Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park is a national park in the Dutch province of Utrecht . It covers the southern part of the Utrecht Hill Ridge . When it was founded in 2003 the park covered 6,000 ha (15,000 acres) of heathlands, shifting sands, forests, grass lands and floodplains. In 2013 the park was extended to 10,000 ha (25,000 acres), adding the area north of highway A12 when the ecoduct Mollebos was realized. The most striking landscape feature is the glacial ridge after which the park is named.
41-513: The landscape of the park dates from the next-to-last ice age, Saalien . Afterwards the land was reshaped by the drifting sands, the rivers and the effects of human occupation. Intensive land use, reforestation and the building of country estates transformed the appearance of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug over the centuries. The history of the region is reflected in the wide variety of soil types, relief and land use. The Utrechtse Heuvelrug
82-415: A day: at breakfast, after lunch, in the evening at around 4 pm, and after dinner. Many people also drink a coffee at their place of work at the start of the day's work, and a coffee break with colleagues around an hour before or after lunch. There is also a strong tradition of taking coffee breaks and visiting cafés with friends and acquaintances. In places such as publicly funded universities where free coffee
123-456: A slightly stronger tradition of hard liquor , such as corn , vodka , and schnapps . Binge drinking is far more common in the north – almost 70% of binge drinking hospitalizations on weekends happen in the eight northern provinces and states containing just 40% of the population. As in all of Germany, mulled wine is a popular alcoholic drink during the Christmas season. In
164-400: A variety of black puddings commonly eaten for brunch . Another northern German regional specialty are meatloaves ( Hackbraten ), made from a mixture of ground pork and beef and served with mashed potatoes, brown sauce and lingonberry jam. Many traditional meat-based lunch dishes are served with boiled or mashed potatoes and brown sauce. Eating brunch is very popular during weekends in
205-409: Is an exception insofar as tea is largely preferred over coffee there, to the extent that East Frisians drink about 300 litres (79 US gal) of tea per capita and year, more than in any particular country. Lunch at workplaces and educational institutions in northern Germany begins very early – usually between 11:45 and 12:15 pm, and dinner is usually eaten between 7 and 8 pm. This
246-467: Is because the work and school day starts pretty early, at 8 am sharp. Lunches eaten at home during holidays and weekends usually start later – around 1 pm. The drinking culture in the north is more or less similar to that of the rest of the country, heavily based on beer with pale lagers and pilsners being favourites. Unlike Bavaria and Central Germany , dark beers or dark lagers are not at all popular in northern Germany. The north has
287-553: Is centered around boiled potatoes , rye bread, dairy products, cabbages, cucumbers, berries, jams, fish , and pork and beef . A breakfast specialty is the crispbread ( Knäckebrot ), eaten with a variety of toppings such as ham, soft cheese, cucumber, tomatoes, and liver paste. Lentil stews and soups are very popular as a working lunch. Regional specialties in Schleswig-Holstein , Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Lower Saxony include blood sausage ( Blutwurst ) and
328-699: Is characterized by higher levels of income equality and gender equality than southern and south-western Germany. While the national federal Gini coefficient for Germany stands at around 30, the southern states have a Gini coefficient of 30.6 whereas for the Northern states the Gini coefficient stands at 27.5 which is closer to the Scandinavian average of 25. Traditional society in the western part of Northern Germany ( Schleswig-Holstein , Lower Saxony and some parts of North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony-Anhalt ) until
369-737: Is given first. The German Football Association was founded in Leipzig in 1900. Several cities in Northern Germany have hosted matches of the 1974 FIFA World Cup , UEFA Euro 1988 and 2006 FIFA World Cup . The Nordderby ( Northern derby ) is played between Hamburger SV and SV Werder Bremen , whereas the Hamburg derby is played between Hamburger SV and FC St. Pauli . Other notable men's football clubs include Hertha Berlin , VfL Wolfsburg , Hannover 96 , Eintracht Braunschweig , F.C. Hansa Rostock , 1. FC Magdeburg . Hamburger SV won
410-457: Is not available to students, it is not uncommon for students to bring their own hot coffee in insulated flasks and drink from it intermittently. Cafés usually offer medium-fat milk and sugar cubes along with filter coffee . Commonly eaten desserts include waffles with ice cream, pancakes, the sweet bun roll with cream known as Heißwecke , and blueberry pie ( Heidelbeerkuchen ) with vanilla cream. The northwesternmost region of East Frisia
