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56-456: The village is located between pine woods and dunes in the utmost southwest of Föhr, within the sight of the neighbouring islands of Amrum and Sylt . It is the smallest seaside resort on Föhr. In Utersum there is a sanitorium that specialises in diseases of the lung and in oncology and gynecology . In the lowlands along the river Godel, plants like salicornia and sea aster can be found. They thrive on salt marshes whose salt content

112-455: A few sorts of plants, e.g. hollyhock , will grow there without fertilising. On the salt marshes along the eastern shore of Amrum, many salt-tolerant species can be found. Pioneer plants such as Salicornia europaea and alkali grasses , grow on and stabilize the mudflats. Like the vegetation, Amrum's wildlife is determined by the island's location within the North Sea. Thus there are only

168-742: A few species of wild mammals on Amrum, such as hares, mice, hedgehogs and bats. In the 12th century, rabbits were introduced as game. Still today they populate the island. A few years ago a pregnant vixen was set free on Amrum. She and her offspring caused severe damage to the island's fauna, but since then they have been hunted down. In the sea and on the sand bars off Amrum, thus within the National Park, harbour seals , grey seals and harbour porpoises have their habitats. Occasionally in December and January, young grey seals are washed ashore on Amrum's beaches due to storm surges and are thereafter nursed by

224-665: A high ecological value worth of protection. This fact was acknowledged by the establishment of two nature reserves and Amrum's proximity to the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park . Amrum's vegetation is determined by the sea and by the different types of landscapes on the island, most of which are low in nutrients . In parts of the dune belt and on the Kniepsand marram grass or sea wormwood grow, as well as numerous other sand-loving plants like sheep's bit which will bloom in sheltered areas between

280-630: A newly formed vassal state of Poland, the Duchy of Pomerania . The Polish ruler initiated Christianization , entrusting this task to Otto of Bamberg , and in 1128 the Slavic Pomeranian Duke Wartislaw I was converted to Christianity through the efforts of Otto. In 1155 the Premonstratensians established a monastery in Grobe, generally known as Usedom Abbey , which in 1309 was moved to

336-627: A part of Western Föhr, Utersum belonged to the Danish Enclaves and was thus directly linked to the Danish Kingdom while Eastern Föhr and Wyk adhered to the Duchy of Schleswig . Only when Denmark lost Schleswig to Prussia after the Second Schleswig War of 1864 did Utersum become part of Schleswig-Holstein due to the annexation of Schleswig-Holstein by Prussia in 1867. Utersum, Hedehusum and

392-493: A protected marine area was created in 1999 to provide shelter for them. The number of other marine species is equally great, the hermit crab , the common whelk , and the lugworm are all among them. Of them, mainly the sand shrimps are commercially used by "harvesting" them from the seabed with cutters . The shrimps are then wrongly marketed as "crabs" ( Krabben ). Usedom Usedom ( German : Usedom [ˈuːzədɔm] , Polish : Uznam [ˈuznam] )

448-564: A severe oil spill in the region. The main language on Amrum is German . The North Frisian language in the Öömrang dialect is spoken by roughly a third of the population. Those 800 Amrumers are all multilingual. Due to the isolated location of the islands, the North Frisian dialects developed so differently, that Öömrang can be understood by people from Föhr, yet is hardly recognisable for those from Sylt or mainland Nordfriesland. Many Amrumers moreover speak Low German , since it had been

504-661: Is a Baltic Sea island in Pomerania , divided between Germany and Poland . It is the second largest Pomeranian island after Rügen , and the most populous island in the Baltic Sea. It lies north of the Szczecin Lagoon estuary of the Oder river. About 80% of the island belongs to the German district of Vorpommern-Greifswald in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern . The eastern part and

560-471: Is called Achterland , referring to the Achterwasser lagoon ( Rear Waters ). It is characterized by unspoilt forests, lagoon landscapes, and hills, as well as calm villages such as Loddin and Balmer See with its golf course . Main economic activities include tourism , health and life sciences , retail , agriculture , fishing, animal husbandry, food processing, and timber production. Settled since

616-517: Is determined by abundant floodings with sea water. Sea birds like the pied avocet use to hatch there. A bus service links the place to the other villages on Föhr and to the town of Wyk . Three preserved dolmens testify of settlements from as early as the Bronze Age . In the 17th and 18th century, whaling was an important trade on Föhr. A census in 1787 showed that Utersum and Hedehusum together had 294 inhabitants, 62 of whom were seafarers. As

