Föhr

The island of Foehr ( Feer Frisian, Danish Før ) belongs to the North Frisian Islands and in Schleswig-Holstein district of North Friesland. The name Foehr and the Frisian counterpart Feer have been interpreted many. The current etymological research assumes that the name of Foehr has a maritime background. Another interpretation refers to Frisian feer " barren ".

Geography

Fohr is located southeast of Sylt, east of Amrum and north of the holms. It is the second largest German North Sea island. Among the German islands without road or rail link to the mainland Foehr is the largest area of ​​the island with the largest population.

Fohr is called " the green island ", because it is relatively protected by their location in the lee of Amrum and Sylt before the tumultuous effects of the North Sea and, therefore, the vegetation can develop well. It is in the north-south direction 12.5 km long and up to 8.5 kilometers wide from east to west direction and occupies an area of ​​82.82 square kilometers. The north of the island consists of marshland in the south Föhr is the higher ground moraine. The highest elevation is 13.2 meters above sea level on the ridge of between Nieblum and Midlum. The Geest accounts for about two-fifths of the total area. Most villages are there. In the march there are many relocated farms.

Up to the first Groten Mandränke 1362 Fohr was not an island but was part of the mainland. With the North Sea, it was connected by deep currents.

Foehr, as well as the neighboring islands, a popular holiday destination. From Wyk Ferry runs along the southern edge to about the middle of the west coast is a 15 km long sandy beach. To the north and north-west of the island is the protective zone I of the National Park Schleswig -Holstein Wadden Sea.

Foehr belongs to the district of North Friesland and has 8,593 inhabitants (as of 31 December 2011). In the southeast of the island is the only city in the capital Wyk ( Fering: a bi Wik ), which is a nationally recognized Nordseeheilbad. The 16 island villages spread over eleven municipalities. Wyk and all Föhrer communities they minister Fohr Amrum.

History

The higher Geest cores of the North Frisian islands in the middle march further areas attracted people than at the beginning of the Neolithic period increased the water level of the North Sea. Also on Foehr testify stone tombs and numerous small finds it.

The Danish King Waldemar Erdbuch reports two Föhrer Harden. In the West Erharde temporarily had a pirate in Danish services his lair. 1368 joined the West Erharde, which included Amrum, under the Knights Klaus Lembeck, bailiff of Ripen, the Dukes of Holstein on. In January 1400, there was the Harde Queen Margrethe I and stayed at the Office Ripen. By 1864, the Föhrer Westerland was part of the royal enclaves and the Kingdom of Denmark under the direct, whereas the claimant country Foehr Wyk with the Duchy of Schleswig was, since it was dropped in the 1420s by the King. Together with the Wiedingharde, the Bökingharde, beach and Sylt closed Osterlandföhr 1426 Duke Henry IV of Schleswig the Siebenhardenbeliebung, said that they were allowed to keep their legal autonomy.

The marshland in the north of the island in 1523 diked than 22 hectares Föhrer Marschkoog.

From 1526 to the Reformation Evangelical Lutheran denomination on Foehr was introduced, which was completed in 1530.

With the whaling broke Foehr for a "golden " age of. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Dutch and English Greenland drivers were mostly manned by Frisians island. On Foehr several private seafarer schools where pastors and former Command your for a small fee during the winter months gave lessons emerged. End of the 18th century lived 1000 sailors, including 150 skippers, on the island. Even today, you see precious equipped houses the Command your Nieblum and Süderende. The so-called "talking grave stones " in the cemeteries of the three oldest churches Föhrer tell their life stories. However, with the decline in whale stocks drove, as elsewhere in the region, fewer men at sea. The population turned back to agriculture.

From 1842, when the Danish King Christian VIII spent on Foehr the summer, the island came as a health resort in fashion.

During the German -Danish War in 1864, the Danish naval officer Otto Christian Hammer was in a Danish flotilla commander Wyk on the North Frisian Islands. It initially succeeded successfully fend off überlegenene Austro-Prussian naval forces. During the war, however, he was captured in Wyk of the Prussian Lieutenant Ernst von Prittwitz and Gaffron, the Wyk then awarded honorary citizenship on Foehr.

In the plebiscite in Schleswig in 1920 voted the three municipalities Witsum, Utersum and Hedehusum in Westerland Foehr, ie in the west of the island, the only municipalities in the zone II so-called majority for a change to the territory of Denmark. However, spoke in zone II as a whole from a clear majority to remain with Germany. Since the three communities were not directly on the border with Denmark, they remained in Germany.

On 1 January 2007, the Office Foehr country with the city Wyk auf Foehr was pooled and the Office for Official Amrum Fohr Amrum.

Language and Culture

In particular, Foehr the villages in Westerland Foehr, a dialect of the North Frisian language is spoken by about 2,000 inhabitants, spoken. This dialect is named after the island Fering. Thus the Fering spokesman form the largest group of speakers of the North Frisian language. On Easter Country Foehr, particularly in Nieblum, since the 19th century is rather low German, spoken in Wyk after the founding of the city especially Low German and High German today. The former own Wyk dialect of North Frisian, Frisian is the Wyk, extinct. In addition, there are on Foehr also a Danish -speaking minority.

The Fries costume worn by many women, especially in Westerland Foehr, on special occasions. On Foehr various folk customs are maintained as the Biikebrennen on 21 February and the Tamsen (also Thamsen, according to the Apostle Thomas ), at December 21 of each young people jokingly hide things that can rotate. At Christmas time there are, as in other North Frisian Islands also called a special Christmas tree, Kenkenbuum. On New Year's Eve go disguised Föhrer from house to house. On Fering called this custom ütj tu kenknin in Wyk Rummelrotje (see also: Hulken ).

