Szczecin Lagoon

The Szczecin Lagoon (Polish: Zalew Szczeciński ), also called Oderhaff and Pommersches Haff, an inner coastal waters in the mouth region of the Oder and the Peene, is the second largest lagoon ( lagoon ) of the Baltic Sea. With all the tributaries, it has an area of 903 km ², an east- west distance of 52 kilometers and a north-south direction of 22 kilometers. The Szczecin Lagoon has an average depth of 3.8 meters. The biggest natural depths of 8.5 meters, while the fairway between Stettin ( Szczecin) and Świnoujście ( Świnoujście ) is 10.5 meters deep. Greater than the Szczecin Lagoon is the Curonian Lagoon in Klaipeda ( Memel ) with 1584 km ², is less the Vistula Lagoon near Königsberg 840 km ².

Geography

By the lagoon runs since 1945, the state border between Poland and Germany. The east of the state border, this Polish part is called the Great Haff, the western German part as Little Lagoon. The Big Lagoon has an area of 410 km ² with a volume of 1.6 km ³ while the Small Lagoon about 277 km ², with a volume of 1 km ³, great is. Upstream are the islands of Usedom, Wolin ( Wollin ) and Karsibór ( Kaseburg ). The connection between the Szczecin Lagoon and the open Baltic Sea form the islands of Usedom and Wolin around the estuaries Dziwna ( Dievenow ) Świna ( Swine ) and the river Peene. From the land side Peene, Zarow Uecker and the Oder flow at Stettin in the lagoon. The banks are overgrown with reeds and mostly flat, only a few places, as in Kamminke or at Repziner hook at Altwarp there are cliffs.

Hydrographic

The Szczecin Lagoon is only slightly salty, with a salinity of 1 to 2.5 PSU ( practical salinity unit).

Formation

The lagoon was created from a glacier dam, which was caused by the Stauchendmoränen the Weichseleiszeit on Usedom and Wolin. At this time, Peene and Ziese acted as melt water drains and flowed opposite its present direction.

History

Fishing in the lagoon formed always been an important industry for the surrounding settlements. The Wolgaster Chancellor Henning von Ramin described the lagoon as "the Pom (m) erische Bergwerck ". The income from fishing were significantly and fishing rights often give rise to disputes.

The city of Anklam built in the 13th century, a customs station at the western end of the lagoon on the island Anklamer ferry. All ships that passed from the lagoon towards Peenestrom had to pay a water tariff.

Prince Bogusław X of Pomerania adopted in 1495 a Haffordnung to regulate the fishing industry. The waters were divided beforehand into districts ( Kiepereien ), which were of a Kieper, a ducal fishing warden managed. To the dukes were to the so-called Mr. Fish ( salmon, sturgeon, carp and catfish). From the remainder of the catch was, depending on the region of the third or sixth part. Also in the chronicles of the 16th and 17th century, the Fresh Haff said waters at this time was praised for its wealth of fish. Eilhard Lubinus described at the beginning of the 17th century fishing with Zeesenboot boats and the winter fishing with nets under the ice. In the 19th century and early 20th century there was in the Szczecin Lagoon, even up to 22 m long Zeesekähne that then but an official regulation fell victim, as at that time strong overfishing of the waters went at their expense. In Swedish Pomerania in 1711 adopted a Revised Haffordnung.

During the Seven Years War, the first naval battle of Prussia took place here on 10 September 1759. After seven hours, with 14 ships and 1,650 men superior Swedish Armed Forces of the archipelago fleet were victorious at the narrowest point of the lagoon between the Woitziger and the Repziner hook over the four Galioten, four galleys and four smaller vessels existing fleet of Prussia, the muster only 550 men could. The Prussian fleet withdrew to the loss of two galleys.

In the 1860s there was an attempt to link the island of Usedom, the Prussian railway network, which should be for a railway embankment of Neuwarp to the southeast of Usedom. This project was rejected in favor of a swing bridge at Karnin.

The maritime transport between the Szczecin Lagoon and the open Baltic Sea runs through the 1880 finished Piastenkanal ( Kanał Piastowski, formerly " Kaiserfahrt "), a shipping channel that leads in part by the Swine and the originally Usedom belonging island Karsibór has created.

Nature

The south bank of the Haff part of the Natural Park In the Szczecin Lagoon, the northern shore of the island of Usedom, with a nature park Usedom Island. To the west is the nature reserve Anklamer city break and in the peat bog Anklamer a protected area that is after many years of use for peat extraction in the renaturation. Because of peat extraction and economic use since the 16th century, today houses the ground below sea level and was flooded after a levee breach during a storm flood in 1995. The rewetting as a Moor or the waiver of Wiedereindeichung of the former coastal flooding Moores leads to clearly visible dying trees of the former forest. The decision against economic exploitation and for restoration as part of Mecklenburg " mire conservation program" is not without controversy in the region. At the same time open water areas offer food and refuge for rare water birds.

At this mire, the nature conservation project Peenetal landscape and the nature reserve Lower Peenetal ( Peenetalmoor ) joins in the Peene directly. Together, they form the largest continuous area of ​​marshland in central Europe.