Wedeler Marsch

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Compared to other Elbe marshes, the Wedeler Marsch is characterized by a low population density. Originally, the region was characterized by dense alluvial forests, but today only a few remnants of it remain. The marshes are part of the regional park and offer visitors from the densely populated Hamburg metropolitan region a unique natural backdrop. This combination of Elbe, cultural landscape and almost untouched nature creates habitats for wildlife and is a place of recreation. The marshes were formed after the last ice age, when the sea level rose and the North Sea flooded the Elbe valley. Silt deposits formed the fertile soils of the marshes. Today, a new state protection dike and a barrage protect the marshes and the adjacent settlements from storm surges. The Elbe marshes are also a habitat for meadow birds such as the lapwing, and measures are being taken to improve their living conditions.

Experience, Germany, Hamburg, Landscape

The Wedeler and the Haseldorfer Marsch in Hamburg are part of the Elbe marshes, which stretch along the Lower and Middle Elbe. Until the completion of the state protection dike in 1975, these areas were directly exposed to the tidal influence of the Elbe with strong water level fluctuations. Thanks to the barrage control, the tidal flow is now largely limited to the courses of the Wedeler Au and the Hetlinger Binnenelbe. The marshlands are enormously important as bird sanctuaries and represent an important junction in bird migration between Siberia and the Atlantic. They provide habitat and resting places for more than 200 species of birds.