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672-622: Is largely made up of heath and shrubs. The island's only forest was planted in 1948. Amrum is a refuge for many species of birds and a number of marine mammals including the grey seal and harbour porpoise . Settlements on Amrum have been traced back to the Neolithic period when the area was still a part of the mainland of the Jutland peninsula. During the Middle Ages, Frisian settlers arrived at Amrum and engaged in salt making and seafaring. A part of

728-553: Is located near the eastern coastline. Notable sights there include the church of St. Clement with its "talking gravestones" , the Öömrang Hüs - a museum of local history, a wind mill and the Cemetery of the Homeless. Süddorf, today a district of Nebel, is the island's oldest hamlet. The Amrum Lighthouse is located there. Steenodde, also a neighbourhood of Nebel, had long been Amrum's only port until Wittdün, founded 1890, had taken over as

784-521: Is part of the Nordfriesland district in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein and has approximately 2,300 inhabitants. The island is made up of a sandy core of geestland and features an extended beach all along its west coast, facing the open North Sea. The east coast borders to mudflats of the Wadden Sea . Sand dunes are a characteristic part of Amrum's landscape, resulting in a vegetation that

840-505: Is the sunniest region of both Germany and Poland, and it is also one of the sunniest islands in the Baltic Sea, hence its nickname "Sun Island" ( German : Sonneninsel , Polish : Wyspa Słońca ). The island has been a tourist destination since the Gründerzeit in the 19th century, and features resort architecture . Seaside resorts include Zinnowitz and the Amber Spas in the west,

896-508: Is tourism. In 2007 the island could provide 12,000 beds. In 2008 approximately 135,000 tourists and 1.3 million lodgings were registered. Agriculture is also being practised on Amrum and the port hosts a single fisherman. The local newspaper is called Der Insel-Bote (The Island Courier) and published by the Schleswig-Holsteinischer Zeitungsverlag . It is the common paper for both Föhr and Amrum. Moreover, Amrum

952-677: The Ambrones , who together with the Cimbri and Teutones threatened Rome around 100 BC, stemmed from this island which back then was still connected to the mainland by a land bridge. In the early Middle Ages the island was colonised by the Frisians . The oldest known record of Amrum island has been found in the Danish Census Book of King Valdemar II of Denmark from 1231. Next to salt making , agriculture, fishery and whaling , merchant shipping

1008-594: The German-Polish border . Many of them are decorated in nautical themes, and seafood is a major drawcard. St. Peter's Church in Benz is featured in the works of several artists, including the German-American painter Lyonel Feininger who spent summer vacations on the island from 1909 to 1918. In addition to the coastline, the hinterland features nature reserves, castles, lakes and historic villages. Points of interest in

1064-443: The Gründerzeit in the 19th century, have been frequented by the German and international nobility as well as the general public. According to The Guardian , the island, as of 2022, "... is known by some as the 'bathtub of Berlin' and by others, slightly more poetically, as 'sun island'," but "... remains largely undiscovered by international visitors." Hotels and bed and breakfast establishments are available on both sides of

1120-708: The Kaiserbad and Świnoujście in the east. The island is separated from the neighbouring island of Wolin to the east by the Strait of Świna , which is the main route connecting Szczecin Bay with the Pomeranian Bay , a part of the Baltic Sea. The strait between the island and the mainland is called the Peenestrom ; it is a downstream extension of the valley of the Peene river, which flows into

1176-519: The Potsdam Conference , and the surviving German inhabitants of the town were expelled to the west. The territory was repopulated with Poles, most of whom had been expelled by the Soviets from what had been eastern Poland . Usedom is one of Germany's major holiday and recreation areas due to its beaches, its natural environment, and seaside towns such as Ahlbeck, Heringsdorf and Bansin, which, since

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1232-522: The Second Schleswig War . For a brief period after that war, Amrum was ruled together by Prussia and Austria, yet in 1867 the island came under Prussian rule and was made a part of the province of Schleswig-Holstein. At first, Amrum formed a municipality within the district of Tondern . In 1920, the Schleswig Plebiscites resulted in a clear majority vote for Amrum staying with Germany, while Tondern fell back to Denmark. Until 1972, Amrum belonged to

