Cecilia flood

The Cäcilienflut was a devastating storm surge in the area of ​​the Lower Elbe on November 21, 1412 . The name of the storm surge is derived from the name day of Saint Cecilia .

course

On the day of November 21, 1412, the water of the North Sea was pressed into the mouth of the Elbe by a storm, which prevented the water from draining. The backing up water masses flooded the country and reached the area around the city of Hamburg in the evening. The water had already destroyed a village at the estuary of the river before that . Less damage was caused to the coast during the high tide, but the destruction was massive on the Lower Elbe. Later chroniclers reported that 30,600 people are said to have lost their lives in this flood, which suggests a misprint for 36,000. It is said to have been the heaviest flood since the Groten Mandrenke in 1362.

The pastor at Hamburg's Pesthof , Peter Hessel (1639–1677), wrote in the 17th century:

“Anno 1412. on Cecilien evening

there is such an Elbe flood here in the country because of the great one

Storm wind emerged

thereof in the Old Country

and in the other surrounding Masch = and below

Warder countries

when 30,600 people died. "

Effects

The flood changed the structure of the landscape and its settlement. The village of Altenwerder was completely cleared after it had been almost completely destroyed. It was rebuilt in a nearby but better protected place. Finkenwerder were also badly affected , but also the areas around Billwerder , Ochsenwerder and Moorwerder . All the villages were only rebuilt after a few years.

In the old country , the village of Zesterfleth drowned and the Elbe island Hahnöfersand was separated from the mainland.

See also

• List of storm surges in the North Sea

proof

• Ernst Christian Schütt u. a .: Chronicle of Hamburg. 2nd updated edition. Bertelsmann Lexikon Verlag, Gütersloh / Munich 1997, ISBN 3-577-14443-2 , p. 60.

1. ↑ Catastrophic storm surges since 1164  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.   , safecoast.nl (pdf, no longer available 2013)
2. ↑ ^{a b} Origin of the Bracks , on Hamburg.de (PDF; 2.0 MB)