Ochtum
Encyclopedia
The Ochtum is a left tributary
of the Weser, roughly 26 km long, in Lower Saxony
and Bremen
(Germany
).
near Weyhe
at the confluence of the Süstedter Bach
and the Hache
in the lake known as the Kirchweyher See. The Ochtum forms its tailwater and heads in a northwesterly direction into the state of Bremen where it forms part of its border with Lower Saxony. The river flows through or passes the villages and suburbs of Kattenesch, Huchting and Strom, crosses the Park links der Weser and the Ochtumniederung bei Brokhuchting nature reserve. A second branch of the Ochtum – its original channel– runs north past Grolland and joins the main river in the nature reserve. The Ochtum passess Delmenhorst
-Hasbergen and Lemwerder
-Deichshausen and discharges into the Weser at river kilometre 12.85 between Lemwerder-Altenesch and Bremen-Seehausen near Unterweser.
are popular with cyclists and inline skaters.
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 Weser, roughly 26 km long, 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...
and Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
(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...
).
Course
The Ochtum starts in Lower Saxony only a few kilometres south of the city of BremenBremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
near Weyhe
Weyhe
Weyhe is a municipality in the district of Diepholz, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 12 km south of Bremen.-History:First mentioned in 860, when a sick girl from "Wege" travelled to the grave of Saint Willehad in Bremen...
at the confluence of the Süstedter Bach
Süstedter Bach
Süstedter Bach is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany.-See also:*List of rivers of Lower Saxony...
and the Hache
Hache (river)
Hache is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany.-See also:*List of rivers of Lower Saxony...
in the lake known as the Kirchweyher See. The Ochtum forms its tailwater and heads in a northwesterly direction into the state of Bremen where it forms part of its border with Lower Saxony. The river flows through or passes the villages and suburbs of Kattenesch, Huchting and Strom, crosses the Park links der Weser and the Ochtumniederung bei Brokhuchting nature reserve. A second branch of the Ochtum – its original channel– runs north past Grolland and joins the main river in the nature reserve. The Ochtum passess Delmenhorst
Delmenhorst
Delmenhorst is an urban district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It has a population of 74,500 and is located 10 km/6 miles west of downtown Bremen with which it forms a contiguous urban area, whereas the city of Oldenburg is 25 km/15 miles to the northwest. The city has a total area of 62.36 km²...
-Hasbergen and Lemwerder
Lemwerder
Lemwerder is a municipality in the district of Wesermarsch, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Weser, approx. 27 km east of Oldenburg, and 17 km northwest of the centre of Bremen....
-Deichshausen and discharges into the Weser at river kilometre 12.85 between Lemwerder-Altenesch and Bremen-Seehausen near Unterweser.
History
- 1158 – The Ochtum is first mentioned as Ochtmund (= Ochtum mouth). Later also recorded as Ochen, Ochtmoni or Oggen.
- 1234 – Battle of Altenesch
- 1400 – First regulations about the Ochtum
- 1571 – Breach of the Ochtum dykeLeveeA levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels...
- 1833 – Im Warfelde the Ochtum is diverted along a side channel, which gets rid of a large number of bends. Water flow improves.
- 1881 - During a time of very high water the Middle Weser bursts the dyke near HoyaHoyaHoya is a genus of 200-300 species of tropical plants in the family Apocynaceae , fomerly considered to be in the Asclepiadaceae...
, so that a large amount of floodwater is led away by the Ochtum. - 1962 - the depression around the Ochtum is completely flooded by the North SeaNorth Sea flood of 1962The North Sea flood of 1962 was a natural disaster affecting mainly the coastal regions of Germany and in particular the city of Hamburg in the night from 16 February to 17 February 1962...
on 16/17 February and Bremen is separated from the district of Bremen-Huchting. In Huchting several people die in the allotments occupied by folk whose homes had been bombed during the war. - 28 January 1966 – An aeroplane belonging to the German airline LufthansaLufthansa Flight 005Lufthansa Flight 005 was a scheduled flight en route from Frankfurt to Hamburg with a stopover in Bremen. The aircraft crashed just beyond the runway in Bremen just before 19:00 on January 28, 1966, in a go-around after an aborted landing...
crashed near the Ochtum after an aborted landing at Bremen AirportBremen AirportBremen Airport or Flughafen Bremen serves the German city of Bremen and is located south of the city. There were 2.4 million passengers in 2008.-History:The beginnings of the airport date back to the early 20th century...
. All 46 passengers and crew died. - 1973 - In November and December 1973 several storm surgeStorm surgeA 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...
s caused serious damage in the area between the mouth and Huchting. One person died. - 1976 - In January two very severe storm surges caused heavy damage between Huchting and the mouth of the Ochtum. During the storm surge of 3 January 1976 similar water levels were reached to those in the February floods of 1962.
- 2 June 1976 – Completion of the Ochtum Barrage near Altenesch, for which the Lower Saxon State Department for Waterways, Coastal and Nature Conservation (Niedersächsische Landesbetrieb für Wasserwirtschaft, Küsten- and Naturschutz or NLWKN) is responsible. The old port on the Ochtum was moved to its present location below the Ochtum barrage.
- 1989/1990 – Diversion of a 5.4 km long section of the Ochtum through the Park links der Weser, so that the runway at Bremen AirportBremen AirportBremen Airport or Flughafen Bremen serves the German city of Bremen and is located south of the city. There were 2.4 million passengers in 2008.-History:The beginnings of the airport date back to the early 20th century...
can be fully utilised. The roughly 5 km long old branch of the Ochtum north of Grolland has been left in place.
Water quality
According to the 2000 water quality map by the state of Bremen the Ochtum is classified as Class II, moderately polluted, as far as the district of Bremen-Strom.Importances as a transport route
The Ochtum is used by water sports clubs. The paths on the Ochtum dykesLevee
A levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels...
are popular with cyclists and inline skaters.