Eidum or Eydum ( da, Ejdum, North Frisian: ''Eidem'') was a historic place on the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

(former: Danish) island of

Sylt Sylt (; da, Sild; Sylt North Frisian, Söl'ring North Frisian: ) is an island in northern Germany, part of Nordfriesland district, Schleswig-Holstein, and well known for the distinctive shape of its shoreline. It belongs to the North Frisian ...

in the

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

. It was several hundred metres west of the present coast line of the present-day village of Westerland.

History

According to historic tradition the settlement of Eidum was destroyed several times by

storm tide A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the n ...

s and then rebuilt again. The All Saints Day Flood of 1436 probably wreaked so much damage and so many casualties in the village of Eidum that survivors left it and founded a new settlement about 2 kilometres further east. Their choice alighted on the higher

geest Geest is a type of landform, slightly raised above the surrounding countryside, that occurs on the plains of Northern Germany, the Northern Netherlands and Denmark. It is a landscape of sandy and gravelly soils formed as a glacial outwash pla ...

ridge in the area of Tinnum. This settlement was called ''Südhedig''; from it arose the present day village of Westerland. The later name "Westerland" is supposed to have derived from an old Tinnum field name, on which this new settlement stood. The land was west of the village, hence "Wester-land". The church of Eidum was reportedly destroyed in a storm tide in 1300. Another church building that was located southwest of modern Westerland had to be abandoned because of migrating sand dunes in 1634 or 1635. Its successor, the third church of Eidum, was built further east in 1637. The Eidum church was mentioned for the last time in the ''Dankwardt Chronicle'' of 1652. According to an account from 1839, the last remnants of old Eidum were still visible on the seafloor in 1806 at extremely low tide.

References

{{coord, 54, 54, 34, N, 8, 17, 12, E, region:DE-SH_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title History of Schleswig-Holstein Sylt Former populated places in Denmark Former populated places in Germany Submerged places Underwater ruins