Saxon Loess Fields

The Saxon Loess Fields (German: Sächsisches Lössgefilde) refer to a natural region that lies mainly within the state of Saxony in central Germany. In addition, small areas of this region extend to the northwest and west into Saxony-Anhalt (the land around Weißenfels), to the southeast into Thuringia (the region around Altenburg) and to the northeast into Brandenburg. It more-or-less combines the BfN's major regions listed as D19 Saxon Upland and Ore Mountain Foreland, (Sächsisches Hügelland und Erzgebirgsvorland) and D14, Upper Lusatia^[1] (Oberlausitz); only the range of Central Uplands^[1] hills, the Lusatian Mountains, has been excluded and instead forms part of the Saxon Highlands and Uplands (Sächsisches Bergland und Mittelgebirge).

Natural regions

The following list breaks down the region into major units based on Meynen (three-figure numbers). New major units, that combine the earlier ones, are arranged above these without any preceding numbers (Locations defined in brackets).^[2][3]

• Saxon Loess Fields
  • (major groupings no longer used)
    • 44 (=D14) Upper Lusatia (except 441 - Lusatian Highlands)
      • Eastern Upper Lusatia
        • 440 Neiße trough^[1] (east and south)
        • 442 East Lusatian Foothills (west)
      • 444 Upper Lusatian Fields
      • West Lusatian Upland and Highlands
        • 443 West Lusatian Foothills (southeast to northeast)
  • D 19 Saxon Upland and Ore Mountain Foreland
    • 46 Saxon Upland^[1] or Saxon Uplands^[4] (including Leipziger Land)
      • (continuation of the West Lusatian Upland and Highlands)
        • 461 Lusatian Plateau (west)
      • 460 Dresden Basin^[1]
      • 462 Großenhain Pflege
      • 463 Central Saxon Loess Upland
      • North Saxon Plateau and Upland
        • 464 Oschatz Upland (east)
        • 465 Grimma Porphyric Upland (west)
      • 466 Altenburg-Zeitz Loess Upland
      • 467 Leipziger Land
    • 45 Ore Mountain Foreland
      • 450 Mulde Loess Hills
      • 451 Ore Mountain Basin
        • 452 Upper Pleißeland (west of the basin; nowadays usually counted as part of it)

See also

• Natural regions of Germany

References

1. Dickinson, Robert E. (1964). Germany: A regional and economic geography (2nd ed.). London: Methuen. ASIN B000IOFSEQ.
2. BfN map services (in the map service "Landschaften" the individual landscape summaries are clickable, most of the regional divisions correspond to a major unit)
3. Map of the natural regions of Saxony at www.umwelt.sachsen.de (pdf, 859 kB)
4. EU Regional Profile Report for Central Europe Project 1CE084P4 "ReSOURCE" at www.central2013.eu, p. 37. Accessed on 27 Feb 2011.