Düne (; ; ) is one of two islands in the German Bight that form the

Archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...

Heligoland Heligoland (; , ; Heligolandic Frisian: , , Mooring Frisian: , ) is a small archipelago in the North Sea. The islands were historically possessions of Denmark, then became possessions of the United Kingdom from 1807 to 1890. Since 1890, the ...

, the other being Heligoland proper.

Geography

The small island of Düne is part of the German State of

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...

. Situated to the east of the main island Heligoland, Düne is part of the ''

'' protected natural area. The island measures in length and in width. The island is separated from Heligoland proper by the Rede strait.

History

Until the 17th century, Düne was connected to Heligoland. On New Year's Eve 1721 a big

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 ...

separated the dunes from Heligoland. Therefore, the island that arose was called Düne ''(English:

Dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

)''. In 1935 the size of the island was . In 1940 the Nazi government increased the size of the island to . This increase was for use as a military airfield. The Heligoland Airfield is still used today and has three runways, of which the longest is .

External links

Düne
at the website of Heligoland municipality Heligoland Uninhabited islands of Germany {{pinneberg-geo-stub