Flowing without a gradient through Wesermarsch the Ollen West tells tales of marsh farmers. It whispers stories of a land shaped by water. Welcome to the banks of the Ollen West. This waterway is more than just a river. It is a thread in the fabric of Stedingen’s history.
The Ollen, comprising the Ollen West and its counterpart the Ollen Ost, has a rich history. The name “Ollen” itself echoes through time. First mentioned in 1049 as “ein alveum fluvii Aldena,” it means old water.
Here at the Ollen West, picture farmers building their homes on Wurten along its banks. These artificial dwelling mounds were a defense against the tides. They formed the historic heart of Stedingen. The flow of the Ollen West was not always as it is today. Its course has been altered by human hands. The river once drained the marshlands and the Geest. The Geest is the higher land around Bookholzberg and Hude. To protect the marsh from flooding from the Geest, engineers divided the Ollen.
At Berne, east of the Berne’s mouth, they installed a lock. In 1958, the Motzen pumping station was built near Bremen-Blumenthal. This drained the marsh and a large part of the Ollen. From Berne to the Lichtenberger Siel on the Hunte, the Untere Ollen carries water from the Geest. The Lichtenberg lock and pumping station are more powerful than the ones in Motzen.
The Ollen West now flows differently. Since 1959, the water southeast of the Verlaat flows through the Motzen pumping station and lock into the Weser. The Motzener Kanal became the lower course of the Ollen West between Berne and Katjenbüttel. It flows against its original direction. The Hörspe is a now less important inflow from the Geest. A polder pumping station was built one kilometer east of its mouth. It drains the eastern Brookseite and the original source area of the Ollen. The Hörsper Ollen, a series of straight drainage ditches, leads to the pumping station.
Halfway between the Ollen and the Geest, the Stedinger Kanal runs parallel to the Ollen. It collects water from the Geest streams and the ditches of former moors. This water flows into the Berne. Verlaate block the ditches from the Stedinger Kanal to the Ollen. These include the Hekelner Kanal and the Neue Ollen.
The Untere Ollen flows into an old Hunte loop near Dreisielen. The downstream part is called Alter Huntearm. It forms a hydrological unit. The upstream part belongs to the Schlüter Tief. The Lichtenberger Siel drains the Alter Huntearm into the Hunte. It is named after a settlement on the opposite bank.
The Neuhuntorfer Siel, west of Huntebrück, also drains marsh and moor south of the Hunte. It operates independently of the Ollen. So the Ollen West is more than just a body of water. It is a testament to human intervention. It demonstrates adaptation. The Ollen West is a vital part of the Wesermarsch landscape. It reflects the ongoing relationship between the land and its people. Its waters tell a story of resilience. They tell a story of change. They tell a story of the constant effort to manage and live with the forces of nature.