North Frisian Islands
|
|
Nordfriesisches_Wattenmeer_D_und_DK.png
The North Frisian Islands are a group of islands in the Wadden Sea, a part of the North Sea, off the western coast of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany and Jutland, Denmark. The German-ruled islands are part of the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park and the Kreis (district) of Nordfriesland. The Danish-ruled islands belong to Sønderjyllands Amt.
The German islands
There are five larger islands and ten tiny islets. The names of the large islands are Sylt, Föhr, Amrum, Nordstrand and Pellworm. The islets are called Halligen. In medieval times the present-day islands Nordstrand, Pellworm as well as the Halligen were part of the large island of Strand. This island was torn to pieces in a disastrous storm tide in 1634.
Sylt is the largest of the North Frisian Islands, consisting of about 100 km². It is accessible by a causeway called the Hindenburgdamm; this causeway is only accessible to trains. In the summer months the island is crowded with tourists, including those who have a preference for nudism. Sylt's image is that of a meeting point for the jet-set. The main town on the island is Westerland. The northern end of Sylt, the Ellenbogen ("elbow"), is Germany's northernmost point.
Compared with Sylt, Föhr is a lonely and silent island. Its area is 82 km². Sixteen old hamlets are scattered over the island, some of which already existed in the 13th century. The main town is Wyk on the eastern shore. There is no bridge or causeway connecting Föhr and the mainland; so ferries are the only connection.
Amrum is only 20 km², but it is popular with tourists, though less crowded than Sylt. The western half of the island features a beach 12 km in length and 1 km in width. The villages are situated on the eastern shore, with Wittdün being the most important of them.
Pellworm and Nordstrand are the remains of the submerged island of Strand. The main town of this sunken island was Rungholt, thought to be the largest town in the surrounding area, but it was totally destroyed and submerged by a storm in 1362, 272 years before another storm destroyed Strand itself. Nordstrand has an area of 49 km², Pellworm 37 km².
Smaller remains of Strand are the ten islets called Halligen. The houses on these tiny islets are built on artificial hills. In a storm tide only these hills rise above the sea, while the remainder of the islet is flooded. The names of the Halligen are Nordmarsch-Langeness, Norderoog, Süderoog, Nordstrandischmoor, Oland, Südfall, Gröde-Appelland, Hooge, Habel and the Hamburger Hallig.
The Danish islands
Fanø is located just off Esbjerg to which it is connected by ferry. The main towns on Fanø are Nordby and Sønderho. Other towns include Fanø Vesterhavsbad and Rindby. The island is 16 km long and 5 km wide, and has an area of 56 km². As of 2005, about 3169 people live there. A variety of environments is to be found on Fanø. Not surprisingly, a very common one is sand. The island's whole western shore is made up of beaches, and the sea off the island's northwest end is also home to the "Søren-Jessens-Sand", a vast sandbank. Fanø also has heath and a small pine wood.
Mandø is a smaller island farther south, a bit farther from the mainland. It is Denmark's only Hallig, being much like the islands bearing that description among the German islands. A dike on Mandø keeps the sea at bay. Much of the islanders' history involves efforts to reclaim parts of their island from the sea.
Rømø is currently the southernmost of Denmark's Frisian Islands (a little, uninhabited one one called Jordsand was farther south, but it sank in 1999). Rømø is linked to the Danish mainland by a road running across a causeway, and the island also lies only about 3 km from its German neighbour Sylt, to which it is connected by ferry. It is home to a number of small communities such as Kongsmark, Østerby, Lakolk, and Sønderstrand.
There is also a small island among Denmark's share of the archipelago called Langli, which is to be found in the Ho Bugt north of Esbjerg. It is the northernmost island in the whole group. It was once part of a peninsula whose landward stretch was washed away in a storm tide centuries ago. Since then, another spit has formed to the west and now shields Langli from some of the sea's more destructive tendencies. Langli is nowadays home to a natural science station, housed in a villa built in the 20th century. Langli has an area of about 800 ha and can be reached from the mainland over a 3 km-long ebbevej ("mudflat-way").