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{{foreignchar|Foehr|ö}}
{{about|the German island|the Finnish orienteering competitor|Tero Föhr}}
{{about|the German island|the Finnish orienteering competitor|Tero Föhr}}
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{{Infobox islands
{{Infobox islands
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Beginning in 1526, the [[Protestant Reformation]] began to introduce the [[Lutheran]] confession on Föhr which was completed in 1530.
Beginning in 1526, the [[Protestant Reformation]] began to introduce the [[Lutheran]] confession on Föhr which was completed in 1530.


In the [[17th century]] a private [[navigation]] school was established in Süderende by pastor Richardus Petri which was the first of its kind on the island. It improved the situation of the seafaring population considerably and soon other navigators opened own schools across Föhr. Although Petri lead the Süderende school successfully for many years he never sailed to sea himself. These navigation schools enjoyed a high reputation far beyond the island.<ref>{{cite book|title=Kleine Namenkunde für Föhr und Amrum |editor-first=Volkert F. |editor-last=Faltings |year=1985 |language=German |location=Hamburg |publisher=Helmut Buske |isbn=3-87118-680-5 |page=31}}</ref> Subsequently [[History of whaling|whaling]] brought about a Golden Age for Föhr. During the 17th and 18th century most [[Netherlands|Dutch]] and [[England|English]] whaling ships would have a crew of Frisians from the islands. In the late 18th century a thousand sailors, 150 Commanders among them, were living on Föhr. Still today the preciously decorated houses of the Commanders can be seen in Nieblum and Süderende. The so-called "talking tombstones" in the cemeteries of the three churches on Föhr account for their vitae. Yet with the decline of the whale populations ever less men would go sailing and the people of Föhr focused on agriculture again.
In the 17th century a private [[navigation]] school was established in Süderende by pastor Richardus Petri which was the first of its kind on the island. It improved the situation of the seafaring population considerably and soon other navigators opened own schools across Föhr. Although Petri lead the Süderende school successfully for many years he never sailed to sea himself. These navigation schools enjoyed a high reputation far beyond the island.<ref>{{cite book|title=Kleine Namenkunde für Föhr und Amrum |editor-first=Volkert F. |editor-last=Faltings |year=1985 |language=German |location=Hamburg |publisher=Helmut Buske |isbn=3-87118-680-5 |page=31}}</ref> Subsequently [[History of whaling|whaling]] brought about a Golden Age for Föhr. During the 17th and 18th century most [[Netherlands|Dutch]] and [[England|English]] whaling ships would have a crew of Frisians from the islands. In the late 18th century a thousand sailors, 150 Commanders among them, were living on Föhr. Still today the preciously decorated houses of the Commanders can be seen in Nieblum and Süderende. The so-called "talking tombstones" in the cemeteries of the three churches on Föhr account for their vitae. Yet with the decline of the whale populations ever less men would go sailing and the people of Föhr focused on agriculture again.


After 1842, when King [[Christian VIII of Denmark]] chose Föhr as his summer residence, the island became popular as a tourist resort.
After 1842, when King [[Christian VIII of Denmark]] chose Föhr as his summer residence, the island became popular as a tourist resort.
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===Arts, literature and music===
===Arts, literature and music===
There are several Fering authors, among them [[Stine Andresen]] (1849-1927) who was a poet and writer from Wyk whose literature often refers to her native island. She published her poetry in German but also in Fering. In 1991, Ellin Nickelsen's [[novelette]] ''Jonk Bradlep'' (Dark Wedding) was published. With it, she won the first ever held North Frisian literature competition.<ref>{{cite book|title=Jonk Bradlep|first=Ellin|last=Nickelsen|year=1991|publisher=Nordfriisk Instituut|location=[[Bredstedt]]|isbn=978-3-88007-175-9|url=http://www.nordfriiskinstituut.de/verlagsprogramm/indexv.html?titel_jonkbradlep.php|language=Fering}} Weblink in German and Fering.</ref>
There are several Fering authors, among them [[Stine Andresen]] (1849–1927) who was a poet and writer from Wyk whose literature often refers to her native island. She published her poetry in German but also in Fering. In 1991, Ellin Nickelsen's [[novelette]] ''Jonk Bradlep'' (Dark Wedding) was published. With it, she won the first ever held North Frisian literature competition.<ref>{{cite book|title=Jonk Bradlep|first=Ellin|last=Nickelsen|year=1991|publisher=Nordfriisk Instituut|location=[[Bredstedt]]|isbn=978-3-88007-175-9|url=http://www.nordfriiskinstituut.de/verlagsprogramm/indexv.html?titel_jonkbradlep.php|language=Fering}} Weblink in German and Fering.</ref>


The internationally successful [[Rock music|Rock]] band [[Stanfour]] is based on Föhr.
The internationally successful [[Rock music|Rock]] band [[Stanfour]] is based on Föhr.
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Revision as of 01:09, 17 April 2011

This article is about the German island. For the Finnish orienteering competitor, see Tero Föhr.