1288-626: The Stone Age , the area was probably inhabited by Germanic Rugians , before the Polabian Slavs moved in during the fifth, sixth, and seventh centuries. Around the island, Wendish / Scandinavian trade centres such as Vineta / Jomsborg and Menzlin were established. In the 1110s, the town of Uznam was destroyed by the Danes . In the 1120s, the island along with Western Pomerania came under Polish suzerainty under Bolesław III Wrymouth , and became part of

1344-526: The Swedish Army under King Gustavus Adolphus landed in the village of Peenemünde , located on the Peenestrom strait. In 1637 the last duke of Pomerania Bogislaw XIV died, the House of Griffin became extinct and the duchy ceased to exist. Usedom was annexed by Sweden after the war for almost a century, until in 1720 it was sold for 2 million thalers to Prussian King Frederick William I . In 1740 Frederick

1400-505: The Südtondern district which then merged into the newly created district of Nordfriesland. During the 19th century, Amrum still had a considerably lower population than today. Church records from 1821 to 1833 show an average population of 587, a census in 1860 noted 642 inhabitants, and in 1871, the population had dropped to 571. Among other factors, the decrease owed to the fact that large parts of Amrum's population had emigrated — mainly to

1456-475: The 1990s. The Amrum forest was mainly planted in 1948 on an area of heath. Until then only a few forested regions could be found around the decoy ponds. With 180 hectares , Amrum has the largest ratio of forested land of all Germany's North Sea islands. Mainly pines, firs and birches can be found here. Meanwhile, the forest has largely lost its artificial nature. So one will encounter numerous plants on all levels and many species of fungi . The "geestland", east of

1512-466: The German part are Heringsdorf (from 2005 to 2006 called Dreikaiserbäder , literally "The Three Imperial Spas") and Zinnowitz . There are many seaside resorts on the Baltic Sea coast, including Zinnowitz and Koserow in the west – and the three Imperial Spas Ahlbeck , Heringsdorf , and Bansin forming a town, as well as neighbouring Świnoujście in the east of Usedom. The hinterland

1568-612: The Great of Prussia developed a seaport in Świnoujście (then Swinemünde ). With the Kingdom of Prussia the island became part of the German Empire in 1871. The small village of Peenemünde came to prominence again during World War II . The Luftwaffe tested missiles and rockets , including the V-1 and V-2 nearby. Germany used thousands of slave laborers on Usedom during World War II. During

1624-521: The Hallig Hooge and the harbour of Strucklahnungshörn on Nordstrand . Amrum's terminal is located at Wittdün, the ferries are operated by Wyker Dampfschiffs-Reederei GmbH (W.D.R.) . Most tourists will reach Amrum via Dagebüll. From there, the ferry journey takes 90 minutes on a straight route, but the more usual route via a stop at Wyk auf Föhr takes 120 minutes. The ferry service to the Halligen and

1680-516: The North Sea coast these birds are usually scared off by tourists. Additionally vast flocks of migratory birds will rest on Amrum during the season, e.g. red knot , brent goose or sanderling , all of whom are able to find sufficient food along the coasts of Amrum. Moreover, a number of songbirds can be found and pheasants which were equally introduced as game are common. Lizards and amphibians, such as moor frog , natterjack toad and smooth newt are other examples of land vertebrata . In

1736-549: The United States. Today, more people with ancestors from Amrum live in the United States than there are on Amrum proper, and the connections between Amrum and the U.S. are still being cultivated. Eventually, tourism began only to flourish on the island when a seaside resort was established in Wittdün in 1890, which also led to a rapid increase in population. On 29 October 1998, the cargo ship Pallas ran aground off Amrum, causing

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1792-503: The adjacent municipality of Witsum were the only ones in Zone II of the Schleswig Plebiscites in 1920 to vote for Denmark; as they were not directly situated at the border though, they remained with Germany. Since the municipal elections of 2008, the independent FWU holds five seats in the municipality's council, the equally independent UWG holds four. Utersum became the favourite resort of entertainer Hans Rosenthal (1925–1987). He

1848-570: The adults. In January 2010 the seal shelter station at Friedrichskoog announced that more and more female grey seals were "moving away from less favourable birth sites near Amrum and Sylt to Heligoland ." Birdlife is particularly plentiful. Amrum counts among the most important hatching areas for seabirds in Germany. It is the only remaining hatching area for the Eurasian curlew in the Wadden Sea, and

