Eckernförde Bay

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Eckernförde Bay
Blick ueber Eckernfoerder Bucht.jpg
Schleswig-Holstein relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Eckernförde Bay
Relief Map of Germany.svg
Red pog.svg
Eckernförde Bay
Location Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
Coordinates 54°28′41″N9°56′42″E / 54.47806°N 9.94500°E / 54.47806; 9.94500
Type firth
Part of Bay of Kiel
Max. length17 km (11 mi)
Max. width10 km (6.2 mi)
Max. depth28 m (92 ft)

Eckernförde Bay (German : Eckernförder Bucht; Danish : Egernførde Fjord or Egernfjord) is a firth and a branch of the Bay of Kiel between the Danish Wahld peninsula in the south and the Schwansen peninsula in the north in the Baltic Sea off the lands of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The bay extends around 17 km (11 mi) deep into the land and is 10 km (6.2 mi) wide at its entrance where Booknis-Eck (municipality of Waabs) and Danish-Nienhof (municipality of Schwedeneck) mark the endpoints. The bay is up to 28 m (92 ft) deep. The border to the Kiel Fjord lies at the Bülk Lighthouse. The once forested Danish Wahld peninsula between Kiel Fjord and Eckernförde Bay constituted the borderland between the Saxons and the Danes until the Middle Ages. At the inner end of the bay lies the town of Eckernförde. [1]

Contents

Geography

Beech tree forest in rural Noer municipality, Eckernforde Bay 131125 Buchenwald Sommer 2010 b.jpg
Beech tree forest in rural Noer municipality, Eckernförde Bay

The bay formed during the last Ice Age between 120,000 to 10,000 years ago from a glacier. According to some geologists, the depth contour of the Eckernförde Bay had already formed before the Ice Age and contributed to the fact that the Eckernförde glacier was divided into two parts, the northern Windebyer-Noor and the southern Wittensee-Goossee.

The original post-glacial end of Eckernförde Bay, today's Windebyer Noor, is now separated from the Baltic Sea by a headland on which the town of Eckernförde was built. In 1929 man-made embankments further separated the Noor. There are plans to establish a canal between the Bay and the Windebyer Noor.

The shores of the bay are shaped by the tides and the surf as during high winds from the northeast and southwest, heavy sea might build up. When the water level is 0.75 m (2.5 ft) higher than usual, sand and gravel is being eroded from the cliff coast. In some places, the coastline recedes 15 to 20 cm (5.9 to 7.9 in) every year. As a result the hills of the Terminal moraines, that had formed during the last Ice Age in the southeast are hollowed out and a 30 m (98 ft) high and 3.6 km (2.2 mi) long cliff has formed in front of Altenhof. The steadily eroded material is partly deposited further west and has separated the Goossee from the Eckernförde Bay. Several sand banks run parallel to the beach. The banks are mainly forested with deciduous trees. [2] [3]

History

Battle of Eckernforde, 1849 Scene af slaget ved Eckernforde 1849.jpg
Battle of Eckernförde, 1849

As Danish tribes had settled in Schwansen since around 700 CE. and German settlers had arrived at Danish Wahld around 1260, the Eckernförde Bay became the linguistic border between Low German in the south and Danish in the north. [4] The divide is still noticeable in the Danish-Nordic toponyms in Schwansen, where German as Lingua franca was subsequently used. However, Danish also remained in widespread use in Schwansen until the 19th century. [5] Both Schwansen and the Danish Wahld retained their feudal character until the Early Modern Period.

During the Battle of Eckernförde in 1849, the Danish Ship of the line Christian VIII and the Danish frigate Gefion were shot at by beach batteries from Schleswig-Holstein troops. Christian VIII eventually exploded and the crewv of the frigate surrendered and the ship was taken over by the Schleswig-Holstein army. [6]

A few years later, the 1872 Baltic Sea flood caused severe damage to the coastal towns of Eckernförde Bay. The town of Eckernförde in particular suffered the most. [7]

Economy, infrastructure and transport

The Eckernförde Bay is a popular holiday destination. The seaside resort Eckernförde registers around 135,000 overnight stays a year. There are eleven campsites scattered around the bay. The waters of the bay are also the starting point for the ancient Aalregatta during the Kiel Week. [8]

The Bundeswehr operates several bases and facilities at Eckernförde Bay, such as the WTD 71, an institute for Marine technology and research, a restricted military area, that is off limit for civilians.

