Leipzig lowland bay
The Leipzig lowlands is a relatively picturesque lakes and treeless, but is very high soil fertility distinguishing landscape in the northwest of Saxony and in the southeast of Saxony-Anhalt .
Originally this area was very rich in forests and water. In the course of urbanization and the development of open- cast lignite mining since the 1920s, however, enormous areas have been cleared and many bodies of water have been channeled or diverted. The Leipzig lowland bay is bounded in the north by the Dübener Heide , in the east by the Elbe , in the south by the Erzgebirge foreland and the Central Saxon hill country and in the west by the Saale . The Leipzig-Halle agglomeration is located in the center of the Leipzig lowland bay . Other important cities are Delitzsch , Eilenburg , Merseburg and Borna .
geology
The Leipzig lowland bay is old moraine and at the same time the southernmost part of the north German lowlands in eastern Germany. The landscape is essentially a plain with only minor elevations, such as the Hohburger Mountains , interrupted by the large river valleys of Saale , Weißer Elster , Mulde and Pleiße .
The Leipzig lowland bay was created in the Tertiary . When the Ore Mountains and the Vogtland rose, a basin formed as a compensatory movement , in which weathered material from the mountains was deposited. Due to the formation of bogs and changing floods , organic material was also deposited in this basin, which in turn was covered by sediments . Lignite formed from these deposits , which is covered with layers of sand and loess .
location
In terms of traffic, the landscape is very well developed. A heart-shaped motorway ring, the so-called Central German Loop , runs around the conurbation . The Leipzig / Halle Airport is the main "hub" in the eastern states and in cargo traffic of major international concern. Of the railway lines leading in all directions, the high-speed routes of the transport project German Unity No. 8 are particularly noteworthy, the short travel times from Halle (Saale) Hbf or Leipzig Hbf to Berlin (approx. 1 hour 15 minutes), Frankfurt (approx. 3 hours) and Munich (approx. 3 h 15 min). In addition, federal roads connect the Leipzig lowland bay with the other parts of the country. Only inland shipping has no direct access to this area, although the unfinished Elster-Saale Canal began in the mid-19th century .
meaning
The greater Leipzig area is historically, culturally and economically of enormous importance for Central Germany . In addition, it is also developing in terms of landscape and tourism, through the recultivation of old brown coal mining sites and their conversion into recreational areas , especially north and south of Leipzig. As a result of the flooding of the remaining open-cast mining holes, many new lakes were created in the Leipzig lowland bay , which are gradually changing the face of the landscape.
See also
literature
- Matthias Donath: Leipziger Land. Cultural Landscapes of Saxony Vol. 2 , Edition Leipzig, Leipzig 2010
Individual evidence
- ^ Geological overview map 1: 200 000, sheet CC 4734 Leipzig . Federal Institute for Geosciences and Raw Materials.