Greetsiel is a small

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

on the bight of Leybucht in western

East Frisia East Frisia or East Friesland (german: Ostfriesland; ; stq, Aastfräislound) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia ...

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 betwee ...

that was first documented in letters from the year 1388. Since 1972, Greetsiel has been part of the municipality of

Krummhörn Krummhörn is a municipality in the district of Aurich, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the Ems estuary, approximately 15 km southwest of Norden, and 10 km northwest of Emden. The community (Gemeinde) of Krummhörn comp ...

, which has its administrative seat in Pewsum. The nearest railway station is at

Emden Emden () is an independent city and seaport in Lower Saxony in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia and, in 2011, had a total population of 51,528. History The exact founding date of ...

, about away, and the two towns are linked by a bus service. Although originally just a small but picturesque fishing village, Greetsiel has become a major tourist attraction. In December 2006, it had 1,534 inhabitants, but the number of people living in the village significantly increases during the summer months and over the Christmas holidays.

Geography

Greetsiel is situated on the Leybucht, a small bay on the East Frisian coast. Over time, large parts of the bay were reclaimed behind dykes, so that Greetsiel is the only port in the bay today. In the 1990s, the ''Leybuchthörn'' was completed. This structure extends as a spit out into 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 ...

. Within the ''Leybuchthörn'' is a reservoir and the approach channel from the North Sea into Greetsiel Harbour (''Greetsieler Hafen''). Between the port and the open sea is a lock. Since the completion of the structure, Greetsiel Harbour has been accessible from the sea, irrespective of the

tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...

. The distance to the nearest towns of

and

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 vil ...

is to the north and south respectively.

History

Greetsiel is first mentioned in the records in letters dating to the year 1388 ( Ocko I tom Brok). At that time,

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

ship A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished ...

s lay at

anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek � ...

in the port of Greetsiel and had to pay

tariff A tariff is a tax imposed by the government of a country or by a supranational union on imports or exports of goods. Besides being a source of revenue for the government, import duties can also be a form of regulation of foreign trade and p ...

s. The place was founded by the Domain of Appingen under the chiefs of

Cirksena The House of Cirksena () was the name of the ruling family of East Frisia, Ostfriesland. They descended from a line of East Frisian chieftains from Greetsiel. East Frisia In 1439, in the wake of clashes between different lines of chieftains, t ...

. While Appingen increasingly lost its importance, Greetsiel became the seat of the chief. In 1462 Count

Edzard the Great Edzard I, also Edzard the Great (15 January 1462 in Greetsiel – 14 February 1528 in Emden) was count of East Frisia from 1491 until his death in 1528. Edzard succeeded his brother Enno in 1492. He fought with George, Duke of Saxony over ...

was born at the Cirksenaburg; under his rule East Frisia extended from the

River Weser The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports of B ...

as far as

Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of t ...

. In 1547

Ubbo Emmius Ubbo Emmius (5 December 15479 December 1625) was a German historian and geographer. Early life Ubbo Emmius was born on 5 December 1547 in Greetsiel, East Frisia. From the ages of 9 to 18 Emmius studied in a Latin school, before having to leave o ...

was born here. On old Dutch maps the town is marked as ''Grietjezijl''. In creating the municipality of Krummhörn in 1972, a debate erupted over whether the administrative headquarters should be Pewsum or Greetsiel. Because Greetsiel was a more isolated location, Pewsum was preferred.

Culture and points of interest

Buildings

Of all the East Frisian ''Siel'' villages (a ''Siel'' is a sluice in a dyke), Greetsiel has the best preserved old fishermen's cottages. In its picturesque fishing harbour there are still 28 shrimp cutters (''Krabbenkutter''). Other notable buildings are: *'' Greetsiel Church'', an Evangelical Reformed church. The rectangular,

brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...

aisleless church An aisleless church (german: Saalkirche) is a single- nave church building that consists of a single hall-like room. While similar to the hall church, the aisleless church lacks aisles or passageways on either side of the nave and separated ...

