropical cyclones. Storm surges are caused primarily by high winds pushing on the ocean's surface. The wind causes the water to pile up higher than the ordinary sea...
the area, which lies just above sea level, will suffer major flooding.
Traditionally the land was used for agriculture, with pastureland and cattle farming on the geest and in the Sietland, and arable and fruit farming in the Hochland.
Following the closure of the cement works in Hemmoor
Hemmoor
Hemmoor is a municipality in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the river Oste, approx. 40 km northeast of Bremerhaven, and 25 km south of Brunsbüttel.-History:...
the relatively small number of industrial workers reduced further. Many workers therefore commute to the ports of Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven is a city at the seaport of the free city-state of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms an enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the River Weser on its eastern bank, opposite the town of Nordenham...
and 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...
. The economic importance of 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...
, especially in the beach resorts of Otterndorf and the bogside lakes near Bad Bederkesa, is steadily increasing.