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 of the island of Heligoland), as well as adjacent parts of the

Schleswig Geest The Schleswig Geest (german: Schleswigsche Geest, da, Slesvigsk Gest, Midtslesvig or Midtsletten) lies between the North Frisian Marsh and Schleswig-Holstein Uplands in the north of Schleswig-Holstein (Southern Schleswig) in Germany. To the south ...

to the east and

Stapelholm Stapelholm was an ''Amt'' ("collective municipality") in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It was situated on the north bank of the river Eider, approx. 25 km southwest of Schleswig. The seat of the ''Amt'' was ...

to the south, and is bounded (from the east and clockwise) by the districts of Schleswig-Flensburg and Dithmarschen, the North Sea and the

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 ance ...

county of South Jutland. The district is called ''Kreis Nordfriesland'' in

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 ...

, ''Kreis Noordfreesland'' in

Low German : : : : : (70,000) (30,000) (8,000) , familycolor = Indo-European , fam2 = Germanic , fam3 = West Germanic , fam4 = North Sea Germanic , ancestor = Old Saxon , ancestor2 = Middle L ...

, ''Kris Nordfraschlönj'' in Mooring North Frisian, ''Kreis Nuurdfresklun'' in Fering North Frisian and ''Nordfrislands amt'' in

. As of 2008, Nordfriesland was the most visited rural district in Germany.

History

The sea has always had a strong influence in the region. In medieval times, storm tides made life in what is now Nordfriesland rather dangerous. Only in modern times was the loss of land and lives able to be stopped by building solid

dike 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, ...

s. Many villages that once existed are now at the bottom of the sea. The best-known example is the small seaport of Rungholt, which was destroyed by a storm surge in 1362. The island of Strand vanished in the Burchardi flood, another disastrous storm in 1634. Subsequent to this storm surge, there were many small islets instead of Strand. From approximately 1200 until 1864, the area that is now Nordfriesland was a part of the

Duchy of Schleswig The Duchy of Schleswig ( da, Hertugdømmet Slesvig; german: Herzogtum Schleswig; nds, Hartogdom Sleswig; frr, Härtochduum Slaswik) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km ( ...

, which itself was not directly a part of the Danish Kingdom, but a fiefdom of the Danish crown and linked to the kings of Denmark by personal union as a separate entity. Nordfriesland is still a multilingual district: there are people speaking

standard German Standard High German (SHG), less precisely Standard German or High German (not to be confused with High German dialects, more precisely Upper German dialects) (german: Standardhochdeutsch, , or, in Switzerland, ), is the standardized variety ...

Low German : : : : : (70,000) (30,000) (8,000) , familycolor = Indo-European , fam2 = Germanic , fam3 = West Germanic , fam4 = North Sea Germanic , ancestor = Old Saxon , ancestor2 = Middle L ...

, North Frisian and

including South Jutlandic. The North Frisian language exists in nine slightly different dialects, yet it is mainly used by older citizens in mainland Nordfriesland. A relatively lively community of Frisian speakers exists though on the islands of Föhr and Amrum. After becoming German, three districts were established in the region:

Südtondern Südtondern is an '' Amt'' ("collective municipality") in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. History Its seat is in Niebüll. It was formed on 1 January 2008 from the former ''Ämter'' Bökingharde, Karrharde, Süd ...

in the north,

Husum Husum (, frr, Hüsem) is the capital of the ''Kreis'' (district) Nordfriesland in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The town was the birthplace of the novelist Theodor Storm, who coined the epithet "the grey town by the sea". It is also the home of ...

in the centre, and Eiderstedt in the south. In 1970 these three districts were merged to form the Nordfriesland district.

Geography

The entire coastal region is part of the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park. Nordfriesland includes the coastal section between Dithmarschen and Denmark. In the south is the Eiderstedt peninsula, where the River Eider meets the sea. The North Frisian Islands are also part of the Nordfriesland district and located inside the national park as well. There are five large islands ( Sylt, Föhr, Amrum,

Pellworm ( da, Pelvorm; North Frisian ''Polweerm'') is a municipality in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The municipality is located on the island of Pellworm – one of the North Frisian Islands on the North Sea coast of ...

and Nordstrand) and ten smaller islets known as Halligen.

Coat of arms

Towns and municipalities

References

External links