Fürstenwalde/Spree ( German pronunciation: [ˈfʏʁstn̩ˌvaldə] ; Lower Sorbian : Pśibor pśi Sprjewje [ˈpɕibɔr ˈpɕi sprʲɛwʲɛ] ) is the most populous town in the Oder-Spree District of Brandenburg , in eastern Germany .
31-577: The town is situated in the glacial valley ( Urstromtal ) of the Spree river north of the Rauen Hills , about 60 km (37 mi) east of Berlin and 30 km (19 mi) west of Frankfurt (Oder) . The district capital Beeskow is about 25 km (16 mi) to the southeast. In the north, the municipal area comprises the village of Trebus. The town is located on the western part of historic Lubusz Land (Land Lebus) . The Fürstenwalde station
62-438: A few to a few dozen metres high. The bottom and the edges of an Urstromtal may have been significantly altered by more recent processes, especially the thawing of dead ice blocks or the accumulation of sand dunes . In the post-glacial period , many Urstromtäler became bogs due to their low lying situation and the high water table. In Central Europe , there are several Urstromtäler from various periods. Some sections of
93-985: A part of the southern boundary of the plain: the Eifel , Bergisches Land and the Sauerland . In the east the North German Plain spreads out beyond the Harz Mountains and Kyffhäuser further to the south as far as the Central Saxon hill country and the foothills of the Ore Mountains . It is known that the North German Plain was formed during the Pleistocene era as a result of the various glacial advances of terrestrial Scandinavian ice sheets as well as by periglacial geomorphologic processes. The terrain may be considered as part of
124-468: Is twinned with: Urstromtal An urstromtal (plural: Urstromtäler ) is a type of broad glacial valley , for example, in northern Central Europe , that appeared during the ice ages , or individual glacial periods of an ice age, at the edge of the Scandinavian ice sheet and was formed by meltwaters that flowed more or less parallel to the ice margin. Urstromtäler are an element of
155-541: Is a stop on the railway line from Berlin to Frankfurt (Oder), the former Lower Silesian-Marcher Railway . It also has access to the parallel Bundesautobahn 12 . The 39 MW Fürstenwalde Solar Park supplies electricity to the local grid. The settlement of Fürstenwalde was first mentioned in a 1272 deed, founded in the course of the German Ostsiedlung migration at a ford across the Spree river, probably near
186-758: Is drained by rivers that flow northwards into the North Sea or the Baltic and tributaries to the Rhine river that flows West. The Rhine, Ems , Weser , Elbe and Havel are the most important rivers which drain the North German Lowlands into the North Sea and created woods in their flood plains and folds, e.g. the Spreewald ("Spree Forest"). Only a small area of the North German Plain falls within
217-603: Is similar to that of the great Urstromtäler , but they are considerably shorter. They are also not linked to a sandur and a terminal moraine . Urstromtäler of Central Europe (Poland, Germany and Denmark especially) were directly connected to the North Atlantic Ocean, via the Channel River , during Pleistocene maximum glaciations, i.e. at times of confluence of the British and Fennoscandian ice-sheets in
248-497: The Altes Land near Hamburg , which is characterised by relatively mild temperatures year round due to the proximity of the North Sea and lower Elbe river, providing excellent conditions for fruit production. Azonal vegetation complexes of moors, riparian forests, fens and water bodies originally stretched along the rivers Ems , Weser , Elbe , Havel and Spree . Distinctive salt marshes , tideflats and tidal reed beds in
279-811: The Urstromtäler between the rivers were used for canal routes due to their low gradient, for example for the Elbe–Havel Canal or the Oder–Havel Canal . Because the land in North America and on the Russian Plain tilts towards the south, the formation of Urstromtäler there during the ice age did not take place. The Mississippi River and its tributaries carried the meltwaters of the North American ice sheet away. In Eastern Europe
310-757: The Wittelsbach margrave Otto VII of Brandenburg by the Treaty of Fürstenwalde. From 1373 to 1415, the town was part of the Bohemian Crown . As also the collegiate church in Lebus was destroyed, Bishop Wenceslaus moved the official seat of the Bishopric of Lebus to Fürstenwalde, where the St Mary's Church was raised to a cathedral . The last Catholic bishop was Georg von Blumenthal (1490–1550), who
341-531: The estuaries existed permanently in the tidal zone of the North Sea coast. The natural vegetation of the North German Plain is thought to have been forest formed mainly by the dominant species European Beech (Fagetalia). According to Germany's Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, the BfN , the North German Plain consists of the natural regions listed below. Where possible, their names have been derived from authoritative English-language source(s), as indicated by
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#1732798264330372-575: The glacial series . The term is German and means "ancient stream valley". Although often translated as "glacial valley", it should not be confused with a valley carved out by a glacier. More accurately some sources call them "meltwater valleys" or "ice-marginal valleys". Important for the emergence of the Urstromtäler is the fact that the general lie of the land on the North German Plain and in Poland slopes down from south to north. Thus
403-570: The Börde areas (Hildesheim Börde, Magdeburg Börde, with their fertile, loess soils). High-level bog peat can be found in the poorest soils, e.g. in the Teufelsmoor . In the loess areas of the lowland are found the oldest settlement locations in Germany ( Linear Pottery culture ). The northeastern part of the plain (Young Drift) is geomorphologically distinct and contains a multitude of lakes (e.g.
