Innerste Uplands
Encyclopedia
The Innerste Uplands is a landscape
region up to 359 m high and covering an area of over 900 km² in the northern part of the German Central Uplands
. It lies within the eastern part of the Weser-Leine Uplands in Lower Saxony
(Germany
).
The Innerste Uplands gets its name from the Innerste
, a tributary
of the River Leine.
of the Innerste southeast of Hildesheim
and southwest to south of Salzgitter
as far as Goslar
and Seesen
on the northwestern edge of the Harz
. To the north the area is bounded by the Hildesheim Börde
, to the west by the Leine Uplands
and to the southeast by the North Harz Foreland. Its central and southern areas are dominated by the Ambergau, a depression dissected by the Nette
, a tributary of the Innerste.
In and around the Innerste Uplands there are the following clearly defined ridges, most of which are cuesta
s and some of which lie on the boundary with neighbouring landscape regions (listed in alphabetical order): Giesen Hills
, Hainberg, Harplage
, Heber, Hildesheim Forest
, Salzgitter Ridge (including the Lichtenberge), Sauberge
and Vorholz
. Between these ridges run the following river
s: Innerste
, Lamme
, Neile
and Nette together with their tributaries.
woods. The rivers run through gently rolling depressions, covered with a thick layer of loess
; this includes the basin of the Ambergau. The fertile soils are heavily used for arable farming. Also part of the landscape are quarries or open-cast mines, nowadays largely closed and sometimes filled with water, in which Keuper
sandstone was extracted during the Middle Ages
.
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The highest elevation in the Innerste Uplands is the 359 m high Griesberg in the Hildesheim Forest.
Landscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
region up to 359 m high and covering an area of over 900 km² in the northern part of the German Central Uplands
Central Uplands
The Central Uplands is one of the three major natural regions of Germany and covers most of the land area of the country. To the north lies the North German Plain or Northern Lowland; to the south, the Alps and the Alpine Foreland.- Formation :...
. It lies within the eastern part of the Weser-Leine Uplands in 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...
(Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
).
The Innerste Uplands gets its name from the Innerste
Innerste
The Innerste is a river in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Leine river and 95 km in length.- Origin of the name :...
, a tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the River Leine.
Location
The Innerste Uplands cover the catchment areaDrainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of the Innerste southeast of Hildesheim
Hildesheim
Hildesheim is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste river, which is a small tributary of the Leine river...
and southwest to south of Salzgitter
Salzgitter
Salzgitter is an independent city in southeast Lower Saxony, Germany, located between Hildesheim and Braunschweig. Together with Wolfsburg and Braunschweig, Salzgitter is one of the seven Oberzentren of Lower Saxony...
as far as Goslar
Goslar
Goslar is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mines of Rammelsberg are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.-Geography:Goslar is situated at the...
and Seesen
Seesen
Seesen is a town and municipality in the district of Goslar, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the northwestern edge of the Harz mountain range, approx...
on the northwestern edge of the Harz
Harz
The Harz is the highest mountain range in northern Germany and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The name Harz derives from the Middle High German word Hardt or Hart , latinized as Hercynia. The legendary Brocken is the highest summit in the Harz...
. To the north the area is bounded by the Hildesheim Börde
Hildesheim Börde
The Hildesheim Börde is a natural region, 272 km2 in area, in the northern part of Hildesheim district, which is known for its especially rich black earth loess soil.- Location :...
, to the west by the Leine Uplands
Leine Uplands
The Leine Uplands is a region in Germany's Central Uplands which forms a part of the Lower Saxon Hills and lies along the River Leine between Göttingen and Hanover...
and to the southeast by the North Harz Foreland. Its central and southern areas are dominated by the Ambergau, a depression dissected by the Nette
Nette (Innerste)
The Nette is a small river in Lower Saxony, Germany, a left tributary of the Innerste. It rises in the Harz, in the municipality of Seesen. The Nette flows through Bockenem before reaching the Innerste in Holle, between Hildesheim and Salzgitter....
, a tributary of the Innerste.
In and around the Innerste Uplands there are the following clearly defined ridges, most of which are cuesta
Cuesta
In structural geology and geomorphology, a cuesta is a ridge formed by gently tilted sedimentary rock strata in a homoclinal structure. Cuestas have a steep slope, where the rock layers are exposed on their edges, called an escarpment or, if more steep, a cliff...
s and some of which lie on the boundary with neighbouring landscape regions (listed in alphabetical order): Giesen Hills
Giesen Hills
The Giesen Hills are a ridge, up to 162.6 metres high, in the district of Hildesheim in the German state of Lower Saxony.- Geography :The ridge of the Giesen Hills is located in the extreme north of the Innerste Uplands, a northeastern element of the Lower Saxon Hills...
, Hainberg, Harplage
Harplage
The Harplage is a hill range, up to 290 metres high, located west-northwest of the Harz in the southeast of the German state of Lower Saxony.- Geography :...
, Heber, Hildesheim Forest
Hildesheim Forest
The Hildesheim Forest is a range of hills up to in the district of Hildesheim in the German state of Lower Saxony.- Geography :The Hildesheim Forest is located in the Innerste Uplands, part of the Lower Saxon Hills, between the valleys of the Leine to the west, the Innerste to the north and the ...
