Altes Land

The region – the biggest contiguous fruit-producing region in North Europe – extends over 143 km² (55 sq mi). 76.8% of the trees are apples, 12.7% are cherries. The areas closest to the Elbe are those with the highest population. They include the most fertile marshlands; towards the geest the area connects to fens.

The fertile land led to the development of a culture dominated by farming. The villages are known as Marschhufendörfer, a special kind of village where the farmyards are set along a street with the land directly behind them. A characteristic feature is the richly decorated half-timbered farmhouses with their elaborate gateways.

Etymology

The region's official standard German name is Altes Land, which means "old country". However, Altes Land is a mistranslation of the original Low Saxon Olland, which originally had nothing to do with "old": It stems from the term Holland - itself derived from Holtland meaning "Wooded Land". This is a reference to the area's original reclamation and colonisation by Dutch settlers. The first colonisation agreement goes back to 1113 and was drawn up during the time of Archbishop Friedrich I of Bremen. One of the municipalities of the Altes Land is Hollern, a name which comes from Holländer (German for the Dutch). However, the mistranslation of Olland as Altes Land has now come full circle, since most Low Saxon speakers today refer to the region as dat Ole Land (literally “the old land”). There also is an eponymous periodical.