1904-592: The century had been lost, but in 1913, a net gain was again recorded at the Kniepsand. Amrum is one of three isles with a geestland core in Nordfriesland. This sandy core is made up of glacial deposits from the Saalian glacial period . To the east, it borders to the Wadden Sea mudflats of the North Sea. The east side is also where the island's historic hamlets are situated: Norddorf , Nebel , Süddorf and Steenodde. On

1960-415: The dune area extends into a small peninsula called Odde . In the south of Amrum, the newest settlement, Wittdün , is located. West of the dunes, the entire shore of Amrum is made up of the Kniepsand beach; it counts among northern Europe 's largest sand beaches. North of Norddorf there is some marshland , another small marsh area can be found between Süddorf and Steenodde. Both of them are protected from

2016-407: The dunes. Also some stunted pines, bent by the sea wind, and Salix repens , the creeping willow can be found there. Until the 1970s, the rare sea holly could still be seen in the dunes. East of there are heaths and conifer or mixed forests. In some dune slacks, peat bogs can be found which occasionally host the carnivorous plant common sundew . The once abundant marsh gentian vanished during

2072-420: The forest, is mostly used for farming. Its grassland grows plants such as Harebell ( Campanula rotundifolia ), Sea Thrift ( Armeria maritima ) and Carthusian Pink ( Dianthus carthusianorum ) and several species of hawkweed . In the small marshlands, some sedges and the ragged robin may be seen. Here is the most nutritious soil on Amrum. Even the soil of Amrum's gardens is so low in nutrients that only

2128-463: The geestland core, one can find extended areas of heath and woodland which form a strip that runs along a north-south line on the axis. West of this woodland strip, a region of 838 hectares (2,070 acres) is covered with dunes that run all along the island for about 12 km. The maximal width of this area amounts to more than a kilometre. Amrum's tallest dune near Norddorf is called a Siatler (the settling dune); it reaches 32 m in height. Northward,

2184-462: The island's major ferry terminal. Of the three municipalities, Wittdün is most clearly influenced by tourism. The oldest traces of settlements in the area date back to the Neolithic with a number of dolmens among them. Also many tomb sites from the Bronze and Iron Ages have been preserved. In the dunes west of the decoy pond, the remainders of an Iron Age hamlet have been found. It is unknown whether

2240-515: The language of the coastal sailors. Only a few people speak the Danish language . Amrum's national costume for girls and women is coloured black and white and is amply decorated with silver ornaments. It is mostly worn on confirmation services or at tourist events. There are two peculiar traditions on Amrum. On February 21 the Biakendai is celebrated, where a great bonfire is lit to dispel winter. On

2296-546: The largest city on the island, Świnoujście , are part of the Polish West Pomeranian Voivodeship . The island's total area is 445 square kilometres (172 square miles) – 373 square kilometres (144 square miles) in the German part and 72 square kilometres (28 square miles) in the Polish part. Its population is 76,500 (German part 31,500; Polish part 45,000). With an annual average of 1,906 hours of sunshine, Usedom

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2352-472: The main hatching region for the common eider , but also oystercatchers , shelducks , Arctic terns , seagulls like herring gulls , common gull and the lesser black-backed gull , as well as many other species, use to hatch there on the beach, in between the dunes or at the mudflats. Since the dunes of Amrum are a protected nature reserve, they are the only dunes along the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein where seagulls and ducks breed. In other dune areas of

2408-456: The mainland terminal of Schlüttsiel was terminated in 2019 because the port of Schlüttsiel has become too silted up for extended traffic. On the island, the bicycle is the main means of transport next to cars; compared to other areas of Germany, Amrum provides an excellent network of bicycle routes. Numerous bicycle rental services exist for tourists. A bus service connects Norddorf, Nebel and Wittdün on an hourly schedule (every 30 minutes during

2464-478: The modern population still speaks Öömrang , a dialect of the North Frisian language , and Frisian traditions are kept alive. With the island hosting many endangered species of plants and animals, its soil being largely unproductive for agriculture and as a popular seaside resort in general, Amrum's population today almost exclusively lives from the tourism industry. Amrum's area measures 20.4 km , making it