Since the 15th century a road on the beach wall (near the modern Bundesstrasse 76) existed between Goossee and Eckernförde Bay, which was later converted into a dam. The dam was badly damaged in the 1872 flood of the Baltic Sea, as the road built in the 17th century was no longer functional. The road was rebuilt and the dam was raised. The modern road was built in 1965.

The Kiel–Flensburg railway (built by the Kiel-Eckernförde-Flensburger Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft - KEFE) runs parallel to the road that is operated by the Schleswig-Holstein Regional Railway.

Numerous bicycle paths, such as the Baltic Sea Cycle Route criss-cross the Eckernförde Bay area. The Baltic Sea Cycle Route traverses around the Baltic Sea as part of the European EuroVelo network. The region is thus connected with Kiel, Lübeck and Copenhagen. [9] [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiel Canal</span> Canal in Germany

The Kiel Canal is a 98 km (61 mi) long freshwater canal in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. The canal was finished in 1895, but later widened, and links the North Sea at Brunsbüttel to the Baltic Sea at Kiel-Holtenau. An average of 460 km (290 mi) is saved by using the Kiel Canal instead of going around the Jutland Peninsula. This not only saves time but also avoids storm-prone seas and having to pass through the Danish straits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schleswig-Holstein</span> State in Germany

Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig. Its capital city is Kiel; other notable cities are Lübeck and Flensburg.

Rendsburg-Eckernförde is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by the city of Kiel, the district of Plön, the city of Neumünster, the districts of Segeberg, Steinburg, Dithmarschen and Schleswig-Flensburg, and the Baltic Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schlei</span> Inlet of the Baltic Sea in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

The Schlei, more often referred to in English as the Sly Firth, is a narrow inlet of the Baltic Sea in Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany. It stretches for approximately 20 miles from the Baltic near Kappeln and Arnis to the city of Schleswig. Along the Schlei are many small bays and swamps. It separates the Angeln peninsula to the north from the Schwansen peninsula to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swania</span> Peninsula in Schleswig-Holstein

Swania is a peninsula in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, protruding into the Baltic Sea. It is located between the Eckernförde Bay to the south and the Schlei inlet to the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglia (peninsula)</span> Place in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Anglia is a small peninsula in northern Germany, on the Baltic coast of Jutland. Jutland consists of the mainland of Denmark and the northernmost German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Anglia belongs to the region of Southern Schleswig, which constitutes the northern part of Schleswig-Holstein. The region is often referred to in German as Landschaft Angeln or Halbinsel Angeln.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eckernförde</span> Town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Eckernförde is a German town in Schleswig-Holstein, Kreis Rendsburg-Eckernförde, on the coast of the Baltic Sea approximately 30 km north-west of Kiel. The population is about 23,000. Eckernförde is a popular tourist destination in northern Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bay of Kiel</span>

The Bay of Kiel or Kiel Bay is a bay in the southwestern Baltic Sea, off the shores of Schleswig-Holstein in Germany and the islands of Denmark. It is connected with the Bay of Mecklenburg in the east, the Little Belt in the northwest, and the Great Belt in the North.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danish Wahld</span>

The Danish Wahld is a peninsula in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located between Eckernförde Bay in the north and Kiel Fjord in the south. The Amt of "Dänischer Wohld" in the district of Rendsburg-Eckernförde is named after the peninsula, but only encompasses a central part of the region.

