The ''Halligen'' (German, singular ''Hallig'', ) or the ''halliger'' (Danish, singular ''hallig'') are small islands without protective

dikes Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to: General uses * Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian" * Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment * Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice * Dikes ...

. They are variously pluralized in English as the Halligen, Halligs, Hallig islands, or Halligen islands. There are ten

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 **Ger ...

''halligen'' in the

North Frisian Islands The North Frisian Islands (''Öömrang'' and ''Fering'' frr, Nuurdfresk Eilunen, ''Söl'ring'' frr, Nuurđfriisk Ailönen, link=no, da, Nordfrisiske Øer, german: Nordfriesische Inseln) are the Frisian Islands off the coast of North Frisia. The ...

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sch ...

Wadden Sea The Wadden Sea ( nl, Waddenzee ; german: Wattenmeer; nds, Wattensee or ; da, Vadehavet; fy, Waadsee, longname=yes; frr, di Heef) is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern conti ...

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 ...

coast in the district of

Nordfriesland Nordfriesland (; da, Nordfrisland; frr, Nordfraschlönj ), also known as North Frisia, is the northernmost district of Germany, part of the state of Schleswig-Holstein. It includes almost all of traditional North Frisia (with the exception o ...

and one hallig at the west coast of

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

(

Mandø Mandø () is one of the Danish Wadden Sea islands off the southwest coast of Jutland, Denmark in the Wadden Sea, part of the North Sea. The island covers an area of and had 40 inhabitants in January 2018. The island is part of Esbjerg Municipa ...

). The name is cognate to Old-English ''halh'', meaning "slightly raised ground isolated by marsh". The very existence of the ''halligen'' is a result of frequent floods and poor coastal protection. The floods were much more common in the Middle Ages and coastal protection was much poorer. The ''halligen'' have areas ranging from 7 to 956 ha, and are often former parts of the

mainland Mainland is defined as "relating to or forming the main part of a country or continent, not including the islands around it egardless of status under territorial jurisdiction by an entity" The term is often politically, economically and/or dem ...

, separated therefrom 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 no ...

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is distin ...

. Some are also parts of once much bigger islands sundered by the same forces. Sometimes, owing to sediment deposition, have actually grown together to form larger ones.

Langeneß ( da, Langenæs, North Frisian ''Nees'') is a municipality in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It consists of the halligen (islands) Langeneß and Oland. Before the flood of 1634 the two islands were directly atta ...

(or Langeness) includes a former island by that same name, and two others that were called Nordmarsch and Butwehl. Dwellings and commercial buildings are built upon metre-high, man-made mounds, called '' Warften'' in

or '' Værft'' in

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

, to guard against storm tides. Some ''halligen'' also have overflow dikes. Not very many people live on the ''halligen''. Their livelihoods are mainly based on

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

, coastal protection, and

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

. This last activity mainly involves raising

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

in the fertile, often flooded,

salt meadow A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is dominate ...

s. The ''halligen'' are to be found in the Schleswig-Holsteinisches Wattenmeer National Park. The commercially developed ''halligen'' of 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 Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal fl ...

and informational meetings are offered by tourist boards and the park administration. In the west the German ''halligen'' are protected from the open sea by the

North Frisian Barrier Island North Frisian Barrier Island is the collective term for three barrier islands (outer shoals) due west of the German Halligen in the North Frisian Islands archipelago. The shoals act as natural breakwater for the Halligen and other islands closer t ...

. The island of

in the

Danish Wadden Sea Islands The Danish Wadden Sea Islands ( da, Danske Vadehavsøer) are a group of islands on the western coast of Jutland, Denmark. They have belonged to the region of ''Southern Denmark'' since January 1, 2007. Previously they belonged to the counties of ' ...

is also technically one of the ''halligen'', although it is far away from the other ten, which are quite near each other. Mandø can be reached from the mainland over the

mudflat Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal fl ...

s at low tide, when a tidal pathway (''ebbevej'' in

, meaning "ebb-way") is above water. File:Halligen 1650.png, The Halligen area around 1650 on a map by Johannes Mejer File:Halligen 1858.png, The North Frisian Halligen area around 1850, showing changes 1895 Alberts Blühende Hallig anagoria.JPG, A hallig: the

in bloom File:1906 Eckner Halligwarft während einer Sturmflut anagoria.JPG,

Alexander Eckener Alexander Eckener (21 August 1870, Flensburg – 26 May 1944, Aalen) was a German painter and graphic artist. Biography His father, Johann Christoph Eckener (1824–1880) was a cigar manufacturer, and his mother, Anna Maria Elisabeth Lange (1 ...