434-544: The Fulda Gap option was seen as the most likely invasion route because of easier and closer access to tactical and strategic goals important for an invasion of Western Europe. Of the two North German plain invasion options, the southern route of the attack, which had the better strategic opportunities, would have been led by the Soviet Third Shock Army . The plain's geography, which makes it suitable for
465-650: The Mueritz lake in the Mecklenburg Lake Plateau ) which are vestiges of the last ice age. The retreating glaciers left this landscape behind around 16,000 to 13,000 years ago. In comparison, the dry plains of northwestern Germany (Lower Saxony, western Schleswig-Holstein, and the Bochum area of North Rhine Westphalia) are more heavily weathered and levelled ( Old Drift ) as the last large scale glaciations here occurred at least 130,000 years ago. The region
496-592: The Old or Young Drift ( Alt- or Jungmoräne ), depending on whether or not it was formed by the ice sheets of the last glacial period, the Weichselian Ice Age . The surface relief varies from level to undulating. The lowest points are low moorlands and old marshland on the edge of the ridge of dry land in the west of Schleswig-Holstein (the Wilster Marsh is 3.5 m (11 ft) below sea level) and in
527-715: The aforementioned main valleys have been given their own names. The Lusatian Urstromtal and the Aller Urstromtal are parts of the Breslau-Magdeburg-Bremen Urstromtal . The Baruth, Berlin and Eberswalde Urstromtäler are common short names for the associated sections of the Urstromtal in Brandenburg . In addition to the large main valleys there are also numerous smaller meltwater valleys ( Urstromtalungen ). Their appearance
558-568: The catchment area of the Oder and Neiße rivers which drain into the Baltic. The North Sea coast and the adjacent coastal areas of the facing East and North Frisian Islands are characterised by a maritime climate . South of the coast, a broad band of maritime and sub-maritime climate stretches from the east coast of Schleswig-Holstein to the western edges of the Central Uplands . To
589-512: The ice sheet that advanced from Scandinavia flowed into a rising terrain. The meltwaters could therefore only flow for a short distance southwards over the sandurs (outwash plains) before having to find a way to the North Sea basin that was parallel to the ice margin. At that time, the area that is now the North Sea was dry as a result of the low level of the sea. As elements of the glacial series, Urstromtäler are intermeshed with sandur areas for long stretches along their northern perimeters. It
620-442: The intervening North Sea. Urstromtäler should not be confused with tunnel valleys . The latter are formed beneath, not in front of, the ice mass. In addition most tunnel valleys run from north to south. The principal direction of Urstromtäler is from east to west. Today Urstromtäler are only partly used by rivers, because the majority have found shorter routes to the sea (like the Oder and Vistula ). The straight troughs of
651-671: The meltwaters flowed down the river basins of the Dnieper , Don and Volga . Urstromtäler , whether sandy or boggy, posed considerable obstacles to movement in the Middle Ages . As a result, the trade routes converged on points where the valley could be crossed comparatively easily. These hubs thus became favourite sites for the founding of towns or castles. Examples from the German state of Brandenburg include Berlin , Fürstenwalde , Luckenwalde and Baruth/Mark , and from Lower Saxony
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#1732798264330682-936: The northwest of Lower Saxony (Freepsum, 2.3 m (7.5 ft) below sea level). The highest points may be referred to as Vistula and Hall glaciation terminal moraines (depending on the ice age which formed them) – e.g., on the Fläming Heath (200 m (660 ft) above sea level) and the Helpt Hills 179 m (587 ft)). Following the ice ages, rain-fed, raised bogs originated in western and northern Lower Saxony during warm periods of high precipitation (as influenced by Medieval Warm Period). These bogs were formerly widespread but much of this terrain has now been drained or otherwise superseded. The coastal areas consist of Holocene lake and river marshes and lagoons connected to Pleistocene Old and Young Drift terrain in various stages of formation and weathering. After or during