451-518: Is the second largest forest area in the Netherlands. In the forest some relics from the original post-glacial forests can be found, including oak and beech . In the park several mustelid species can be found, such as the European badger ( Meles meles ) and the European pine marten ( Martes martes ). There are more than 100 bird species living in the park, among which the black woodpecker ,
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#1732790414618492-1205: The 1982–83 European Cup and six German championships, whereas Werder Bremen won the German championship four times and Hertha Berlin twice. In women's football, the VfL Wolfsburg won the Bundesliga three times and the UEFA Women's Champions League twice, whereas 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam won the Bundesliga six times and the UEFA Champions League twice. Notable Basketball Bundesliga teams include Alba Berlin , Basketball Löwen Braunschweig , Hamburg Towers and EWE Baskets Oldenburg . Notable Eishockey-Bundesliga teams include Eisbären Berlin , Grizzlys Wolfsburg , Hamburg Freezers , Hannover Scorpions and Fischtown Pinguins . Notable handball teams include GWD Minden , SG Flensburg-Handewitt , TuS Nettelstedt-Lübbecke , THW Kiel , Handball Hamburg , SC Magdeburg , Buxtehuder SV , VfL Oldenburg and HSG Blomberg-Lippe . Notable marathon races include
533-901: The Berlin Marathon (one of the World Marathon Majors ), Hamburg Marathon , Hannover Marathon . Notable tennis tournaments include the Halle Open , International German Open and Sparkassen Open . Other notable competitions are the Kiel Week , EuroEyes Cyclassics and the Hanse Sail . The Olympiastadion in Berlin has hosted the 1936 Summer Olympics , 2009 IAAF World Championships in Athletics and Internationales Stadionfest . The sailing competitions for
574-946: The Early Middle Ages , Northern Germany was the settlement area of the Saxon tribes, which were subjugated by the Frankish ruler Charlemagne in the Saxon Wars from 772 onwards, whereafter the Imperial Duchy of Saxony was established in 804. In the 10th century the Saxon lands, enlarged by the Saxon Eastern March , became the cradle of the Kingdom of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire , when
615-751: The Eemian interglacial (globally known as the Last Interglacial and the Ipswichian in Britain), spanning from around 400,000 years ago to 130,000 years ago. The Saalian covers multiple glacial cycles punctuated by interglacial periods. In its latter part it is coeval with the global Penultimate Glacial Period . The Saalian succeeded the Holstein interglacial and was followed by the Eemian interglacial (which began around 130,000 years ago) Though
656-767: The Illinoian Stage in North America . In 1910, the name for "Saale glaciation" was given by German geologists Jacob Stoller and Konrad Keilhack . The maximum advance of the ice sheet in North Germany during the Drenthe Stage is described by a line from Düsseldorf via Paderborn , Hamelin , Goslar , Eisleben , Zeitz and Meissen to Görlitz . From the eastern edge of the Harz eastwards ( Poland , Brandenburg , Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt )
697-1023: The Low Saxon dialects in the west (including the Westphalian language area up to the Rhineland ), the East Low German region along the Baltic coast with Western Pomerania , the Altmark and northern Brandenburg , as well as the North Low German dialects. Although from the 19th century onwards, the use of Standard German was strongly promoted especially by the Prussian administration, Low German dialects are still present in rural areas, with an estimated number of five to eight million active speakers. However, since World War II and
738-608: The North German Confederation in the 19th century. The boundary between the spheres of political influence of Prussia (Northern Germany) and Austria (Southern Germany) within the German Confederation (1815–1866) was known as the "Main line" ( Mainlinie , after the river Main ), Frankfurt am Main being the seat of the federal assembly. The "Main line" did not follow the course of the river Main upstream of Frankfurt, rather corresponding to
779-917: The Northwest German Plain , but older and exhibiting more surface weathering than the much later Young Drift areas of the Weichselian glaciation in northeast Germany. The areas last covered by the Saale cold period, roughly the Westphalian Bight , a large part of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt , south Brandenburg , or the Leipzig Bay and Lusatia in Saxony, are called the Old Drift Landscapes ( Altmoränenlandschaften ). They were further shaped and changed during