(''Saalkirche'') was built between 1380 and 1410 as the private church of the chief, Haro Edzardsna, in two stages. In 1401, long before its final completion, it was to be consecrated to

Saint Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

. The building is crowned by a small flèche (''Dachreiter'') decorated with a clock. This is adorned by a 1730

weather vane A wind vane, weather vane, or weathercock is an instrument used for showing the direction of the wind. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word ''vane'' comes from the Old English word , m ...

in the shape of a ship. The actual clock tower stands off to one side. The simple interior, which at one time had a flat ceiling, has been covered by a slightly vaulted wooden ceiling since 1852. The

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

was completely renovated in 1963, but its

case Case or CASE may refer to: Containers * Case (goods), a package of related merchandise * Cartridge case or casing, a firearm cartridge component * Bookcase, a piece of furniture used to store books * Briefcase or attaché case, a narrow box to ca ...

is from 1738; the pulpit, however, had already been made in 1669. *''Steinhaus'', the former seat of the Cirksena family. The brick building at the end of the high street (''Hohe Straße'') was built about 1600 on the foundations of a previous building erected around 1390. In the interior the original hall has been restored in the course of renovation work. *''Houses''. Among the most famous photographic motifs in Greetsiel is the row of houses on ''Sielstraße'' flanking the harbour. The houses at ''No. 11'' and ''No. 15'', with their bell-shaped gables based on Dutch designs, are particularly striking. While the former is dated 1741, No. 15 was built in 1792. The ''Poppingas Old Bakery'' (''Poppingas Alte Bäckerei''), No. 21, from the 19th century is also found on ''Sielstraße'' and is used now as a museum, cafe and gallery; its interior has been preserved unchanged. Near the church is the so-called High House (''Hohes Haus'') at 1, ''Hohe Straße'', a two-storey, sideways-on, brick building, which once served as the seat of the treasurer or ''Rentmeister''. According to the

anchor plate An anchor plate, floor plate or wall washer is a large plate or washer connected to a tie rod or bolt. Anchor plates are used on exterior walls of masonry buildings, for structural reinforcement against lateral bowing. Anchor plates are made of ...

on the gable it dates to "1696", but is thought to have already been in decline by the middle of the 16th century. Today the building, whose street façade is covered with an ashlar facing, houses a hotel. The ''Amtmannshaus'' on ''Neuer Deich'' is probably from the same period, but was extensively renovated during the 19th century. In the latest renovation the exterior appearance of the house and its associated Gulf barn was changed significantly by the addition of modern

dormer A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window. Dormers are commonly used to increase the usable spac ...

s. In ''Mühlenstraße'' is ''Haus von Halem'', built in 1794 and one of the most important residential examples of

neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing sty ...

in East Frisia. The two-storey brick building with a

hip roof A hip roof, hip-roof or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope (although a tented roof by definition is a hipped roof with steeply pitched slopes rising to a peak). Thus ...

is divided by a huge

pilasters In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wal ...

. The portal has a richly carved

fanlight A fanlight is a form of lunette window, often semicircular or semi-elliptical in shape, with glazing bars or tracery sets radiating out like an open fan. It is placed over another window or a doorway, and is sometimes hinged to a transom. ...

s in the late

rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

style.

Windmills

The twin windmills (german: Zwillingsmühlen) of Greetsiel-West date from 1856 (green) and Greetsiel-Ost from 1706 (red, renovated in 1921 with parts of

Aurich Aurich (; East Frisian Low Saxon: ''Auerk'', West Frisian: ''Auwerk'', stq, Aurk) is a town in the East Frisian region of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Aurich and is the second largest City in East Frisia, both i ...

's ''Wallmühle'' mill of 1750). They are smock mills (german: Holländerwindmühlen).