713-652: The references. During the Cold War , in the event of war between NATO and the Warsaw Pact , NATO military strategists identified the North German plain as an area that could have been used for two of three major invasion routes into Western Europe by Warsaw Pact forces. The third route was the Fulda Gap further south. The North German plain routes were the best attack options for an attacking army. However,
744-494: The retreat of the glaciers, wind-borne sand often formed dunes, which were later fixed by vegetation. Human intervention caused the emergence of open heath such as the Lüneburg Heath , and measures such as deforestation and the so-called Plaggenhieb (removal of the topsoil for use as fertilizer elsewhere) caused a wide impoverishment of the soil ( Podsol ). The most fertile soils are the young marshes ( Auen-Vegen ) and
775-517: The site of a former Slavic settlement. The Lebus Land had been acquired from Poland by the Ascanian margraves of Brandenburg in 1248/1249. The town's importance rose as a staple port and terminal of the transportation of goods on the river. In 1373 Emperor Charles IV , since 1367 also Margrave of adjacent Lower Lusatia campaigned the Brandenburg lands and enforced the renunciation of
806-609: The south east and east, the climate becomes increasingly subcontinental: characterised by temperature differences between summer and winter which progressively increase away from the tempering effect of the ocean. Locally, a drier continental climate can be found in the rain shadow of the Harz and some smaller areas of upland like the Drawehn and the Fläming . Special microclimates occur in bogs and heathlands and, for example, in
837-981: The south, by the Netherlands to the west and Poland to the east. In the west, the southern boundary of the North German Plain is formed by the Lower Saxon Hills : specifically the ridge of the Teutoburg Forest , the Wiehen Hills , the Weser Hills and the Lower Saxon Börde, which partly separate it from that area of the Plain known as the Westphalian Lowland . Elements of the Rhenish Massif also act
868-618: The town of Vorsfelde and Wolfsburg Castle . North German Plain The North German Plain or Northern Lowland ( German : Norddeutsches Tiefland ) is one of the major geographical regions of Germany . It is the German part of the North European Plain . The region is bounded by the coasts of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea to the north, Germany's Central Uplands ( die Mittelgebirge ) to
899-662: Was administratively located in the Province of Brandenburg . During World War II , it was the location of a subcamp of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp . From 1947 to 1952 it was part of the State of Brandenburg , from 1952 to 1990 of the Bezirk Frankfurt of East Germany and since 1990 again of Brandenburg. Seats in the town's assembly ( Stadtverordnetenversammlung ) as of 2014 local elections: Fürstenwalde
930-516: Was besieged in his palace by Lutheran robbers led by Nickel von Minckwitz. The Bishop had to escape through a window in disguise. The bishopric was secularized during the Reformation in 1555, and was completely disbanded at the ascension of Joachim Frederick as Margrave of Brandenburg in 1598. From the 18th century, Fürstenwalde was part of the Kingdom of Prussia , and from 1815 to 1947, it
961-524: Was over these outwash plains that the meltwaters poured into them. Urstromtäler are relatively uniformly composed of sands and gravels ; the grain size can vary considerably, however. Fine sand dominates especially in the upper sections of the Urstromtal sediments. The thickness of the Urstromtal sediments also varies a great deal, but is mostly well over ten metres. Urstromtäler have wide and very flat valley bottoms that are between 1.5 and 20 kilometres wide. The valley sides, by contrast are only