Culture and history Lüneburg Heath

1 culture , history

1.1 history
1.2 transition settlement culture
1.3 settlements
1.4 heath convents
1.5 end of heathland farming in 19th century
1.6 changing perception of heath
1.7 history of conservation on lüneburg heath
1.8 forest fire

culture , history

prince s grave (fürstengrab) near niederhaverbeck



so-called hannibal s grave (hannibals grab) near wilsede



sieben steinhäuser, grave d



tumuli on lüneburg heath


early history

pollen analyses show dry geest soils of north germany have been cultivated since 3000 bc. clearance fire , cultivation of crops on pleistocene sandy soils led soil degradation. land cleared fire used short time. settlements moved , woods elsewhere cleared. @ time first calluna (heather) heaths appeared (see above). evidence of relatively dense settlement found in uelzen district. on lüneburg heath there numerous megalithic sites , tumuli neolithic , bronze age. famous oldendorfer totenstatt (oldendorf gravesite) , sieben steinhäuser (seven stone houses). in lüneburg heath nature reserve there more thousand tumuli, near nieder- , oberhaverbeck. largest of these tumuli so-called prince s grave (fürstengrab). near wilsede there well-known stone , juniper group known hannibal s grave (hannibals grab).

transition settlement culture

after withdrawal of lombards in migration period, 700 ad lüneburg heath belonged duchy of saxony, conquered charlemagne in 9th century , became part of frankish empire. resulting close control of population , christianization meant rural settlements had stay in 1 place , no longer move freely. land had farmed more intensively led heathland spreading.

settlements

wilsede heath museum – typical timber-framed hall house (fachhallenhaus)

lüneburg heath relatively sparsely populated due poor soils in area. region dominated heath farming less intensive form of land usage necessary large areas of barren terrain , heathland. important economic sideline of past centuries heathland beekeeping. villages encircled small tracts of woodland, interrupted fields or meadows, , merged without clear boundaries surrounding landscape. farmsteads arranged relatively arbitrarily, many stood close 1 another; others spread out @ distance each other. loose cluster villages (lockere haufendörfer). in order prevent cattle trampling flat gardens attached houses, village roads enclosed wooden fences and, later, characteristic stone walls. typical design of farmhouse fachhallenhaus, large timber-framed single building, in people , animals lived under single roof. each village had relatively few complete farms; in wilsede there four, in church village (kirchdorf) of undeloh there eleven, exception. in addition there koten (small, single houses), sheep pens , shared bakehouses. farms themselves, however, large. in wilsede features of heath village described here may still seen. wilsede heath museum (heidemuseum wilsede) established in fachhallenhaus , gives insight working , living conditions of heathland farm around 1850. walsrode heath museum 1 of first german open air museums , portrays life of heathland folk. in rural parts of region still use today low german dialect called heidjerisch. word derives name given inhabitants of lüneburg heath – heidjer.

heath convents

in lüneburg heath region, 6 nunneries middle ages survived, became protestant convents after reformation. these establishments abbeys of: ebstorf, isenhagen, lüne, medingen, wienhausen , walsrode.

the end of heathland farming in 19th century

pine forest



heath landscape, painting arnold lyongrün (1912)

from 1831 feudalism abolished in kingdom of hanover , heathland areas common land villages divided amongst individual farmers. heathland farming died out @ end of 19th century. many farmers sold land prussian treasury or hanover monastic chamber, afforested land pines. result, area of heath drastically reduced.

in 1800, large parts of northwest germany had been covered heaths , bog. today, contrast large, continuous areas of heath remaining in lüneburg heath nature reserve , on few military training areas.

the changing perception of heath

the heath in late autumn

painting erwin vollmer, 1942

as late turn of 18th 19th century, barren , treeless heathlands still perceived hostile , threatening environments, evinced 2 travel logs of journeys between 1799 , 1804:

as had traversed hanoverian dominions in many directions, did not expect find nature clothed in charms, or high degree of population, fertility, , cultivation. next lauenburg, think worst tract of equal extent ever met with. soil 1 vast sandy desert, either naturally bare, or covered patches of heath or grass.

