Süderoog (; da, Sønderog; North Frisian: ''Saruug'' or ''Saaruuch'') is one of the ''

Hallig The ''Halligen'' (German, singular ''Hallig'', ) or the ''halliger'' (Danish, singular ''hallig'') are small islands without protective levee, dikes. They are variously pluralized in English as the Halligen, Halligs, Hallig islands, or Halligen isl ...

en'', a group of islands in the North Frisian

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 ...

, off the west coast of

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 ...

in north

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 belongs administratively to the parish of

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 is a bird reserve. Before the

Burchardi flood The Burchardi flood (also known as the second Grote Mandrenke) was a storm tide that struck the North Sea coast of North Frisia and Dithmarschen (in modern-day Germany) on the night between 11 and 12 October 1634. Overrunning dikes, it shattered ...

in 1634 there were three houses on the island, one of which was inhabited by the beach lookout (''Strandvogt''). He was also the caretaker of the

beacon A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location. A common example is the lighthouse, which draws attention to a fixed point that can be used to navigate around obstacles or into port. More mode ...

, which was destroyed during the

storm surge 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 ...

of 1634. In this storm tide, two houses were destroyed and ten people were drowned. In the

February flood of 1825 {{short description, Storm surge flood on the North Sea coast of Germany and the Netherlands The February flood of 1825, also known in Germany as the Great Hallig Flood (''Große Halligflut''), was a devastating flood that occurred from 3 to 5 Febr ...

the last remaining house was destroyed. It was rebuilt, however, and served again as the residence of the lookout. Today the ''Hallig'' has an area of and is currently farmed organically by a husband and wife. The most famous resident of the island was Hermann Paulsen Neuton who, from 1927 until his death in 1951, ran an international youth meeting place, the "Island of Boys." (''Insel der Jungen''). It was continued after his death by his wife, Gunvor, and in 1960, converted into a foundation, whose aim was ''"on the basis of Hermann Neuton Paulsen's work and in the interests of international understanding, to give young people from different countries the opportunity to meet on the island of Süderoog in an atmosphere of freedom borne out of responsibility, to get to know one another as friends, and to live together in ways that are to match the development of psychology and pedagogy at any time. "''(§ 2 of the Foundation's Charter, Stockholm, 22 February 1960). Difficult sanitary conditions, which could not be sufficiently improved, and damage caused by the flood of 1962 led to the gradual decline of Süderoog's holiday work. The ''Hallig'' that had been in the private ownership of the Paulsen family for centuries was finally sold in 1971 to the state of

. In 1974 the foundation was dissolved. Süderoog is inhabited by a couple who rent the ''Hallig'' from the state of Schleswig-Holstein. Both are active in coastal protection and look after the preservation of the island. Access to Süderoog is only possible as part of a guided tour from Pellworm. Aerial image of the Hallig Süderoog at low tide.jpg, Hallig Süderoog at low tide Aerial image of the Hallig Süderoog at high tide.jpg, Hallig Süderoog at high tide

External links

Information on Süderoog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suderoog Halligen Bird reserves in Schleswig-Holstein Islands of Schleswig-Holstein Pellworm