Heligoland is a small German archipelago in the North Sea. Formerly Danish and British possessions, the islands (population 1,127) are located in the Heligoland Bight (part of the German Bight) in the south-eastern corner of the North Sea. They are the only German islands not in the immediate vicinity of the mainland and are approximately three hours sailing time from Cuxhaven at the mouth of the River Elbe. In addition to German, the local population, who are ethnic Frisians, speak the Heligolandic dialect of the North Frisian language called Halunder. Heligoland was formerly called Heyligeland, or “holy land,” possibly due to the island’s long association with the god Forseti. read more…
Ratzeburg is a town in Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 14,000. It is surrounded by four lakes—the resulting isthmuses between the lakes form the access lanes to the town. Ratzeburg is the capital of the district of Lauenburg. read more…
Husum is the capital of the district of Nordfriesland in Schleswig-Holstein. The town was the birthplace of the novelist Theodor Storm, who coined the epithet “the grey town by the sea”. It is also the home of the annual international piano festival Raritäten der Klaviermusik (Rarities of Piano Music) founded in 1986. Like most towns on the North Sea, Husum was ever strongly influenced by storm tides. In 1362 a disastrous storm tide, the Grote Mandrenke flooded the town and carved out the inland harbour. Before this date Husum was not situated directly on the coast. The people of the city took advantage of this opportunity and built a marketplace, which led to a great economic upturn. read more…
Baltrum is a barrier island off the coast of East Frisia and is a municipality in the district of Aurich, Lower Saxony. It is located in-between the chain of the seven inhabited East Frisian Islands. Baltrum is the smallest island in this chain by area and inhabitans. read more…
Glückstadt is a town in the Steinburg district of Schleswig-Holstein. It is located on the right bank of the Lower Elbe at the confluence of the small Rhin river, about 45 km (28 mi) northwest of Altona. Glückstadt is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. read more…
Eiderstedt is a peninsula in the district of Nordfriesland in the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein. It is approximately 30 km in length and 15 km in width and has been created through diking (polders) from three islands: Eiderstedt around Tönning, Utholm around Tating, and Evershop around Garding. The diking started around the year 1000 AD. Since these three islands were administrative districts of their own, the area was originally called Dreilande – “Three Lands”. read more…
Sylt is the northernmost island of Germany, known for its tourist resorts, notably Westerland, Kampen and Wenningstedt-Braderup, as well as for its 40 km long sandy beach. It is frequently covered by the media in connection with its exposed situation in the North Sea and its ongoing loss of land during storm tides. Since 1927, Sylt has been connected to the mainland by the Hindenburgdamm causeway. In latter years, it has been a resort for the German jet set and tourists in search of occasional celebrity sighting. Southeast of Sylt the islands Föhr and Amrum are located, to the north lies the Danish island Rømø. East of Sylt the Wadden Sea is situated, which belongs to the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park and mostly falls dry during low tide. read more…
Föhr is part of the Nordfriesland district in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein. Föhr is the second-largest North Sea island of Germany and a popular destination for tourists. A town and eleven distinct municipalities are located on the island. The climate is oceanic with moderate winters and relatively cool summers. read more…
