Witsum ( da, Vitsum, North Frisian: ''Wiisem'') is a municipality on the island of

Föhr Föhr ( ''Fering'' North Frisian: ''Feer''; da, Før) is one of the North Frisian Islands on the German coast of the North Sea. It is part of the Nordfriesland district in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein. Föhr is the second-largest No ...

, in the district of Nordfriesland, in

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 Sc ...

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 ...

Geography

Witsum is the smallest village on Föhr. From here one can see the

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

and

Amrum Amrum (; ''Öömrang'' North Frisian: ''Oomram'') is one of the North Frisian Islands on the German North Sea coast, south of Sylt and west of Föhr. It is part of the Nordfriesland district in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein and has a ...

. Many

seabird Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same enviro ...

s (

migratory bird Bird migration is the regular seasonal movement, often north and south along a flyway, between breeding and wintering grounds. Many species of bird migrate. Migration carries high costs in predation and mortality, including from hunting b ...

s among them) use the stream ''Godel'', the only "river" on Föhr, to hatch. The hamlet is situated on a

geest Geest is a type of landform, slightly raised above the surrounding countryside, that occurs on the plains of Northern Germany, the Northern Netherlands and Denmark. It is a landscape of sandy and gravelly soils formed as a glacial outwash pla ...

land edge; there is no sea

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 ...

. A hill called ''Sylvert'' is located West of Witsum. There is a saying in the area that translates to: "What ''Mount Everest'' is for the world, the ''Sylvert'' is to our beloved island."

History

Witsum was first recorded in 1509. As a part of Westerland Föhr, it belonged to the Royal Enclaves of

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

and thus was a direct part of the Danish crown while Osterland Föhr belonged to 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 ...

. Only when Denmark lost Schleswig to

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

in the

Second Schleswig War The Second Schleswig War ( da, Krigen i 1864; german: Deutsch-Dänischer Krieg) also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War was the second military conflict over the Schleswig-Holstein Question of the nineteenth century. ...

, Witsum became a part of Schleswig-Holstein. Witsum and the neighbouring village of

Utersum Utersum ( Fering North Frisian: ''Ödersem'', da, Yttersum) is a municipality on the island of Föhr, in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The municipality includes the hamlet of Hedehusum. Geography The village is ...

were the only municipalities in the second zone of the

Schleswig Plebiscites The Schleswig plebiscites were two plebiscites, organized according to section XII, articles 100 to 115 of the Treaty of Versailles of 28 June 1919, in order to determine the future border between Denmark and Germany through the former Duchy of S ...

to vote for

in 1920; yet because they were not directly situated at the border, the two of them remained with Germany.

Politics

With less than 70 inhabitants, Witsum has, according to article 54 of the Schleswig-Holstein ''

Gemeindeordnung The Gemeindeordnung ({{IPA-de, ɡəˈmaɪndəˌʔɔʁdnʊŋ, lang) is the municipal code in German law. Germany Historically, the Gemeindeordnung was state law. During the Weimar Republic, it became federal law named Deutsche Gemeindeordnung. ...

'', a

town meeting Town meeting is a form of local government in which most or all of the members of a community are eligible to legislate policy and budgets for local government. It is a town- or city-level meeting in which decisions are made, in contrast with ...

instead of a council. All elective inhabitants may attend the meeting.

Traffic

The State Road that connects

Wyk auf Föhr ( ''Fering'' North Frisian: ''Wik'', ''a Wik'', or ''Bi a Wik''; da, Vyk på Før) is the only town on Föhr, the second largest of the North Frisian Islands on the German coast of the North Sea. Like the entire island it belongs to the distric ...

with Utersum runs through Witsum. Moreover a regular bus line serves the village.

Economy

Tourism is the major source of income for Witsum.

Gallery

191009 Strand bei Witsum mit Blick Richtung Amrum.jpg, Witsum beach with neighbouring island Amrum at the horizon 191009 Bach Godel bei Witsum mit Blickrichtung Südost.jpg, River Godel near Witsum (viewing direction south-east) 191009 Bach Godel bei Witsum mit Blickrichtung Nordwest.jpg, River Godel near Witsum (viewing direction north-west)

References

External links

Witsum
{{authority control Föhr Nordfriesland