Nordstrand
Nordstrand (North Frisian: di Ströön) is a peninsula and former island in North Frisia on the North Sea coast of Germany. It is part of the Nordfriesland district in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein. Its area is 50 km² and its population is 2,300 (2022). Nordstrand has two municipalities, Nordstrand and smaller Elisabeth-Sophien-Koog, which are part of the Amt Nordsee-Treene. Translates to "North Beach"
In medieval times Nordstrand was a part of the larger island of Strand, which was torn into pieces in a disastrous storm tide in 1634. More than 6,000 people drowned. Before 1634 the area of the island was about 210 square miles (540 km2). Other remnants of Strand are Pellworm and some Halligen islets.
Regions
Nordstrand, Norderhafen, Suderhafen, England, Suden, Dreisprung
Pellworm, Nordstrandischmoor
Cities
Other destinations
Understand
There are large expanses of flat green grassy farm fields with grazing sheep, protected from the sea by sloping dikes . Good level bicycle paths on some of the dikes. Some of the homes and buildings use the old traditional thick grass reeds for thatched roofs. A few old fashioned Dutch style windmills are still around.
Together with the neighbouring islands of Pellworm, and Nordstrand Ischmoor, Nordstrand formed the large island of Strand (also: Alt-Nordstrand) until before 1634. Devastating storm surges, however, repeatedly destroyed large areas of the island (such as the proverbial Grote Mandränken in 1362 and 1634). In the course of the following centuries, however, lost land masses could also be reclaimed through dikes.
At the transition of 1906/07, the island finally received its first permanent access to the North Frisian mainland through the construction of a connecting dam from Wobbenbüll.
With the last diking of the Beltringharder Koog in 1987, Nordstrand finally became a peninsula. As a result of its designation, the new Koog became the largest nature reserve in Schleswig-Holstein on the mainland.
The North Frisian island is connected to the mainland by a 4-km-long car causeway. In 1990, Nordstrand was awarded the title of Seeheilbad. The North Sea spa town of Nordstrand is divided into two municipalities. There are 2,256 inhabitants in the municipality of Nordstrand and 55 inhabitants in the municipality of Elisabeth-Sophien-Koog as of 2022.
The municipality of Nordstrand also includes the Hallig Nordstrandischmoor with 22 inhabitants on four terps. Elisabeth-Sophien-Koog was first mentioned in a document in 1804/05. The Koogers have been able to maintain their political independence to this day. Attempts at incorporation in the 1970s failed due to the resistance of the Koog residents. Economically, too, the small community is not doing badly.
A visitor's tax must also be paid on Nordstrand. The visitor's tax is retained by the landlords, day visitors get their spa card at the tourist information. (Details)
If you can read German there is an interesting historical fiction murder mystery book that relates to living on the island - Die Frau auf Nordstrand (The Woman on North Beach)
North American emigrants who used it as a surname
The original Nordstrand island (before the flood of 1634) is the ancestral homeland of the North American surname ‘van Nostrand’ (including variants: vanNostrand, vanNordstrandt, vanOstrand). Of the 6,000 inhabitants on the island in 1634, 1,200 survived the flood, and of them, two brothers emigrated via Amsterdam to what is present day New York, USA, in 1637 and 1638 after the flood. One of the three granite panels of the Canadian van Nostrand monument, in York Mills Cemetery in Toronto (St John’s York Mills Anglican Church, 19 Don Ridge Dr.), points to Nordstrand Island.
Get in
By plane
- 1 Hamburg Airport
is the nearest commercial airport (155 km). - 2 Heide-Büsum Airfield (etwa 57 km) (approx. 57 km) has a lighted runway for aircraft with a gross vehicle weight of up to 5.7 tonnes. There is a flight connection from Heligoland with the OFD.
- 3 Husum Airfield (etwa 20 km) (about 20 km) is in Schwesing about 10 km east of Husum and is only served by small private aircraft.
By train
From Hamburg you take the Marschbahn to Husum. Continue by bus.
By bus
Nordstrand can be reached by public transport via the regional bus line R 140. This runs in the Nahverkehrsverbund Schleswig-Holstein from Husum Railway Station starting at the Nordstrand ferry pier in the harbour of Strucklahnungshörn. From here you can take the ferry to Pellworm. Rhe operating concession is held by the bus company Autokraft.
By car
From Hamburg, take the motorway to Heide. From there, continue on the road to Hattstedt. Continue on the K 81/L 30 to Nordstrand.