, Salzgitter Ridge (including the Lichtenberge), Sauberge
Sauberge
The Sauberge is a mountain range up to in the Innerste Uplands in the district of Hildesheim in eastern Lower Saxony in Germany.- Location :...
and Vorholz
Vorholz
The Vorholz is a ridge up to 243 m high in the districts of Hildesheim and Wolfenbüttel in the German state of Lower Saxony.- Geography :The heavily-wooded Vorholz is located in the north of the Innerste Uplands, part of the Lower Saxon Hills...
. Between these ridges run the following river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s: Innerste
Innerste
The Innerste is a river in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Leine river and 95 km in length.- Origin of the name :...
, Lamme
Lamme (river)
Lamme is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany.-See also:*List of rivers of Lower Saxony...
, Neile
Neile
Neile is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany.-See also:*List of rivers of Lower Saxony...
and Nette together with their tributaries.
Description
The ridges of the Innerste Uplands are predominantly covered with deciduous forest, particularly beechBeech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
woods. The rivers run through gently rolling depressions, covered with a thick layer of loess
Loess
Loess is an aeolian sediment formed by the accumulation of wind-blown silt, typically in the 20–50 micrometre size range, twenty percent or less clay and the balance equal parts sand and silt that are loosely cemented by calcium carbonate...
; this includes the basin of the Ambergau. The fertile soils are heavily used for arable farming. Also part of the landscape are quarries or open-cast mines, nowadays largely closed and sometimes filled with water, in which Keuper
Keuper
The Keuper is a lithostratigraphic unit in the subsurface of large parts of west and central Europe. The Keuper consists of dolostone, shales or claystones and evaporites that were deposited during the Middle and Late Triassic epochs...
sandstone was extracted during the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
.
Hills and mountains
Eight ridges belong to the Innerste Uplands. They are, in order of height:{|
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- Hildesheim ForestHildesheim ForestThe Hildesheim Forest is a range of hills up to in the district of Hildesheim in the German state of Lower Saxony.- Geography :The Hildesheim Forest is located in the Innerste Uplands, part of the Lower Saxon Hills, between the valleys of the Leine to the west, the Innerste to the north and the ...
(359 m above NN) - Salzgitter HillsSalzgitter HillsThe Salzgitter Hills is an area of upland up to in height, in the Lower Saxon Hills between Salzgitter and Goslar in the districts of Wolfenbüttel and Goslar and in the territory of the independent town of Salzgitter...
(322,9 m) including the Lichtenberge (254 m) - SaubergeSaubergeThe Sauberge is a mountain range up to in the Innerste Uplands in the district of Hildesheim in eastern Lower Saxony in Germany.- Location :...
(317 m) - Heber (314 m)
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- Hainberg (299 m)
- HarplageHarplageThe Harplage is a hill range, up to 290 metres high, located west-northwest of the Harz in the southeast of the German state of Lower Saxony.- Geography :...
(290 m) - VorholzVorholzThe Vorholz is a ridge up to 243 m high in the districts of Hildesheim and Wolfenbüttel in the German state of Lower Saxony.- Geography :The heavily-wooded Vorholz is located in the north of the Innerste Uplands, part of the Lower Saxon Hills...
(243 m) - Giesener Berge (162,6 m)
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The highest elevation in the Innerste Uplands is the 359 m high Griesberg in the Hildesheim Forest.
Rivers
The rivers of the Innerste Uplands are:- Alme - in the west, of the Riehe
- BeusterBeuster (Innerste)Beuster is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany.-See also:*List of rivers of Lower Saxony...
- in the northwest, tributary of the Innerste - InnersteInnersteThe Innerste is a river in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Leine river and 95 km in length.- Origin of the name :...
- in the north, northeast and east, tributary of the Leine - LammeLamme (river)Lamme is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany.-See also:*List of rivers of Lower Saxony...
- in the west, tributary of the Innerste - NeileNeileNeile is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany.-See also:*List of rivers of Lower Saxony...
- in the central southeast, tributary of the Innerste - NetteNette (Innerste)The Nette is a small river in Lower Saxony, Germany, a left tributary of the Innerste. It rises in the Harz, in the municipality of Seesen. The Nette flows through Bockenem before reaching the Innerste in Holle, between Hildesheim and Salzgitter....
- in the centre (Ambergau), tributary of the Innerste - Riehe - im the west, tributary of the Lamme
Towns and villages
The following towns and villages lie within the Innerste Uplands or around its edge:
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Hildesheim Hildesheim is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste river, which is a small tributary of the Leine river... Holle Holle is a village and a municipality in the district of Hildesheim, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 15 km southeast of Hildesheim, and 15 km west of Salzgitter. It was mentioned in Tom Clancy's bestseller Red Storm Rising.- External links :... Langelsheim Langelsheim is a town in the district of Goslar, in Lower Saxony, Germany.- Geography :The municipality is situated between the river Innerste and its tributary Grane, on the northern edge of the Harz mountain range and the Harz National Park, located about northwest of Goslar.- City subdivisions... Lamspringe Lamspringe is a village and a municipality in the district of Hildesheim, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 20 km south of Hildesheim.... Lutter am Barenberge Lutter am Barenberge is a municipality located in the district of Goslar in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 13 km northwest of Goslar.- History :... Salzgitter Salzgitter is an independent city in southeast Lower Saxony, Germany, located between Hildesheim and Braunschweig. Together with Wolfsburg and Braunschweig, Salzgitter is one of the seven Oberzentren of Lower Saxony... |