Template:Foreignchar

Föhr
Map
Geography
LocationWadden Sea
Coordinates54°43′N 8°30′E / 54.717°N 8.500°E / 54.717; 8.500
ArchipelagoNorth Frisian Islands
Area82.82 km2 (31.98 sq mi)
Length12 km (7.5 mi)
Width6.8 km (4.23 mi)
Highest elevation13 m (43 ft)
Administration
Demographics
Population8,592
Pop. density104/km2 (269/sq mi)
Additional information
Official websitewww.foehr.de

Föhr pronunciationⓘ (Fering North Frisian: Feer; Danish: 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 North Sea island of Germany.

Geography

Föhr is situated southeast of Sylt; it is the second-largest German North Sea island. Among those German islands which are accessible only by ship or airplane (i.e., no bridge, tunnel or causeway connects them to the mainland), Föhr is the most populous one and has the largest surface.

Föhr is called "The Green Island" due to being sheltered from the storms of the North Sea by its neighbouring islands Sylt and Amrum, so that Föhr's vegetation is thriving compared to other islands. It is 6.8 kilometres wide and 12 km long, the surface measures 82.82 km². While the northern parts are marshland, the south consists of higher geestland. The highest elevation measures 13 m above mean sea level and is located on the geestland ridge between the villages of Nieblum and Midlum. The geest makes up about two fifth of Föhr's total area and most villages are located there. In the marshlands, a number of solitary farmsteads can be found, which were moved out of the villages during the 1960s.

Until the Grote Mandrenke flooding, Föhr had not been an island but was part of the mainland, being connected to the sea by deep tidal creeks.

Föhr, like its neighbour islands, is a popular tourist resort. From the ferry terminal a sandy beach of about 15 km length extends all along Föhr's southern shore and halfway up the western coast. North and northwest of Föhr the Reserved Area I of the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park is located.

Föhr's population counts 8,592 (as of 1 December 2010).[1] The only town on the island is Wyk on its south eastern coast which is a popular seaside resort. In addition there are sixteen tiny hamlets on Föhr which are distributed among eleven municipalities. They adhere to the Amt Föhr-Amrum:

  • Alkersum (Fering: Aalkersem)
  • Borgsum (Borigsem)
  • Dunsum (Dunsem), comprising Lesser and Greater Dunsum
  • Midlum (Madlem)
  • Nordseebad Nieblum (Njiblem) with its neighbourhood Goting (Guating)
  • Oevenum (Ööwnem)
  • Oldsum (Olersem) the districts of Toftum (Taftem) and Klintum (Klantem)
  • Süderende (Söleraanj)
  • Nordseebad Utersum (Ödersem) with the neighbourhood of Hedehusum (Hedehüsem)
  • Witsum (Wiisem)
  • Wrixum (Wraksem)

A local peculiarity is that almost all place names end with the suffix -um, which means "settlement".

History

Beach life in Wyk in 1907

The higher geestland cores of the North Frisian islands, scattered between ample marshlands, attracted settlers when the sea level rose at the end of the Neolithicum. Gravesites and several minor artifacts found on Föhr bear witness to this.

When the Frisians colonised the area of modern Nordfriesland during the 7th century, their first settlements were erected on Föhr, according to archaeological findings. The formerly sparsely inhabited island witnessed a steep rise of population. A rather large amount of jewellery originating from Scandinavia that was found in graves of the time points out a vivid connection to northern Europe.[2] From the age of the Vikings several ring walls, the Lembecksburg among them, are preserved.[3]

The Danish Census Book of King Valdemar II of Denmark tells of two Harden on Föhr, territorial subdivisions of the time. The Westerharde Föhr was at times the refuge of a pirate serving the Danish.[4] In 1368 the Westerharde, which also included Amrum, was transferred to the Counts of Holstein by supervision of knight Klaus Lembeck, bailiff of Ribe. In 1400 the Harde surrendered to Queen Margaret I of Denmark and remained within Ribe County. Until 1864 the western part of Föhr, together with Amrum, belonged to the Danish Enclaves in North Frisia while Osterland and Wyk belonged to the Duchy of Schleswig since it had seceded from the Danish Kingdom in the 1420s. Together with the Wiedingharde, the Bökingharde, the isle of Strand and Sylt, Osterland in 1426 signed the "Compact of the Seven Hundreds" (German: Siebenhardenbeliebung) with Duke Henry IV of Schleswig, which stated that the Hundreds intended to keep their judicial autonomy.