By boat
- In the Süderhafen on the Hever, in the home port of the Nordstrand Water Sports Club, Süderhafen 1a. ☏ +49 4842 9003991 (clubhouse), Mobile: ☏ +49 160 90619200. Sailboats up to 10 metres in length.
- The The port of Strucklahnungshörn on the northwestern shore of the island on the Wadden Sea stream Fuhle Schlot is primarily reserved for the island ferry to Pellworm that runs from here, and for seaside resort shipping to the Halligen Hooge and the municipality of Nordstrandischmoor.
- The commercial port of Holmer Siel can be reached via the Holmer ferry further north. It is primarily used by the Schleswig-Holstein State Agency for Coastal Protection, National Park and Marine Conservation (LKN) as a building yard for shipping building materials for work in the Wadden Sea area.
By bicycle
The North Sea Coast Cycle Route leads via Nordstrand. The route from Husum to Strucklahnungshörn is 26 km long.
Nordstrand is easy to explore by bike due to its size and public bike path infrastructure. Many well-developed cycle paths lead around the whole island, in front of the dike or behind the dike. Past the mudflats or fields and meadows, you can get (almost) anywhere. If you don't have your own bike with you, you can rent one from:
- Uhles Bike Rental, Osterdeich 26. ☏ +49 4842 219, E-Mail: olaf.hansen@feriendienst-hansen.de.
- Tina's Bike Rental, Kreuzweg 3. Mobile: ☏ +49 175 7935638, E-Mail: tinas-fahrradverleih@op-de-warft.de.
Get around
See
- 1 St. Vinzenz Church - Kirchengemeinde Nordstrand-Odenbüll (Odenbüll). Evangelical-Lutheran. The oldest building on Nordstrand, the oldest parts of the current building, the inner walls of the central nave, date back to the 13th century. Most of the Gothic and Baroque furnishings were purchased in the 18th century. The most important piece of the furnishings is the three-winged carved altar from around 1480 in late Gothic style. Exterior has a large granite engraved stone dating back to before 1639.
- 2 Church St. Knud (Roman Catholic), Herrendeich 2. The church was built in 1866 and thoroughly renovated in 1929. The parish of St. Knud auf Nordstrand belongs to the Archdiocese of Hamburg and, in addition to Nordstrand, includes the island of Pellworm and the Halligen Nordstrandischmoor, Südfall and Süderoog.
- 3 Church St. Theresia (AltCath.). Although the Old Catholics have only existed since 1870, there has been a Catholic parish on Nordstrand since 1654. In 1662, the Oratorians had built a small church in the middle of the island. Since that time, it has served as a parish church for the Catholics on the island. In 1887 a thorough renovation of the church was necessary. The Catholic parish of St. Theresia on Nordstrand belonged to the Archdiocese of Utrecht from 1681 to 1920. The church has been a listed building since 1972 and is closely linked to the history of Nordstrand.
- 4 windmill Engel, Süderhafen 15, 25845 Nordstrand. Built in 1889, the Dutch windmill was in operation as a windmill until 1942. A storm on 23 December 1954 threw off the cap and wind rose and sealed them with a flat roof. It remained in operation until 1970. In 1970, the café "Glück zu" was set up in the mill house. The mill was restored at great expense in the following years, and on September 11, 1982, the "maiden race" could begin.
- 5 Insel museum, Schulweg 4, ☏ +49 4842 263, wolf-dieter.dey@t-online.de. It's not only in bad weather that a visit to the Nordstrand Island Museum is worthwhile. The island museum gives an insight into the history of Nordstrand, which was given its special shape by severe storm surges and their consequences.
- 6 Buch Museum, Herrendeich 22, ☏ +49 4842 900215, schmitz-text-und-buch@gmx.de. Price: free of charge (donations are welcome).
- 7 Wadden Sea Conservation, Am Kurhaus 27a, 25845 Nordstrand, ☏ +49 4842 519, nordstrand@schutzstation-wattenmeer.de. Jun-Sep: M-Th 10:00-16:00, F Sa 10:00-17:00, Su 10:00-14:00, Oct-May: F Sa 13:00-17:00, Su 10:00-14:00. In the Wadden Sea Conservation Station, you can discover the Nordstrand area with different water levels in an inviting exhibition on a 3D model. In addition, a learning island on the subject of seals and an interactive map, which shows where birds typical of the Wadden Sea can be found in the National Park, invite visitors to discover in a playful way. In addition, guided tours and mudflat hikes are organized on an ongoing basis. Open: Jun-Sep: M-W 10:00-16:00, F Sa 10:00-17:00, Su 10:00-14:00, Oct-May: F Sa 13:00-17:00, Su 10:00-14:00. adult €3.00, child €1.50 (donation).
