Meldorf Bay
Encyclopedia
Meldorf Bay also called the Bay of Meldorf is a bay on the coast of the North German state of Schleswig-Holstein
, which forms part of the Heligoland Bight
.
and 30 km north-northeast of Cuxhaven. It falls within the district of Dithmarschen
. To the north is the North Sea resort of Büsum
, to the south the seaside resort of Friedrichskoog
, which does not however border directly onto Meldorf Bay. To the east is the village of Hemmingstedt
and the town of Meldorf
, which gives the bay its name. To the west the bay opens out into the North Sea
. Its most important channel is the Piep
, which is up to 20 metres deep and divides in Meldorf Bay into three branches: the Wöhrdener Loch (north), the Kronenloch and the Sommerkoog-Steertloch (south).
es and almost reached the town of Meldorf, sited on a geest
ridge. Not until the 16th century was land reclaimed and the polders (Köge) within the bay dyked for the first time.
On 17 February 1500 the independent peasant republic of Dithmarschen fought the army of the King of Denmark and his brother at the Battle of Hemmingstedt
. The king's cavalry, largely composed of nobles, was almost entirely drowned in the waters of the spring tide in Meldorf Bay.
s were built from April 1969 to March 1978, taking in an area of about 8.5 x 8 kilometres, Meldorf Bay was left with an (estimated) area of 30 km².
The construction of the latest dykes was not, however, primarily aimed at land reclamation
but coastal defence
. For example, by building new, 8.8 metre high dykes that were only 14.8 km long (in the core area of the bay), the crest of the dyke was raised significantly and the length of the dyke greatly shortened. The newly created Speicherkoog on Meldorf Bay is designed primarily to store water from the interior during inland flooding and to discharge it into the sea through two dyke sluice
s and scoop wheel
s. In addition, the salt marshes act as a protected sanctuary for birds. Agriculture only plays a minor role in Speicherkoog. Sheep are grazed here to help to stabilize the dykes. Both the Speicherkoog as well as the other undyked areas of Meldorf Bay belong to protection zone 1 of the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park
and are therefore subject to special conservation laws.
en and many years ago was linked to the mainland by a causeway.
It is also a bird reserve like the island of Trischen
, which lies off the bay. Even the sandbanks of Blauort
and Tertius
may only be visited with special permission.
as a weapons testing area. In the western part, just north of the Elbe estuary and the Vogelsand is a burial site for those buried at sea.
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
, which forms part of the Heligoland Bight
Heligoland Bight
The Heligoland Bight, also known as Helgoland Bight, is a bay which forms the southern part of the German Bight, itself a bay of the North Sea, located at the mouth of the Elbe river...
.
Location
The bay lies about 90 km (as the crow flies) northwest of HamburgHamburg
-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...
and 30 km north-northeast of Cuxhaven. It falls within the district of Dithmarschen
Dithmarschen
Dithmarschen is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Nordfriesland, Schleswig-Flensburg, Rendsburg-Eckernförde, and Steinburg, by the state of Lower Saxony , and by the North Sea.-Geography:The district is located on the North Sea...
. To the north is the North Sea resort of Büsum
Büsum
Büsum is a fishing and tourist town in the district of Dithmarschen, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated on the North Sea coast, approx. 18 km southwest of Heide....
, to the south the seaside resort of Friedrichskoog
Friedrichskoog
Friedrichskoog is a municipality in the district of Dithmarschen, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated near the outflow of the Elbe into the North Sea, approx. 25 km southwest of Heide, and 25 km northeast of Cuxhaven....
, which does not however border directly onto Meldorf Bay. To the east is the village of Hemmingstedt
Hemmingstedt
Hemmingstedt is a German municipality in the district of Dithmarschen in the state of Schleswig-Holstein.-History:Hemmingstedt is the namesake of the Battle of Hemmingstedt, which took place south of the place in today's municipal area of Epenwöhrden...
and the town of Meldorf
Meldorf
Meldorf is a city in western Schleswig-Holstein, in the district of Dithmarschen, and straddling the Miele river. It was first mentioned in writing before 1250 ad, and it served as the capital of the Dithmarschen, a peasant republic with Allies in the Hanseatic league dating from 1468...
, which gives the bay its name. To the west the bay opens out into 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...
. Its most important channel is the Piep
PieP
Process Image Exchange Protocol is a very simple Fieldbus protocol used for process automation. It is an application layer protocol developed over TCP/IP. PieP uses method of transferring process images between I/O Devices and the PLC which makes the protocol simple to use...