Schlei was an Amt in the district of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It was situated on the south-eastern bank of the Schlei, an inlet of the Baltic Sea, between Eckernförde and Schleswig. The village Fleckeby was the seat of the Amt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schülp bei Rendsburg</span> Municipality in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Schülp bei Rendsburg is a municipality in the district of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

Schwansen was an Amt in the district of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It covered most of the peninsula Schwansen. The seat of the Amt was in Damp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Förden and East Jutland Fjorde</span>

The eastern coast of the Jutland Peninsula, consisting of Danish Jutland and German Schleswig-Holstein features a type of narrow bay called Förde in German and fjord in Danish. These bays are of glacial origin, but the glacial mechanics were different from those of Norwegian Fjords and also from those of Swedish and Finnish Fjards. Inlets similar to these are also found on the Door peninsula, Bruce peninsula, and Long island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jutland</span> Peninsula in Europe

Jutland is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It stretches from the Grenen spit in the north to the confluence of Elbe and Sude in the southeast. The historic southern border river of Jutland as a cultural-geographical region, which historically also included Southern Schleswig, is the Eider. The peninsula, on the other hand, also comprises areas south of the Eider: Holstein, the former duchy of Lauenburg, and most of Hamburg and Lübeck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wagria</span>

Wagria is the northeastern part of Holstein in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, corresponding roughly to the districts of Plön and Ostholstein. The word "Wagria" is derived from the Slavic Lechites tribe of Wagri, which meant "those who live by the bays".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiel–Flensburg railway</span> Railway in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

The Kiel–Flensburg railway is a single-track railway in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The railway connects the city of Kiel on the Baltic Sea with Eckernförde and Flensburg. Travel time over the 80 km (50 mi) railway is around 75 minutes with a maximum speed of 120 km/h (75 mph).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourism in Schleswig-Holstein</span> Tourism in Germany

Tourism is an important economic factor for Germany's northernmost state of Schleswig-Holstein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eckernförde station</span> Station in Eckernförde, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Eckernförde station is the station of the town of Eckernförde in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It is a through station and the most important en-route station on the Kiel–Flensburg railway. It is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 5 station. To the north of the entrance building there was also a terminal station of the Eckernförde District Railway until 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hütten Hills</span>

The Hütten Hills are an area of upland, up to 105.8 m above sea level (NHN), roughly west of the town of Eckernförde in the county of Rendsburg-Eckernförde in the North German state of Schleswig-Holstein. They lie within the Hütten Hills Nature Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eider Canal</span> Former waterway in northern Germany

The Eider Canal was an artificial waterway in southern Denmark which connected the North Sea with the Baltic Sea by way of the rivers Eider and Levensau. Constructed between 1777 and 1784, the Eider Canal was built to create a path for ships entering and exiting the Baltic that was shorter and less storm-prone than navigating around the Jutland peninsula. In the 1880s the canal was replaced by the enlarged Kiel Canal, which includes some of the Eider Canal's watercourse.

References

  1. "Spannende Radrouten in der Eckernförder Bucht". Ostseebad Eckernfoerde. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  2. "Effects of the Temporal Variability of Storm Surges on Coastal Flooding" . Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  3. Samuel J. Bentley, Charles A. Nittrouer (1999). "Physical and Biological Influences on the Formation of Sedimentary Fabric in an Oxygen-Restricted Depositional Environment: Eckernförde Bay, Southwestern Baltic Sea". PALAIOS. jstor. 14 (6): 585–600. Bibcode:1999Palai..14..585B. doi:10.2307/3515315. JSTOR   3515315 . Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  4. F Donald Logan (2 October 2012). A History of the Church in the Middle Ages. Routledge. pp. 71–. ISBN   978-1-134-78669-5.
  5. Haefs, Hanswilhelm (March 11, 2004). Ortsnamen und Ortsgeschichten aus Schleswig-Holstein [Place names and local stories from Schleswig-Holstein ] (in German). ISBN   9783833405099 . Retrieved January 6, 2021 via Ernster.
  6. Gert Laursen. "Katastrofen ved Eckernførde". archive org. Archived from the original on 2011-10-26. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  7. Thomas Sävert. "Sturmflut Ostsee 1872". naturgewalten. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  8. "AALREGATTA ZUR KIELER WOCHE FÜR JEDERMANN". Aalregatta. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  9. "Ostseeküsten-Radweg". Ostsee-Holstein-Tourismus e.V. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  10. "Baltic Sea Cycle Route". ECF. Retrieved January 5, 2021.