: ''Warft of a Hallig during a storm tide'', 1906 File:30 Halligbahn 1984 (15528408194).jpg, Dagebüll hallig railway, flooded, in 1984

List of Halligen

Currently, there are 10 ''halligen'' in Germany. The following list does not include formerly existing Halligen that have either vanished or merged with current ''halligen'' or the mainland: *

– 956 ha, 16 ''Warften'', about 110 inhabitants.

Narrow gauge railway A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structur ...

connection to Oland (over

causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Tra ...

). * Hooge – 574 ha, 10 ''Warften'', about 120 inhabitants. *

Gröde Gröde (; da, Grøde, North Frisian language, North Frisian ''Groue'') is a municipality in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. With only 7 inhabitants, the municipality, which is coterminous with the hallig it is situa ...

– 277 ha, 2 ''Warften'', 11 inhabitants. *

Nordstrandischmoor Nordstrandischmoor ( da, Nordstrand Mor or Nordstrandmose, North Frisian: ''Lätj Möör''; also known locally as ''Lüttmoor'') is a ''Hallig'' (undyked islet) off the North Frisian coast in Germany and lies within the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden ...

; 175 ha, 4 ''Warften'', 18 inhabitants.

One-room school One-room schools, or schoolhouses, were commonplace throughout rural portions of various countries, including Prussia, Norway, Sweden, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Spain. In most rural and s ...

house. Narrow gauge railway connection to mainland. * Oland – 96 ha, 1 ''Warft'', about 30 inhabitants. Narrow gauge railway connection to mainland and Langeneß. *

Süderoog Süderoog (; da, Sønderog; North Frisian: ''Saruug'' or ''Saaruuch'') is one of the ''Halligen'', a group of islands in the North Frisian Wadden Sea, off the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein in north Germany. It belongs administratively to the p ...

– 60 ha, 1 ''Warft'', 2 inhabitants. *

Südfall Südfall ( da, Sydfald) is a small island in the Wadden Sea off the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, one of the ten German ''Hallig'' islands. It has a permanent population of two people. It covers an area of and is administratively p ...

– 50 ha, 1 ''Warft'', bird sanctuary. *

Hamburger Hallig Hamburger Hallig ( da, Hamborg hallig, North Frisian: ''Hamborjer Håli'') is an area on the westcoast of Nordfriesland district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, that is not protected by sea dikes. It is therefore counted among the Halligen islan ...

– 50 ha, 2 ''Warften'', uninhabited, inn occupied in summer, joined to the mainland by a 4 km-long causeway and a

polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a lake or the seabed # Flood plains s ...

. *

Norderoog Norderoog (Halligen Frisian: Noorderuug, Danish language, Danish: Nørreog) is one of the ten German halligen islands of the North Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea, which is part of the North Sea off the coast of Germany. A part of Hooge, Germany, ...

– 9 ha, no ''Warften'', bird sanctuary tended year-round. * Habel – 3.6 ha, 1 ''Warft'', uninhabited, bird sanctuary occupied in summer. On the

side, three halliger are to be noted, current or past: *

(aforementioned) * Langli *

Jordsand Jordsand was a small Danish hallig located in the Wadden Sea southeast of the Danish island Rømø and east of the German island Sylt. The island was first known by the name ''Hiortsand'' ("hart island") and was possibly connected to both the main ...

(disappeared, only a sandbank is left) The peninsula and former island of Großer Werder on the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

coast is also nicknamed "Baltic Hallig" (''Ostsee-Hallig'') due to its remote situation and appearance.

References

External links

* * * * * * * {{Authority control Islands of Schleswig-Holstein Tidal islands of Germany

List of Halligen

See also

References

External links