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Naturpark Mecklenburgisches Elbetal Am Elbberg 20 D-19258 Boizenburg Tel. 038847/ 5 03 35 Fax: 038847/ 5 03 36 |
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| Mecklenburgisches Elbetal Nature Park Welcome to a natural river landscape |
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Naturpark Mecklenburgisches Elbetal Am Elbberg 20 D-19258 Boizenburg Tel. 038847/ 5 03 35 Fax: 038847/ 5 03 36 |
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| The Saale and the Weichsel Ice Ages worked together to
shape the landscape of the Elbetal between Boizenburg, Luebtheen and Doemitz.
The Saale Ice Age left behind it the hilly moraine and scree like the Rueterberg and the
Vierwald near Boizenburg. The glaciers of the Weichsel Ice Age wrought changes in the Elbe
region and transformed the moraine landscape with tremendous melt water torrents which
carried away whole hills and deposited huge quantities of sand and debris in the river
valley. Storms blew the sand into high dunes or left it to lie in wide sand flats. People began to shape the landscape to their own ends in the middle ages and the greater part of the woodland was stripped. This changed the water table in the region; flood waters ran faster and carried more soil with them. The sand and clay was deposited in the Elbe valley or blown into dunes. |
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Dyke building was begun in the 13th. century to protect fields and settlements from flooding and many wetlands resulted. The Elbe was diverted to its present permanent course in the 19th. century. |
| Despite various diversions and dykes the River Elbe still
betrays more of its original character than other major rivers in Central Europe. The high waters of the Elbe and its tributaries still influence the habitat by forming a wide valley wetland area. The river is up to two kilometres wide between the dykes. Shallow flooded areas are important breeding grounds for fish and amphibians. When the waters retreat the mudflats serve as rich feeding grounds for water fowl. The high waters and the remoteness of the former inner German borders have prevented much of the Elbe valley plain from being used intensively and the flora and fauna has been left to develop more or less undisturbed. The dunes and the coniferous forests in the sandhills are home to such birds as wryneck, oriole and meadow lark. The shallows are a habitat for reed warblers, cranes and ducks and the woodlands on the banks of the Löcknitz shelter blue tits and other shy species. Many white storks and also the shy black stork live in the nature park. Sea eagles and red kites hover effortlessly over the woods, meadows and waters. The migrating cranes have their winter quarters here when they stop to rest on their journey southwards. The nature park is a great place for walking and cycling tours. |
| (All rights to ownership and use of the illustrations and graphics in this publication reserved by the Nature Parks Authority re. MANET GmbH) |