Norderney ( nds, Nördernee) is one of the seven populated

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 f ...

off the

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 of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The island is , having a total area of about and is therefore Germany's ninth-largest island. Norderney's population amounts to about 5,850 people. In 1946 Norderney gained municipal status and belongs to the Aurich "Kreis" (county). On the northern side of the island lies a long sandy beach. The neighbouring island to the east is Baltrum, which lies about 800m (half a mile) away beyond the

Wichter Ee The Wichter Ee is a gat (landform), gat between the East Frisian Islands of Norderney (to the west) and Baltrum (to the east). At the eastern end of the island of Norderney in the Wichter Ee are sandbanks occupied by common seal, common and grey s ...

. To the west is the island of

Juist Juist () ( nds, Juist) is an island and municipality in the district of Aurich in Lower Saxony in Germany. The island is one of seven East Frisian Islands at the edge of the Lower Saxon Wadden Sea in the southern North Sea. It is located between ...

, about away on the other side of the

Norderneyer Seegatt The Norderneyer Seegatt or (officially) Norderneyer Seegat is a gat (landform), gat in the southern North Sea. The gat runs in a north–south direction between the East Frisian Islands of Juist to the west and Norderney to the east. There are tw ...

. The entire eastern half of Norderney belongs to the

Lower Saxon Wadden Sea National Park The Lower Saxon Wadden Sea National Park (german: Nationalpark Niedersächsisches Wattenmeer) was established in 1986 and embraces the East Frisian Islands, mudflats and salt marshes between the Bay of Dollart on the border with the Netherland ...

. Access to the park is restricted, as it is subdivided in zones of different accessibility for the protection of the wildlife. The status as a National Park also affects all types of traffic on the island, while especially car traffic is subject to strict regulations. The mainland is easily reached via ferry operated by AG Reederei Norden-Frisia from the harbour, Norddeich pier near the northern German city of

Norden Norden is a Scandinavian and German word, directly translated as "the North". It may refer to: Places England * Norden, Basingstoke, a ward of Basingstoke and Deane * Norden, Dorset, a hamlet near Corfe Castle * Norden, Greater Manchester, a vi ...

. Norderney also possesses an airport with a runway.

History

Of the seven East Frisian islands, Norderney is the youngest. The island has only existed in its present form since the middle of the 16th century, being the eastern remnant of the larger island

Buise Buise was one of the East Frisian Islands off the North Sea coast of Germany that was almost entirely engulfed by the sea in the second half of the 17th century. The only remaining part is the eastern end, known today as the island of Norderney. B ...

. The larger island of Buise was split into two parts during the

Grote Mandrenke Saint Marcellus's flood or (Low Saxon: ; da, Den Store Manddrukning, 'Great Drowning of Men') was an intense extratropical cyclone, coinciding with a new moon, which swept across the British Isles, the Netherlands, northern Germany, and Denmark ...

flood of 1362, the eastern half at first being called Ostrende. What was left of Buise shrank in size over the years and finally disappeared into the

during the St. Peter's Flood of 1651. Ostrende, on the other hand, grew in size, and is noted in a 1550 census as "Norder neys Oog" (Northern New Island), and having a church and 18 houses. The inhabitants at this time worked principally as fishermen. In the second half of the 18th century the sea trade industry grew in importance. Next to fishing, tourism became important to the island economy. In 1797, Norderney became the first German resort on the North Sea. It is believed that the first durable settlements were established during the 13th and 14th centuries. A town developed in the western part of the island, protected by high dunes. The first documented mention of the island was in 1398. By 1650 the island was about long and the town had about 18 houses and 101 inhabitants. A severe storm flooded the island at Christmastime in 1717. In the 1830s

shellfish Shellfish is a colloquial and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater envir ...

harvesting became the most important activity of the islanders. Crown Prince Georg of Hannover, Herzog von Cumberland, visited Norderney for the first time in 1836 and from 1851 held court each summer on the island. During this time the resort gained a strong following of the rich and famous. In 1858 a 950-metre deck with

promenade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...

was built. The island's windmill was built in 1862. In 1899 the island had 4,018 inhabitants and 26,000 resort guests. In 1901 an angelfish

fishery Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life; or more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a. fishing ground). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, both ...

was established. In 1925 there were 5,564 inhabitants and 38,140 guests.

Deutsche Luft Hansa ''Deutsche Luft Hansa A.G.'' (from 1933 styled as ''Deutsche Lufthansa'' and also known as ''Luft Hansa'', ''Lufthansa'', or DLH) was a German airline, serving as flag carrier of the country during the later years of the Weimar Republic and th ...

commenced scheduled flights to the island the same year.

Cultural references

* The island features in ''

The Riddle of the Sands ''The Riddle of the Sands: A Record of Secret Service'' is a 1903 novel by Erskine Childers. The book, which enjoyed immense popularity in the years before World War I, is an early example of the espionage novel and was extremely influentia ...

'', the 1903 novel by Irish novelist Erskine Childers. * The island features in ''

Seven Gothic Tales ''Seven Gothic Tales'' (translated by the author into Danish as: ''Syv Fantastiske Fortællinger'') is a collection of short stories by the Danish author Karen Blixen (under the pen name Isak Dinesen), first published in 1934, three years before ...

'' the 1934 collection of short stories by Danish novelist

Isak Dinesen Baroness Karen Christenze von Blixen-Finecke (born Dinesen; 17 April 1885 – 7 September 1962) was a Danish author who wrote works in Danish and English. She is also known under her pen names Isak Dinesen, used in English-speaking countrie ...

Coat of arms and flag

Since 10 July 1928 the coat of arms of the city of Norderney depicts the local landmark, the "Kap," or cape building. A dune and water is shown underneath. Such high structures helped mariners identify the island and orient themselves in earlier times. There are similar buildings on

Borkum Borkum ( nds, Borkum, Börkum) is an island and a municipality in the Leer District in Lower Saxony, northwestern Germany. It is situated east of Rottumeroog and west of Juist. Geography Borkum is bordered to the west by the Westerems strait ...

and

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 F ...

. The Norderney cape building was built in 1848 from wood, and was replaced in 1870 with a stone building. At night a fire was lit in the top part of the structure. Today lighthouses have taken over this function. The island painter Poppe Folkerts designed the coat of arms. Norderney is one of the smallest German communities to fly its own flag. The small city flag has horizontal blue and white stripes and a black and white checkered area on the left side. The blue colour stands for the sea, white symbolizes the colour of the sand, and black stands for the Norderney sea sign.

Climate and recreation

Norderney has a maritime climate, with generally less extreme temperatures than on the nearby mainland. Precipitation occurs mainly during the winter and autumn, but autumn seems to be slightly wetter, with November being the wettest month with while spring tends is usually the driest time due to the still cool sea temperature, which cant produce a lot of humidity. Summers are warm and sometimes hot, but the sea winds regulate the temperature down usually within a few days. Winters are mild and, due to the effect of the Golf Stream, usually free of frosts. The Island also has more sunshine hours than the mainland, with around 2,000 hours per year. Sea temperatures are fluctuating between in the winter and over in the summer months. In July 2014 a record high was reached with and on 24 July 2019 the record was broken again, with a new record of high of . There is a

nudist beach A nude beach, sometimes called a clothing-optional or free beach, is a beach where users are at liberty to be nude. Nude beaches usually have mixed bathing. Such beaches are usually on public lands, and any member of the public is allowed to ...

just east of Norderney's popular Weiße Düne (White Dune) beach.

References

External links