— charles gottlob küttner: travels through denmark, sweden, austria , part of italy, in 1798 & 1799. london 1805.

on leaving zell passed through dark wood, of @ least 2 leagues in extent; , city harburgh, in line of twenty german miles, travelled on sandy plains , extensive heaths. @ great distance, geese, ducks , sheep of poor appearance, never failed indicate vicinity of wretched hamlet. habitations! whole families, of wretched appearance, , covered tattered garments, associate together, eat , sleep cattle. near these real catacombs observed growing few stalks of rye , barley, , here , there few tufu of buck-wheat. straw short , stunted, , ears of diminutive size. population , agriculture must ever dependant on each other.

— michel ange mangourit: travels in hanover, during years 1803 , 1804. london 1806.

the poem der heideknabe ( heath lad ) year 1844 friedrich hebbel stresses unearthly atmosphere , bleak solitude of heaths:

:(...) out, out of town! , there stretches,

the heath, misty, ghostly,
the wind swishing on it,
oh, every step here thousand others!


and still, , quiet,
you around signs of life,
only hungry birds dart by
out of clouds, spear worms (...).

towards middle of 19th century first positive descriptions of heath emerged, inspired romantic movement. industrial revolution in germany, unspoilt nature became more important people, providing welcome contrast rapidly burgeoning cities. because heathlands of north germany being increasingly decimated cultivation , reforestation, appeared worth protecting. numerous writers , painters portrayed beauty of heath, particularly when in bloom in august , september. 1 important heathland artist eugen bracht. famous heath poet local writer hermann löns (1866–1914), spent time living in hunting lodge near westenholz. worked heath countryside books , promoted foundation of first german nature reserve on lüneburg heath. purported remains buried in juniper copse @ tietlingen near walsrode in 1935. works source heimatfilme shot on lüneburg heath, such grün ist die heide ( heath green ) 1932 , remade in 1951 , 1972, rot ist die liebe ( red love ) 1956.

history of conservation on lüneburg heath

around 1900, there growing demands save heathland , bogs of northwest germany, threatened reforestation , drainage. on lüneburg heath, wilhelm bode, pastor @ egestorf, particularly active in pressing preservation of endangered countryside. had learned in 1905 of plans building weekend houses on totengrund. in order prevent this, persuaded andreas thomsen, professor münster, acquire area nature reserve. in 1909, pastor bode , district administrator (landrat) fritz ecker prevented planned reforestation of wilseder berg.

totengrund around 1960

in same year, appeal curt floerike appeared in kosmos magazine, citing establishment of national parks in united states , calling them in germany. in order realise goal, nature park society or verein naturschutzpark (vnp) founded in munich on 23 october 1909. planned create national parks in alps, central uplands , in north german geest region. 1913, society had 13,000 members.

the area of lüneburg heath near wilsede selected location north german national park. using vnp s funds, more 30 km² of heathland purchased or rented 1913. in 1921, police ordinance placed more 200 km² of lüneburg heath under protection, first time had been achieved in germany. 1 problem arose 1920s steadily increasing number of visitors. in 1924, in order keep visitors away sensitive areas of heathland, volunteer heath guard (heidewacht) founded.

the reich conservation law passed in 1933 , lüneburg heath designated official nature reserve. although plans build motorway through park , heath used military training area stopped, in 1933 heidewacht disbanded, because made of members of social democratic youth organisations. in 1939, new law granted chairman of vnp – called führer – wide-ranging powers. jews no longer members of society.

tank tracks near wilsede

between 1891 , second world war, large military training areas established on lüneburg heath, including largest 1 in europe, bergen-hohne training area on südheide. here heathland has largely been preserved, albeit no longer accessible general public.

a large area of nature park belonging society near schneverdingen taken on british army of rhine in 1945 use tank training area. in 1950s, during military exercises, british tanks pushed forward far wilseder berg. not until soltau-lüneburg agreement, signed in 1959 between federal republic of germany, united kingdom , canada, boundaries of tank training area fixed. continual exercising on area armoured vehicles destroyed vegetation on osterheide near schneverdingen, forming large areas of sand dunes. in 1994, british returned so-called red areas of soltau-lüneburg training area nature park society who, of money federal government, set work of renaturation. nowadays hardly traces of tank training area left. base camp military exercises, reinsehlen camp, has been turned nature reserve.

forest fire

in august 1975, fire broke out on südheide turned out biggest forest fire in west germany date.

serious forest fires broke out in southern part of area near stüde, neudorf-platendorf, meinersen , eschede near celle, devastating effects , fatalities.