Großer Knechtsand

Geographical location

The Knechtsände are several sandbars before the Weser and Elbe estuary (Elbe - Weser triangle ) in the eastern Lower Saxony Wadden Sea.

Sandbars and Hochsände

Largest sandbar is the Great Knecht sand; it lies between the islands Mellum (which is located 16 km southwest ) and Neuwerk (11 km northeast).

The central area of ​​the sandbar forms the High Knechtsand, a high sand formerly was an island. The high sand lies 11 km west of Cuxhaven Berensch hamlet, the nearest mainland ( Wursten ). The High Knechtsand measures 2.5 km in the east-west direction and is between 600 meters to the east and 1.6 km to the west wide. The areal extent of the low-tide area is about 2.6 km ².

The Great Knechtsand is next to the island Trischen one of the most important moulting areas of shelduck, and next Trischen Norderoog and Minsener Oog one of the greatest and most enduring colonies of the sandwich tern. In addition, eider ducks and seals are numerous.

East of the Great servant sand lies the Wadden area Spiekaer Barre. In the north and south, the tidal creeks Westertill / Ostertill and Robins Balje are limiting. Next to the southeast, the Wurster Watt lies off the coast of the country sausages.

About 2 km north- west of the Great servant sand are the sandbanks Small Knechtsände (53 ° 50 ' N, 8 ° 18' O53.8333333333338.3 ).

History

In order to allow the people of Heligoland to return to their homes, offered the then Chancellor Adenauer, the area around the Great Knechtsand as a replacement site for military exercises. From 1952, therefore, the area served instead of Helgoland as a target for practice bombing sharp explosive and incendiary bombs the British Royal Air Force. Only a few years later but made ​​himself an awakening environmental awareness noticeable, and in 1957 expiring contract was not renewed. This important resting and moulting area for fire geese and other birds was reported in 1957 as by then the largest German nature reserve. Since 1986, the area is strictly protected as a quiet zone of the National Park Wadden Sea.

Energy-Economic Terms

RWE Dea plans immediately northeast of the territory of Knechtsände, 8 km south of the island Neuwerk to pre- test drilling for oil and has submitted applications to in November 2011. From the Lower Saxony Ministry of Economy these plans are advocated, as this would create jobs. That the Wadden Sea had only recently been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, sees the ministry spokeswoman at not as a problem, because the area had been excluded as a " exclave ".

Seaward of the Knechtsände the offshore wind farm Nordergründe approved in 2008.