Spiekeroog
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Spiekeroog is one of 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 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 ...
. It is situated between Langeoog to its west, 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 ...
to its east. The island belongs to the district of Wittmund, in
Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...
in Germany. The only village on the island is also called Spiekeroog. The island is part of the
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 ...
World Heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
Site by the
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
and 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 ...
. Spiekeroog covers an area of 18.25 km2, the shortest distance to the mainland is 5.7 km. The island is, with the exception of electronic cars and fire and rescue vehicles, free of cars. A daily ferry service from the harbour of Neuharlingersiel connects the island with the German mainland. The island is separated from neighbouring Wangerooge by a gat known as the Harle. The origin of the name "Spiekeroog" is disputed. Today, most of its people tend to believe that it is a translation of "storage island".


History

Spiekeroog was first mentioned in 1398 as the island of ''Spiekeroch''. At that time, it was a hiding place for pirates. They were supported by the islanders, but were not averse to robbing them too. In 1625, 13 families lived on the island, making a living from farming, fishing and the production of ''
muschelkalk The Muschelkalk (German for "shell-bearing limestone"; french: calcaire coquillier) is a sequence of sedimentary rock strata (a lithostratigraphic unit) in the geology of central and western Europe. It has a Middle Triassic (240 to 230 million ye ...
'' or shell-bearing limestone. In later years, whaling and shipping became increasingly important to the island. During the Napoleonic occupation, shipping came to a halt due to the
blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are le ...
against England which led to great poverty. Smuggling goods to and from the then English
Heligoland Heligoland (; german: Helgoland, ; Heligolandic Frisian: , , Mooring Frisian: , da, Helgoland) is a small archipelago in the North Sea. A part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein since 1890, the islands were historically possessions ...
was the only source of income during that time. In 1812, England attacked the French settlements on the island, but was repelled. At the beginning of the 19th century, the idea of coastal resorts - having originated in England - became popular among the German North Sea islands. The first coastal resort was founded 1797 on the island of Norderney. Since 1820, guests have been using Spiekeroog for holidays. A weekly ferry service was established from Neuharlingersiel in 1792 and, since 1842, the service has operated on a daily basis. To improve the comfort of tourists and guests, a 1.7 km long
horse-drawn railway Wagonways (also spelt Waggonways), also known as horse-drawn railways and horse-drawn railroad consisted of the horses, equipment and tracks used for hauling wagons, which preceded steam-powered railways. The terms plateway, tramway, dramway, ...
was built in 1885 between the village and the western beach. It was extended in 1892 to the newly built harbour in the southwest of the island. This horse-drawn railway was replaced by diesel trains on May, 31st, 1949 which made it the last horse-drawn railway in Germany. In 1981, upon construction of the new harbour, the diesel train was put out of service. At the same time, the horse-drawn railway was reinstated for tourists and continues to operate to this day.


Tourism

Spiekeroog was a frequent vacation destination for various German presidents.
Gustav Heinemann Gustav Walter Heinemann (; 23 July 1899 – 7 July 1976) was a German politician who was President of West Germany from 1969 to 1974. He served as mayor of Essen from 1946 to 1949, West German Minister of the Interior from 1949 to 1950, and Mini ...
,
Richard von Weizsäcker Richard Karl Freiherr von Weizsäcker (; 15 April 1920 – 31 January 2015) was a German politician ( CDU), who served as President of Germany from 1984 to 1994. Born into the aristocratic Weizsäcker family, who were part of the German nobilit ...
and
Johannes Rau Johannes Rau (; 16 January 193127 January 2006) was a German politician (SPD). He was the president of Germany from 1 July 1999 until 30 June 2004 and the minister president of North Rhine-Westphalia from 20 September 1978 to 9 June 1998. In the ...
(who got married on the island) spent their holidays here. As a North Sea coastal resort the island is home to various health institutions including a wellness centre, a mother/child health centre and an island spa. Spiekeroog has a capacity of 3,500 beds for guests - counting all hotels, pensions, private rooms, vacation apartments and health and leisure centres. According to a 2003 survey, 64,000 tourists visit the island yearly, with 554,000 overnight stays and 81,000 daytime visitors. The average stay on the island is 5.8 days. Beside hotels, pensions and vacation apartments, there is a campsite on the western part of the island. It is open from May to September.


Places of interest

The "Old Island Church" (Protestant) was built in 1696 and is therefore the oldest of all the churches on the East Frisian Islands. The portrait of the Virgin Mary within the church is supposed to have come from a ship of the Spanish Armada that was stranded on Spiekeroog in 1588. ''Drinkeldodenkarkhof'', also known as "Cemetery of the Homeless" is the graveyard for the 84 victims from the sinking of the ship ''Johanne'' in 1854. The Island Museum shows historical artefacts from the island, the development of the coastal resort and the nature on the island. The Shell Museum at Kogge House has an exhibition of 2000 shells from all over the world. Since 2007 the Bronze sculpture „De Utkieker“ (Height 3,50 m) by the German sculptor
Hannes Helmke Hannes Helmke (born 10 May 1967 in Heidelberg) is a German sculptor creating bronze sculptures. Life After an education in wood sculpture, Helmke attended postgraduate studies in free art at the Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences in ...
is standing on a dune, looking over the sea. It is a symbol for preserving the island as a natural jewel. The National Park Center Wittbülten is situated at two kilometres East from Spiekeroog village, surrounded by sand dunes and salt marshes covered with Sea Lavender. The exhibition displays a Sperm Whale skeleton and many interactive and multimedial objects explaining the island's habitats. The tidal flats tours are other of the main attractions of the island. From April to September (depending on holiday times), a horse-drawn railway operates between the old railway station and Westend.


See also

* List of ferry boats of the East Frisian Islands


References

{{Authority control Seaside resorts in Germany Towns and villages in East Frisia East Frisian Islands Car-free zones in Europe Wittmund (district) Islands of Lower Saxony