Hopping Around Germany’s Forgotten Islands

Hopping Around Germany’s Forgotten Islands.

The Halligen (German) or the halliger (Danish) are small islands without protective dykes. There are ten German halligen in the North Frisian Islands on Schleswig-Holstein’s Wadden Sea-North Sea coast in the district of Nordfriesland and one hallig at the west coast of Denmark (Danish Wadden Sea Islands). This part of the North Sea coast is very much at the sea’s mercy. The Halligen have areas ranging from 7 to 956 ha and are often former parts of the mainland, separated from that place by storm tide erosion. Dwellings and commercial buildings are built upon metre-high, man-made mounds, called Warten in German or Værft in Danish, to guard against storm tides. Some Halligen also have overflow dikes. The Halligen are to be found in the Schleswig-Holsteinisches Wattenmeer National Park. The commercially developed Halligen Nordstrandischmoor, Gröde, Oland, Langeneß, and Hooge are surrounded by the protected area, but not an integral part of it. The smaller Halligen Habel, Südfall, Süderoog, and Norderoog, as well as the Hamburger Hallig, are parts of the national park. Walks on the tidal flats and informational meetings are offered by tourist boards and the park administration.

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https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2018/feb/11/halligen-islands-germany-north-sea-island-hopping