In 1523 the northern marshlands of Föhr were shut off against the sea by dikes and 22 hectacres of new farming land were won.[5]

Beginning in 1526, the Protestant Reformation began to introduce the Lutheran confession on Föhr which was completed in 1530.

In the 17th century a private navigation school was established in Süderende by pastor Richardus Petri which was the first of its kind on the island. It improved the situation of the seafaring population considerably and soon other navigators opened own schools across Föhr. Although Petri lead the Süderende school successfully for many years he never sailed to sea himself. These navigation schools enjoyed a high reputation far beyond the island.[6] Subsequently whaling brought about a Golden Age for Föhr. During the 17th and 18th century most Dutch and English whaling ships would have a crew of Frisians from the islands. In the late 18th century a thousand sailors, 150 Commanders among them, were living on Föhr. Still today the preciously decorated houses of the Commanders can be seen in Nieblum and Süderende. The so-called "talking tombstones" in the cemeteries of the three churches on Föhr account for their vitae. Yet with the decline of the whale populations ever less men would go sailing and the people of Föhr focused on agriculture again.

After 1842, when King Christian VIII of Denmark chose Föhr as his summer residence, the island became popular as a tourist resort.

During the Second Schleswig War, Danish Lieutenant Commander Otto Christian Hammer, commanding a flotilla in the North Frisian Isles, resided in Wyk auf Föhr and was able to defend the islands against superior Austrian and Prussian naval forces.[7] He was eventually captured by Prussian Lieutenant Ernst von Prittwitz und Gaffron. On 17 July 1864, while Hammer was at sea, 250 Austrian troops landed on Föhr and occupied the island until November 1864.[8]

The three hamlets of Utersum, Witsum and Hedehusum were the only ones to vote for Denmark in Zone II of the Schleswig Plebiscites in 1920; yet as they were not located directly at the border they remained with Germany.

On 1 January 2007 the formerly independent municipal entities of Amt Föhr-Land, Amt Amrum and Wyk auf Föhr were merged into a great municipality (Amt) Föhr-Amrum.

Language and culture

Language

A major part of the population in the west of the island speaks, besides German, a local idiom of the North Frisian language known as Fering or Föhring. Fering is again divided into the two dialects of Westerland Föhr and Osterland Föhr, being the western and eastern halves of the island respectively. In Osterland Low German is more popular than Fering and especially in Wyk the traditional language is Standard German.

There are various interpretations concerning the origin of the name Föhr and its original Frisian name Feer. Current etymological studies suggest that Föhr and also Amrum received their names from a maritime point of view.[9] Another likely root is the Frisian feer which means "barren".[10]

Tradition

Traditional livery for women

On special occasions, mainly in the western parts of the island, women may wear their traditional costumes. Several popular customs are kept on Föhr, such as Biikebrennen on 21 February with a great bonfire and the Tamsen (or Thamsen, named after Thomas the Apostle) on 21 December where young people play pranks on others by hiding things that can spin and turn around.

During Christmas season a special kind of Christmas tree exists on Föhr and other North Frisian islands, the so-called kenkenbuum. It consists of a wooden frame which is decorated with a wreath of green leaves. The inner parts carry figures made of play dough, including animals and Adam and Eve.[11] On New Year's Eve, groups of people dress up in costumes and walk from house to house to let others guess their true identity (similar to Halloween). According to their age, they are either treated with sweets or alcoholic drinks. In Fering this tradition is called ütj tu kenknin, the people of Wyk call it Rummelrotje. It corresponds to the Hulken on Amrum.

In the times when great parts of the male population on Föhr were seafarers they would spend the winter at home on the island. In the afternoon the bachelors would meet at twilight (Fering: hualewjonken) for social gatherings. Today Hualewjonken is a get-together of confirmated bachelors below the age of 30.[12]

Arts, literature and music

There are several Fering authors, among them Stine Andresen (1849–1927) who was a poet and writer from Wyk whose literature often refers to her native island. She published her poetry in German but also in Fering. In 1991, Ellin Nickelsen's novelette Jonk Bradlep (Dark Wedding) was published. With it, she won the first ever held North Frisian literature competition.[13]

The internationally successful Rock band Stanfour is based on Föhr.