Other places of interest

Other places of interest include the scoop wheel, the old ''Siel'' (1798), the new ''Siel'' (1887) and the Pilsum Lighthouse. Greetsiel also hosts the largest

ship in a bottle An impossible bottle is a bottle containing an object that does not appear to fit through the bottle's mouth. The ship in a bottle is a traditional and the most iconic type of impossible bottle. Other common objects include fruits, matchboxes ...

museum in Germany and Europe, with about 800 examples. Of all the places in the municipality of Krummhörn, Greetsiel has the highest influx of tourists.

Regular events

An annual painting and art exhibition, known as Greetsiel Week (
Greetsieler Woche
'), is of national prominence. It has been running for more than 30 years and exhibits a range of works including: art, ceramics, goldsmiths' products and sculptures. Every two years, the Imke Folkerts Prize for Fine Arts, worth 10,000 euros, is awarded at the event. Qualifying entries include works in the fields of art, graphics, photography and sculpture. There are also regular exhibitions in Greetsiel's twin windmills. Every year in mid-summer is the

boat parade Boat parades are a waterway event with illuminated boats. Some of the well known water parades include locations such as Walt Disney World, the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade, and Fort Lauderdale. Fort Lauderdale's annual parade in December i ...

in which the majority of Greetsiel's cutters take part. The crews take guests on a roughly four-hour boat trip. The port also hosts a supporting programme of events with music and shrimp-shelling competitions.greetsiel.de: ''Kutterkorso''
, accessed on 2 June 2011

Transport

Greetsiel is linked by state roads to Norden and Emden and from there the A 31. At one time the Emden-Pewsum-Greetsiel light railway linked Pewsum and Greetsiel with Emden. The operation of the gauge railway began in 1899 between Emden and Pewsum and, in 1906, the line was extended to Greetsiel. ''Kleinbahnstraße'' in Greetsiel recalls that period, along which there are still several railway buildings that are now used for other purposes. The narrow-gauge railway was closed in 1963; since when passenger services have been taken over by

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

es. Today, Greetsiel is connected by bus with the former county town of

as well as Emden. Greetsiel can also be reached by smaller boats from the direction of Emden. The ''Alte Greetsieler Sieltief'' and the ''Neue Greetsieler Sieltief'' connect the port with the East Frisian inland waterways network.

Images

File:Greetsiel harbour.jpg, Greetsiel harbour File:Greetsiel landscape 2003 05.jpg, The landscape to the north of Greetsiel. File:Greetsieler Zwillingsmühlen 2010.jpg, The twin windmills, seen from the west File:Arnold Lüschwitz-Koreffski, "Am Deich, Greetsiel".jpg, A dyke at Greetsiel, 1923 File:Zwillingsmühlen von Greetsiel.jpg, The twin mills, Greetsiel-Ost in front File:port_greetsiel.jpg, Greetsiel Harbour File:emmius_geboortehuis.jpg, Birthplace of Ubbo Emmius in Greetsiel File:Greetsiel 04.jpg, Shrimp cutters in the harbour File:Greetsiel 13.jpg, ''Sielstraße'' File:Greetsiel 17.jpg, ''Sielstraße'' File:Greetsiel Skelettierter-Fisch 0334.jpg, Sculpture at the harbour exit File:Anker greetsiel.jpg, Old anchor File:Greetsiel Hafen.jpg, Cutters in the harbour File:Hafen Greetsiel.JPG, The harbour from Greetsiel File:GreetsielHafen1-28062009.JPG, Greetsiel Harbour (2009) File:GreetsielHafen2-28062009.JPG, Greetsiel Harbour (2009)

Sons of the village

Ubbo Emmius, born 5 December 1547, was a theologian, historian, pedagogue and first master of the

University of Groningen The University of Groningen (abbreviated as UG; nl, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, abbreviated as RUG) is a public research university of more than 30,000 students in the city of Groningen in the Netherlands. Founded in 1614, the university is th ...

(

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

References

External links

Internet page for Greetsiel
{{Authority control Former municipalities in Lower Saxony Towns and villages in East Frisia Krummhörn