Schwimmendes Moor

The Schwimmendes Moor lies beside the Jadebusen in the Jade municipality of the Wesermarsch district. It is the only Außendeichsmoor in the world, a floating peat bog that rises and falls with the tides. The site became part of the Niedersächsisches Wattenmeer National Park in 1986 after earlier protection as a bird reserve. The bog once stretched inland until storm surges pushed the sea against it in the 12th century. Houses built on the peat could lift free during floods, though nearby marshland faced danger. By the 16th century the floating area measured 135 hectares, but land loss slowed after a continuous dike closed the gap in 1725. Engineers still shore up the dike with deep steel walls to keep the unique bog intact. Visitors walk a boardwalk and use an observation platform to watch the peat rise and settle. The remaining strip of floating bog is only 10 hectares, bordered by salt meadows. Trees and freshwater pools stay rooted on the moving surface, giving a rare glimpse of a landscape that once covered much of the Jadebusen.