820-719: The Saalian glaciation , Saale cold period ( German : Saale-Kaltzeit ), Saale complex ( Saale-Komplex ) or Saale glacial stage (called the Wolstonian Stage in Britain), covers the middle of the three large glaciations in Northern Europe and the northern parts of Eastern Europe , Central Europe and Western Europe by the Scandinavian Inland Ice Sheet. It follows the Holstein interglacial ( Hoxnian Stage in Britain) and precedes
861-673: The geest and heaths inland. Also prominent are the low hills of the Baltic Uplands , the ground moraines , end moraines , sandur , glacial valleys , bogs and Luch . These features were formed during the Weichselian glaciation and contrast topographically with the adjacent Central Uplands of Germany to the south, such as the Harz and Teutoburg Forest , which are occasionally counted as part of Northern Germany. Northern Germany has traditionally been dominated by Protestantism , especially Lutheranism . The two northern provinces of Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony have
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#1732790414618902-445: The raven and the bluethroat . In the marshy region near Amerongen castle the little bittern is a rare species, as well as rare plants like sundew and marsh gentian . In addition, several amphibian , reptile , bat , butterflies and dragonflies species are living in the region. Responsible for the management of the park are Staatsbosbeheer , the private provincial nature conservation organization Het Utrechts Landschap and
943-534: The Drenthe Stage the present day North Sea basin, Great Britain and Ireland were also affected. Several species were hurt by the glaciation, including the woolly mammoths , which suffered a reduction comparable to the one towards the end of the ice age. The Saale complex may be divided into a lower (also Saale Early Glacial ) and an upper section (also Middle and Upper Saale Glacial, or Younger Saale glaciation ), with glacial advances into Northern Germany. The Saale Early Glacial includes the: The upper part of
984-484: The Saale complex ( obere Teil des Saale-Komplexes ) is characterised in North Germany by three great glacial advances (possibly even four in Schleswig-Holstein ). They are usually called the: There are no indisputable traces in northern Germany of clear thermomers ( interstadials , intervals) between these advances. In the work by Litt et al. (2007) focussed on the southern perimeter of the North German glaciations,
1025-472: The actual Saale "ice age". The term "Saale Ice Age" or "Saale Glacial" thus has 2 meanings in the literature – it sometimes refers to the phase in which the glacier advanced into North Germany , but can also refer to the whole Saale complex. The terms are frequently interchanged in the literature. The Saale Glaciation occurred at around the same time as the Wolstonian Stage in the British Isles and
1066-586: The dukes of the Ottonian dynasty were elected King of the Romans and crowned Holy Roman Emperors . From 1500 onwards, the former Saxon territories (except for Westphalia) were incorporated into the Lower Saxon Circle of the Holy Roman Empire . The Hanseatic League is also part of the common history and culture of the cities in northern Germany. Northern Germany corresponds to the territory of
1107-460: The early 20th century was based on well-off, literate and landowning yeoman farmers owning relatively large pieces of land, making a living growing grain crops and raising dairy cattle and pigs, and a large and educated middle class in the towns and cities working in the civil service, or as businessmen, artisans, blue-collar workers and skilled workers. Thus, the proportion of serfs, landless labourers, semi-skilled industrial workers and large landlords
1148-539: The former Iron Curtain and mutual prejudices regarding what once was the other side may still persist today. A number of Scottish and English Lutheran Families settled in Northern Germany between the years 1683 and 1709, with the result that many Germans in Northwest Germany can claim Scottish and English ancestry. The term northern German states is always used to refer to the following coastal federal States of Germany : In some cases, it also includes
1189-535: The highest proportion of self-reported Lutherans in Germany. Exceptions include the Catholic districts of Emsland , Cloppenburg and Vechta in the west, traditionally linked to the Catholic region of Westphalia in the south, and the southernmost region of Lower Saxony , around the city of Duderstadt , comprising part of the traditional Catholic enclave of Eichsfeld . Culturally and socially, Northern Germany
1230-518: The ice advanced to about 10 to 50 km behind the maximum extent of the Elster glaciation. On the northern edge of the Harz the two ice sheets reached the same line; and west of the Harz the ice of the Saale complex extended over 100 km further south than the ice sheet of the Elster. In front of this line, i.e. in front of the former glaciers, fluviatile and periglacial sediments are widespread. In