, which is up to 20 metres deep and divides in Meldorf Bay into three branches: the Wöhrdener Loch (north), the Kronenloch and the Sommerkoog-Steertloch (south).
History
As a result of several major storm floods in the late Middle Ages and early modern times, the bay expanded further and further into the low 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 and almost reached the town of Meldorf, sited on a 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...
ridge. Not until the 16th century was land reclaimed and the polders (Köge) within the bay dyked for the first time.
On 17 February 1500 the independent peasant republic of Dithmarschen fought the army of the King of Denmark and his brother at the Battle of Hemmingstedt
Battle of Hemmingstedt
The Battle of Hemmingstedt took place on February 17, 1500 south of the village of Hemmingstedt, near the present village of Epenwöhrden, in the western part of present-day Schleswig-Holstein in Germany. It was an attempt by Duke Friedrich and Duke Johann to subdue the peasantry of Dithmarschen,...
. The king's cavalry, largely composed of nobles, was almost entirely drowned in the waters of the spring tide in Meldorf Bay.
Today
When the last dykeLevee
A levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels...
s were built from April 1969 to March 1978, taking in an area of about 8.5 x 8 kilometres, Meldorf Bay was left with an (estimated) area of 30 km².
The construction of the latest dykes was not, however, primarily aimed at land reclamation
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 :...
but coastal defence
Coastal management
In some jurisdictions the terms sea defense and coastal protection are used to mean, respectively, defense against flooding and erosion...
. For example, by building new, 8.8 metre high dykes that were only 14.8 km long (in the core area of the bay), the crest of the dyke was raised significantly and the length of the dyke greatly shortened. The newly created Speicherkoog on Meldorf Bay is designed primarily to store water from the interior during inland flooding and to discharge it into the sea through two dyke sluice
Sluice
A sluice is a water channel that is controlled at its head by a gate . For example, a millrace is a sluice that channels water toward a water mill...
s and scoop wheel
Scoop wheel
right|thumb|Rim driven Scoop wheel of the [[Stretham Old Engine]], CambridgeshireA scoop wheel may be a pump or an excavator.-Scoop wheel pump:...
s. In addition, the salt marshes act as a protected sanctuary for birds. Agriculture only plays a minor role in Speicherkoog. Sheep are grazed here to help to stabilize the dykes. Both the Speicherkoog as well as the other undyked areas of Meldorf Bay belong to protection zone 1 of the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park
Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park
The Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park is a national park in the Schleswig-Holstein area of the German Wadden Sea. It was founded by the Parliament of Schleswig-Holstein on 1 October 1985 by the National Park Act of 22 July 1985 and expanded significantly in 1999...
and are therefore subject to special conservation laws.
Islands
In Meldorf Bay lies the uninhabited island of Helmsand, which is like one of the HalligHallig
The Halligen are ten small German islands without protective dikes in the North Frisian Islands on Schleswig-Holstein's Wadden Sea-North Sea coast in the district of Nordfriesland....
en and many years ago was linked to the mainland by a causeway.
It is also a bird reserve like the island of Trischen
Trischen
Trischen is an uninhabited island in the Meldorf Bay, about 14 kilometres off the North Sea coast of Dithmarschen in north Germany – about 12 kilometres from the Trischendamm embankment. The island belongs to the municipality of Friedrichskoog and is only occupied from March to October by a bird...
, which lies off the bay. Even the sandbanks of Blauort
Blauort
Blauort is one of Germany's uninhabited North Sea sandy islets off the coast of Dithmarschen , and measures about 1,200 m from north to south and 500 metres from east to west...
and Tertius
Tertius
Tertius is Latin word for "third", or "concerning the third".-In law:The term is used in contract law to refer to an interested third party not privy to a contract...
may only be visited with special permission.
Human use
The immediate coastal areas are fully developed for tourism. The Norderpiep and Süderpiep channels provide access to the port of Büsum. The shrimp cutters stationed there fish Meldorf Bay as well as other areas. The southern part of the bay is used by the BundeswehrBundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
as a weapons testing area. In the western part, just north of the Elbe estuary and the Vogelsand is a burial site for those buried at sea.
Literature
- Michelsen, Hans (2008). Die Abdeichung der Meldorfer Bucht. In: Dithmarschen - Landeskunde - Kultur - Natur, Heft 3/2008, pp. 24−43; Verein für Dithmarscher Landeskunde (Hrsg.), Heide