2520-609: The occasion, people blacken each other's faces with soot. The festival originates from the old liturgical holiday of Cathedra Petri , which was originally celebrated on February 22. The custom is also popular in other North Frisian municipalities. On New Year's Eve the Hulken takes place, where groups of mostly young people dress up in costumes and walk from house to house to let others guess their true identity (similar to Halloween ). Depending on their age, they are either treated with sweets or alcoholic drinks. Amrum's main branch of economy

2576-476: The sea by dikes . During low tide it is possible to reach the neighbouring island of Föhr by mudflat hiking . Amrum's population amounts to about 2,300 and the island is divided into three municipalities: Norddorf, Nebel and Wittdün. All are within the Amt Föhr-Amrum . The northernmost settlement is the seaside resort of Norddorf with a decoy pond and a sector light . Amrum's largest village, Nebel,

2632-433: The sea surrounding Amrum numerous fish species typical of the North Sea can be found, like plaice and atlantic herring . A 1940 report mentioned several worms like Nematodes , Archiannelida , Oligochaeta and Turbellaria , crustaceans like ostracods , and ciliate protozoans in the sands of the Kniepsand beach. Since the 1980s, the abundance of harbour porpoises in the sea off Amrum and Sylt has been increasing and

2688-565: The so-called Uthlande , the Outer Lands, which only successively became parts of the Danish realm or the Duchy of Schleswig . After the conflicts between the Danish kings and the counts of Schauenburg about the rule over Schleswig, Amrum and western Föhr became an enclave of Denmark and contrary to neighbouring areas, it was not any longer a part of the Duchy of Schleswig. This state endured until 1864, when Denmark lost Schleswig to Prussia after

2744-458: The summer season). Like the ferries, the bus service is operated by W.D.R.. A less common form of transport is mudflat hiking between Amrum and Föhr. From 1893 to 1939, a railway service was operated on Amrum. There is no airstrip on the island because any plans to establish one have so far vehemently been opposed. Plants and wild animals on Amrum are marked by the proximity to the sea, but some also distinguish themselves by extreme rarity and

2800-400: The tenth-largest island of Germany (excluding Usedom which is partly Polish territory). Including the large Kniepsand beach on the western shore to the surface area results in a total area of c. 30 km . Amrum's surface area has however been subject to constant change due to land loss and gain caused by the sea. During the 19th century, a 20th part of the area recorded in the beginning of

2856-627: The village of Pudagla . In the meantime, a Cistercian nunnery was founded in Krummin and soon almost the whole island was in the possession of one or the other of the ecclesiastical orders. In the 1170s, the island was ravaged by King Valdemar I of Denmark . During the Reformation , ownership passed to the Slavic dukes of Pomerania , who took over the island. During the Thirty Years' War , on June 26, 1630,

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2912-564: The war, a subcamp of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp was located in the town of Usedom. In the final stages of the war, in 1945, German-perpetrated death marches of Allied prisoners-of-war from the Stalag XX-B and Stalag Luft IV POW camps passed through the island. In 1945 the eastern part of the island, together with the city and port of Swinemünde (now Świnoujście ), was assigned to Poland under border changes promulgated at

2968-407: The westernmost part of the Szczecin Lagoon . The island is mostly flat, and partly covered by marshes. Geographical features include a number of lakes: The largest town on the island is Świnoujście , which has a total population of 41,500. The western part of Świnoujście covers the entire Polish part of the island. Another town, Usedom , gives its name to the island. The largest municipalities in

3024-534: Was made an honorary citizen of the village. Utersum was the hometown of Volkert & Boz Lorenzen and Arian Martens all able seaman lost at sea on the brig Mary Celeste in 1872. Amrum Amrum ( German pronunciation: [ˈamʁʊm] ; 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

3080-445: Was one of the main sources of income for a long time. Hark Olufs , a sailor from Süddorf who had been enslaved by Algerians in 1724, advanced to the rank of a General until he was allowed to return to his native island in 1736. During the late 19th century, tourism became a rapidly emerging business on Amrum and effectively changed the island's economy. During the Middle Ages, Amrum, as well as all of North Frisia proper, belonged to

3136-416: Was the set for many German cinematic and TV films , e.g. Tod auf Amrum (1998) or Sommer (2008), as well as numerous crime novels. It is also the location that Netflix filmed Black Island. The island is connected by ferry services to neighbouring Föhr and to the mainland at the harbour of Dagebüll . During the summer season, a fast passenger boat offers services between the ports of Hörnum on Sylt,

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