The Blaue Balje is a gat in the southeastern

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

in the outer estuary of the

Jade Jade is a mineral used as jewellery or for ornaments. It is typically green, although may be yellow or white. Jade can refer to either of two different silicate minerals: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in the amphibole group of ...

. It runs in a north-south direction between the

East Frisian Islands The East Frisian Islands (German: ''Ostfriesische Inseln'', West Frisian: ''Eastfryske eilannen'', stq, Aastefräiske Ailounds) are a chain of islands in the North Sea, off the coast of East Frisia in Lower Saxony, Germany. The islands extend fo ...

Wangerooge Wangerooge is one of the 32 Frisian Islands in the North Sea located close to the coasts of the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. It is also a municipality in the district of Friesland in Lower Saxony in Germany. Wangerooge is one of the East Fri ...

and

Minsener Oog Minsener Oog, also Minser Oog or Minsener Oldeoog, is an uninhabited East Frisian island that belongs to the parish of Wangerooge in the north German district of Friesland in the state of Lower Saxony. It has been artificially enlarged through ...

. Its main channel divides towards the south into the three channels of ''Telegraphenbalje'', ''Mittelbalje'' and ''Minsener Balje''. The location and depth of the actual shipping channel in the Blaue Balje is subject to constant changes. At the eastern tip of Wangerooge are the stumps of posts that supported the old

landing stage Seaside pleasure pier in Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th century.">England.html" ;"title="Brighton, England">Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th ...

of the East Pier (''Ostanleger''). The landing stage was abandoned in 1958 and has since fallen increasingly into ruins. From 1905 to 1958 the East Pier was the main landing stage on Wangerooge and a terminus on the island railway. As on the other East Frisian Islands, a lot of sand was deposited on the eastern side of Wangerooge, the resulting silting up making it increasingly difficult to land at the East Pier. The dredging needed to keep the pier accessible was not cost-effective, and in 1958 the pier was closed and the eastern section of the island railway dismantled.

External links

Information about ''Blauen Balje'' at www.wattenschipper.de

Wadden Sea East Frisian Islands Wangerooge {{EastFrisia-stub