Sylt has been established as a holiday retreat for the German financial aristocracy during the 70s and 80s, were they created permanent residences or at least bought in on a high scale. Especially in the summer months the A to Z celebrity-density peak, but also outside the main holiday season usually much value is given to the “see and be seen” game. Major events are arising if the island is surrounded by a swarm of private aircrafts to land on the island airport.
Those who want to learn more about Sylt from its original site, visit the island during the winter months. In a small time window almost everything comes to rest. The endless flow of tourists come almost to a halt, most shops are closed and it seems as if you are alone on Sylt. The Islanders spend their time amongst themselves, organize the upcoming season and spend some time on relaxation which they can’t do during the seasons. Even if Sylt is relatively small one can’t say in general that the island life from celebrities, pomp and party, for that it is much too diverse. Therefore it’s difficult to make clear recommendations. Each part of Sylt has its own charm so that the island can offer something for everyone. However, the irrefutable fact is that those who have never been to the Sansibar never really were on Sylt. This old veteran party location is a must for every Sylt visitor. Sylt TV inform about current events and here some villages introduces themselves: Westerland (the island capital), Wenningstedt, Kampen, Rantum, Hörnum and List (unfortunately most sites are available in German only).
In the wake of the German reunification the quantitative flow of tourists declined in favor of the reopened Baltic Sea baths. On the other hand it was very good while creating a quality and sustain tourism. Only the now permanent hydraulic filling of sand for reclamation of land is standing between now and a truly sustainable island concept. For decades it was experimented with different approaches to solve this problem. One can only hope that it will be possible to save the island permanently against the takeover by the North Sea.
Sylt has 21,000 inhabitants and is the largest North Frisian island. It stretches from north to south along the North Sea coast of Schleswig-Holstein. The northern German island is known above all for their significant tourist resorts Westerland, Kampen and Wenningstedt and for almost 40 kilometers west beach. In the media it is present mainly due to the exposed position in the North Sea and the continuous loss of land during storm surges. As a result of climate change the loss of land has increased significantly in recent years. Since 1927 Sylt is connected to the mainland by the Hindenburgdamm. The island can only be reached by car train, ferry or plane. A road connection doesn’t exist.
