North Frisia: Long beaches and raw charm
On the mainland, green dykes with sheep grazing contently, marshes and salt fields, picturesque fishing villages, huge ‘Haubarg’ farmhouses and small historical towns are waiting to be discovered on foot or by bike. With the scent of a fresh breeze and a strong tailwind it’s time to set off on the North Sea Cycle Route, a 300-kilometre route through dykes, fields and polders. A polder (‘Koog’ in German) is a low-lying tract of marshland reclaimed from the sea by building dykes and draining the land. There are many polders to explore in North Frisia – from the Sönke-Nissen-Koog, with its characteristic white and green houses, to the Hauke-Haien-Koog, named after Theodor Storm’s famous, tragic hero from ‘Der Schimmelreiter’ (The Dykemaster).
Broad horizons, a deep blue sky and burning red sunsets – another famous North Frisian immortalised his home in paintings. The works of Emil Nolde can be seen in their original setting at his former home and studio in Seebüll, and you are invited to spend a moment of tranquil pleasure in the lovingly designed garden of the artist and his wife.
The Eiderstedt Peninsula also provides inspiration for numerous artists with its raw charm, the church spires behind windswept trees, peacefully grazing sheep and huge ‘Haubarg’ farmhouses.
Sun worshippers, beach adventurers and water sports enthusiasts will be drawn to St. Peter-Ording with its 12-kilometre-long and two-kilometre-wide sandy beach. Little holiday makers can romp around in Schleswig-Holstein's biggest sandpit whilst sports fans can get on their surfboards or watch the pros perform spectacular tricks every August in the Kitesurf Trophy and the Kitesurf World Cup. Those taking a stroll along the beach when a stiff breeze picks up can warm up in the famous stilt houses with pea soup, a ‘Pharisäer’ (coffee with rum) or a ‘Tote Tante’ (hot chocolate with rum).
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Unique nature paradise: the Wadden Sea National Park »
When the North Sea rolls back at low tide, many set off from the islands, Halligen, and various coastal towns directly into the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea, the largest national park from Sicily to the North Cape.
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Islands and Halligen »
The coast from List, on Sylt, right in the north of Schleswig-Holstein, to the mouth of the Elbe is a holiday paradise to suit every taste. Anyone taking a ferry over to Amrum, Föhr or Pellworm is accompanied by the call of seagulls and throws all thoughts of everyday life overboard.
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Dithmarschen: Green and surrounded by water »
Sand moulds left behind by budding castle builders in the summer are washed away by the North Sea in the first autumn storms, down to the beaches of Dithmarschen to the south.
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© Alexander Seidlich