In the centuries when many men were whalers, whalers, they spent the winter on Foehr. The unmarried sailors then met in the afternoon in the semi-darkness, on Fering: Hualewjonken. Today, the Hualewjonken is a cozy get-together like-minded people.

Several writers wrote on Fering, about the Wykerin Stine Andresen (1849-1927), whose poetry is often based on Foehr. The Föhrerin Ellin Nickelsen wrote in the 1980s, the story Jonk Bradlep ( German: "Dark Wedding" ). ( See also: North Frisian literature)

All three museums have Föhrer cultural priorities (see attractions ).

The internationally successful music band Stanfour has its origin on the island of Fohr and maintains there own studio.

Economy

Fohr is mainly dependent on tourism. The accommodation sector is supplemented by numerous businesses with service function such as bicycle rental stations and dairies. In addition, there are many farms that also provide some accommodations. This diversification is supported by funds from the EAFRD program. On the island, numerous craft and retail businesses are located; in Wyk Harbour six mussel fishing boats and three shrimp boats have their home port. In Utersum is a rehabilitation clinic in the North Sea Sanatorium Wyk Marienhof of Diakonia 's charity Schleswig -Holstein.

Education

On Foehr, there are six kindergartens, four of them in Wyk and one each in Süderende and Midlum. The only school with Gymnasium upper level for the islands of Fohr and Amrum is the " Eilun Feer Skuul - High School & Regional School Foehr Island " ( German: "Island Foehr School " ) in Wyk. There are also a primary school with support center and a Danish school that as a community school through eighth grade. Another primary school there in Süderende with branch office in Midlum.

In Wyk boxes also contain a folk high school and a music school, which is a branch of the Music School North Frisia.

Traffic

By ferry from Wyk repeatedly run on the day regardless of the Tide ferries to the mainland port Dagebüll and after Wittdün on the neighboring island Amrum. Operator of the ferry is the Wyk Steamship Company Fohr Amrum GmbH (WDR ), headquartered in Wyk auf Foehr.

During the summer season trips to the islets Langeneß and Hooge and the Island of Sylt ( port Hoernum ) are offered.

From Wyk consist of bus services as a ring line or counterclockwise in all the villages of the island of Foehr. The island can be reached via the airfield Wyk by plane. From this airfield from start weather permitting several daily flights over the Wadden Sea, neighboring islands and the North Frisian mainland.

Attractions

Churches

The island has three medieval, Protestant since the Reformation churches are from the 12th and 13th centuries - in Wyk - Boldixum the Church of St. Nicolai, in Nieblum the Church of St. John and in Süderende the Church of St. Laurentii. The associated cemeteries contain unusual grave stones that tell whole life stories and are partly illustrated.

Archeology

Several mounds are evidence of a settlement of the island during the Bronze Age. Today, only 17 of these old grave monuments can be visited; they are primarily in the southwest of the island.

In Borgsum Also present is a Lembecksburg, a ring wall from the time of the migration of more than 100 meters in diameter and eight meters in height ring. According to legend, is said to have resided in the Middle Ages the knight Klaus Lembeck as governor of the Danish king here.

Museums

In Wyk the Fries Museum (actually Dr.- Carl- Häberlin Museum), which the observation and communication Frisian cultural history is dedicated. In Alkersum the museum is located Art of the West Coast, which presents changing exhibitions of international classical and contemporary art on the theme " Sea and coast". A small museum in Oevenum devoted to the history of agriculture and life on the island, but is closed for reasons of age since 2011. The collection is retained.

Windmills

On Foehr are further five wind mills, two in Wyk ( the gallery Dutch windmill Venti Amica of 1879 in the urban area and a windmill of the Langeneß the outside of the Fries Museum ), plus one each in Wrixum (Easter windmill, octagonal Erdholländer, from 1850 to 1960 in operation), Borgsum ( Borigsem, octagonal Galerieholländer 1992 after a fire the previous building ) and Oldsum ( octagonal Galerieholländer of 1901).

Except for the post mill and the mill in Wrixum (museum and restaurant), the mills are privately owned.

Decoys

Six decoys can be found in the marsh north of the island. They include the new and the old Oevenumer duck decoy, which belongs to Midlum Ackerumer Vogelkoje that Borgsum that Oldsumer and Boldixumer decoy. The latter can be visited.

Mud flat

Also the entire Wadden Sea ( as a National Park Schleswig -Holstein Wadden Sea since 2009 a UNESCO World Heritage Site ) is regarded as landmark.

Especially the foothills north of the island dike, but the remaining mudflats offer roosting and feeding areas for many species of seabirds. So you can find there numerous oystercatchers, eider ducks and geese fire. During the bird migration also produces large flocks of migratory birds on a Foehr and the surrounding islands. Occasionally, especially after heavy winter storms, sea lions can be found on the beach.

The south beach of the island between Wyk and Utersum is a popular swimming beach. From the tourist offices are guided walks across the mudflats, for example, the neighboring island Amrum offered.

Wyk auf Foehr

Another Wyk sights of the bell tower are ( built in 1886 ) and the lakeside wall of sand.

Gallery

Beach front Nieblum at high water

Typical Frisian house on Foehr

Sunrise over the harbor of Wyk auf Foehr

Landscape close to Alkersum

For cycling appropriate agricultural roads in the meadows between Nieblum and Borgsum

Boardwalk Wyk at summer time

Wyk east beach, in the background the holms

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