Do
The beaches can be quite windy, and therefore the beach lovers have small movable beach huts or cabins which provide some shelter on the beach. The front opens up to sit and enjoy the beach view.
- 1 Badestrand Holmer Siel. Small sandy beach among many rock reinforced dike walls
- 2 Badestrand Fuhlehörn. Public sandy beach.
- 3 Wattenkutscher (Carriage Rides), Westen 93 (Fuhlehörn), ☏ +49 4842300 (Reservation recommended). The Wadden coachmen organizes carriage rides, a highlight for the North Sea holiday, to the Hallig Südfall, a protection zone 1 in the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park. On this 3.5-hour trip, you can enter the Hallig with authorized guides. An indispensable retreat for breeding and resting birds in the North Sea with a blooming vegetation of lilac, sea carnation, wormwood, sea asters. The stay on Südfall takes about 1.5 hours. Starting times are tidal and vary from day to day. Adult €25, child (3-12 years) €10.
Eat
Nordstrand's specialties are salt marsh lamb, sand plaice and, of course, fresh crabs.
1 Pharisäerhof Cafè / Restaurant (Hotel), Elisabeth-Sophien-Koog 3, info@pharisaeerhof.de. The Pharisäerhof can look back on a long tradition and, as historically proven, is the origin of the North Frisian speciality "Pharisees". The Pharisee farm was founded in 1743 and has been family-owned for generations. Today, the farm is a restaurant, hotel, café and farm shop.
Cafes
- 2 Angel Windmill (Engelmühle), Süderhafen 15, kontakt@engelmuehle.de. Tu-Su 09:00-17:00. Gourmet café, master confectionery and chocolaterie in the Engel windmill.
Drink
Nordstrand is the origin of a locally famous alcoholic beverage, the Pharisäer (Pharisee), which the islanders developed in 1872 to be able to drink alcohol in the presence of local pastor Georg Bleyer, who preached abstinence. It is made from hot strong coffee, sugar, dark rum (4 cl of 54% vol.) and whipped cream (to prevent the alcohol from evaporating, so that it could not be smelled). The pastor got the only cup without rum, but one day the cups got mixed up. When he discovered the deceit he exclaimed "Ihr Pharisäer!" ("You Pharisees!", connoting: "hypocrites"). Hence the name.
Sleep
A visitor's tax must also be paid on Nordstrand. The visitor's tax is retained by the landlords, day visitors get their spa card at the tourist information. (Details)
- Camping Nordstrand, Elisabeth-Sophien-Koog 17, ☏ +49 4842 8534, camping-nordstrand@t-online.de. The campsite offers space for caravans, motorhomes and tents directly on the outer dike just a few steps from the North Sea. Feature: paid Wi-Fi.
- Hotel Pharisäerhof, Elisabeth-Sophien-Koog 3, 25845, ☏ +49 4842 353, info@pharisaeerhof.de. Stylish hotel with 28 double rooms. For guests with dogs, there is a large and fenced approx. 6,000 m² dog free run and "dog spa hut" available. Features: free Wi-Fi, café, restaurant, sauna, free parking, dogs allowed. Price: Single room from €79 B&B, double room from €99.00 (including use of the sauna).
- Zur Nordsee, Norderhafen 22, ☏ +49 4842 8607, info@zur-nordsee.de.
- Garni Hotel & Apartments Nordstrand, Am Ehrenmal 10, ☏ +49 4842 1349, info@hotelnordstrand.de. Family-run apartment hotel, located in the countryside in quiet surroundings with 13 rooms/apartments. Almost all rooms have a fully equipped kitchenette, are located on the ground floor and have a view of the spacious and partially covered terrace with adjoining garden, endless pastures where cows graze in summer and sheep in winter, in the beautiful garden with fruit trees, roses and garden pond or on the neighboring farm. Features: free Wi-Fi, bicycle parking, breakfast buffet, free parking, pets not allowed. Check-in: from 15:00. Check-out: until 11:00. Price: single room from €55/night, double room from €63/night, breakfast may be €9/person.
Stay safe
Go next
The town of Husum, near the entry to Nordstrand is a worthwhile stop. They have some interesting museums and other.