It is not that hard, even based on German history teaching, that I am right and have to deal with bullshit arguments...
Before the Mittellandkanal, the North Sea coast near present-day Germany featured extensive Wattenmeer (Wadden Sea) areas, characterized by tidal flats and marshes reaching inland to barriers like the Geest (sandy ridges) and higher lands, with a dynamic coastline shaped by floods and sediment deposition, leading to frequent inundations, but the canal's construction in the early 20th century significantly altered water flow, reducing connection and impacting sediment, fundamentally changing the regional hydrology and land use.
Landward Extent of the Wattenmeer (Historically)
Dynamic Zones: The Wattenmeer wasn't a fixed line but a dynamic intertidal zone
with mudflats, sandbars, salt marshes, and tidal creeks.
Natural Barriers: It extended inland to natural barriers like the higher, sandy Geest
Natural Barriers: It extended inland to natural barriers like the higher, sandy Geest
ridges (e.g., near Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven), which defined the edge of the salt
marshes and eventually protected settlements.
Inland Reaches: Depending on local topography and storm surges, the salt marshes
Inland Reaches: Depending on local topography and storm surges, the salt marshes
and brackish waters could penetrate several kilometers inland, often grading into
freshwater wetlands.
The Region Before the Mittellandkanal (Early 20th Century)
Deltaic & Marshlands: The low-lying coastal areas were a mix of fertile agricultural
Deltaic & Marshlands: The low-lying coastal areas were a mix of fertile agricultural
lands (marshes), vast mudflats (Watt), and tidal estuaries (like the Elbe, Weser, Jade).
Flood-Prone: This was a very wet, flood-prone region, historically battered by major
Flood-Prone: This was a very wet, flood-prone region, historically battered by major
storm surges (e.g., 1362, 1717) that reshaped the coastline.
Coastal Protection: Extensive dikes, polders (reclaimed land), and storm surge barriers (like the Eiderstedt dam) were built to protect settlements, but much was still tidal.
Impact of the Canal: The Mittellandkanal (completed in stages, significant parts by 1930) was built to connect industrial centers, altering river flows and creating barriers, effectively separating some former tidal areas from the direct influence of the sea and fragmenting the natural Wadden system.
In essence, the area was a vast, shifting landscape of sea and land, rich in sediment, where water dominated, which was then fundamentally changed by large-scale engineering projects like the canal.
In essence, the area was a vast, shifting landscape of sea and land, rich in sediment, where water dominated, which was then fundamentally changed by large-scale engineering projects like the canal.
#noblessoblige
So, when you coltivate land you also have to extinguish the rats instead of feeding them.