1271-592: The immigration of expellees from the former eastern territories of Germany , its prevalence has steadily reduced. Besides which, Frisian is spoken in East and North Frisia , as well as Danish (Standard and South Jutlandic ) in parts of Schleswig . The key terrain feature of Northern Germany is the North German Plain including the marshes along the coastline of the North and Baltic Seas , as well as
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1312-429: The larger towns and cities. In regions nearer to the coast, fish is very popular, with pickled herring and salmon being delicacies. Drinking coffee is firmly rooted in northern Germany and the northern provinces on average consume around 8 kilograms (18 lb) of coffee per capita annually. This is more than the 6 kilograms (13 lb) of coffee per capita consumed in the south. Coffee is frequently drunk four times
1353-580: The later Weichselian cold period by periglacial processes such as wind-borne sand and loess . The major urstromtal associated with the Saale glacial stage is the Breslau-Magdeburg-Bremen Urstromtal , which was not subsequently covered by ice. North Germany Northern Germany (German: Norddeutschland , [ˈnɔʁtdɔɪ̯tʃlant] ) is a linguistic, geographic, socio-cultural and historic region in
1394-422: The national private organization for nature management Natuurmonumenten , together with many private land owners. Management plans are made together with these owners, the authorities and stakeholders. One of the main aims of management is countering the ecological fragmentation, as a result of the many roads in the area. To do so, several ecoducts and other fauna passageways are constructed or planned to connect
1435-519: The nature reserves. In addition to removing fencing and creating green corridors, this should enable the migration of flora and fauna, including large animals such as deer. In the national park are many trails for walking, biking and horse riding, as well as restaurants, hotels and camp sites. Interesting places to visit are many castles, historic villages and cities, country houses, tobacco barns and sheepfolds. Saale glaciation The Saale glaciation or Saale Glaciation , sometimes referred to as
1476-462: The non-coastal states of: Northern Germany as a region or as a historical landscape includes additional federal states (see geography above). Northwestern Germany is usually considered to be part of Northern Europe both culturally and geographically where as the southern states are much closer to Central European cultures. Where a city has different names in English and German, the English name
1517-509: The northern border of the Kingdom of Bavaria . Cultural or political east–west divisions have existed in northern Germany since at least the early modern period, when During the Cold War of the second half of the 20th century, a cultural division of northern Germany into an Eastern and a Western part has become more pronounced due to the 1949–1990 division of all of Germany into West Germany and East Germany , where identities based upon
1558-550: The northern part of Germany which includes the coastal states of Schleswig-Holstein , Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Lower Saxony and the two city-states Hamburg and Bremen . It contrasts with Southern Germany , Western Germany , and Eastern Germany . Northern Germany generally refers to the Sprachraum area north of the Uerdingen and Benrath line isoglosses , where Low German dialects are spoken. These comprise
1599-524: The start date of the Saalian was historically controversial, recent scholarship has suggested that the start date of the Saalian (and thus the end of the Holstein) is around 400,000 years ago. The Saalian encompasses multiple glacial cycles separated by interglacial periods. The first cold phase (Fuhne glacial) at the start of the Saale complexes is separated by a warmer period (Dömnitz interglacial) from
1640-677: The upper part of the Saale complex is subdivided as follows: The Drenthe Stage corresponds to the maximum extent of glaciation during the Saale complex. During the last stage, the Warthe Stage, glaciers only covered northeast Lower Saxony (parts of the Lüneburg Heath ), the Altmark , the Elbe valley downstream of Magdeburg and the region east of it (c.f. Südlicher Landrücken ), so that these areas are geomorphologically younger than
1681-514: Was relatively smaller, making for a more stable society than elsewhere in Germany like the Rhineland region and the region east of the Elbe river. Additionally, Northern cities like Hamburg , Bremen and Rostock have always been economic powerhouses of trade and commerce and have had a long tradition of innovation and creativity in business and industry. The traditional northern German daily diet