Traffic

A car and passenger ferry leaving Föhr.

The island is accessible by a car ferry connecting the mainland port of Dagebüll and the town of Wyk (approximately 10-12 sailings a day, crossing time approx. 45 minutes). The ferry port in Dagebüll is connected to the German road and railway networks. There are also frequent car ferry services from Föhr to the neighbouring island of Amrum (approx. 1 hour crossing time) as well as seasonal pedestrian ferries to Sylt and the Halligen.

A bus service connects Wyk to all of the island's villages. Föhr can also be reached by small airplanes via an airstrip.

Economy

Föhr's economy is mainly dependant on tourism. Moreover agriculture, mainly pasture farming, plays in important role. The harbour of Wyk hosts several mussel fishing boats.

Attractions

Wyk

Sights include a bell tower (raised in 1886) as well as the Sandwall esplanade.

Frisian customs and the history of Föhr are displayed at the Dr. Carl Haeberlin Frisian Museum, whose entrance is made up of two whale jaw bones.

Church buildings

Tomb of whaler Matthias Petersen in Süderende

The island features three medieval churches from the 12th and 13th century. These are St. Nicolas' church in Wyk-Boldixum, St. John's in Nieblum and St. Lawrence's church in Süderende. The adjacent graveyards contain unusual tombstones which display entire vitae and may show pictures.

Windmills

On Föhr five windmills can be found, two of them in Wyk (a Dutch mill called Venti Amica from 1879 in the old town and a buck mill from Hallig Langeneß at the museum), as well as one in Wrixum (an octagonal Dutch mill), one in Borgsum (Octagonal Dutch mill, rebuilt in 1992 after the previous building was ruined by fire) and one in Oldsum (octagonal Dutch mill from 1901). Save for the buck mill and the mill at Wrixum all those are privately owned.

Archaeology

Several dolmens account for a colonisation of the island during the Bronze Age. Today 17 of them can be visited, most of which are located in the southwest of Föhr.

Near Borgsum the Lembecksburg can be seen, a ring wall from the Viking Age with a diameter of more than 100 metres and eight metres of height. A tale goes that Klaus Lembeck resided here as Steward of the Danish King in the Middle Ages.

Decoy ponds

In the marshlands six decoy ponds can be visited.

Wadden Sea

Harbour seal

The entire sea surrounding Föhr may also be designated an attraction. Mainly the foreland north of the sea dike, but also the mud flats provide ample space for all kinds of seabirds. Oystercatchers, common eiders, shelducks, snipes and peewits are only a few of them. Moreover, during the season vast swarms of migratory birds will rest at Föhr and the neighbouring islands. Occasionally, especially after severe winter storms, harbour seals may be encountered on the beaches.

The beach along the southern shore is popular for swimming. Also, during low tide it is possible to hike from Amrum to Föhr.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Zahlen, Daten, Fakten" (in German). Amt Föhr-Amrum. 2010-12-07.
  2. ^ Bantelmann, Albert. Landschaft und Besiedlung Nordfrieslands in vorgeschichtlicher Zeit (Landscape and Colonisation of Nordfriesland in prehistorical Times). Geschichte Nordfrieslands (History of North Frisia) (in German). pp. 15–56, 46. ISBN 3-8042-0759-6.
  3. ^ Lembecksburg (in German).
  4. ^ Panten, Albert. Die Nordfriesen im Mittelalter (The North Frisians in the Middle Ages). Geschichte Nordfrieslands. pp. 57–102, 71. ISBN 3-8042-0759-6.
  5. ^ Kunz, Harry. Die Köge Nordfrieslands (The North Frisian Polders). ISBN 3-88007-251-5. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Faltings, Volkert F., ed. (1985). Kleine Namenkunde für Föhr und Amrum (in German). Hamburg: Helmut Buske. p. 31. ISBN 3-87118-680-5.
  7. ^ Hansen, Christian P. (1998). Sieben Jahre auf Sylt: Tagebücher des Inselfriesen Christian Peter Hansen (Seven Years on Sylt: Diaries of the Frisian Christian Peter Hansen) (in German). Wachholtz. ISBN 978-3529022098. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ Roeloffs, Brar C. (1984). Von der Seefahrt zur Landwirtschaft. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Insel Föhr (in German). Neumünster: Karl Wachholtz Verlag. pp. 333–339. ISBN 3529061840.
  9. ^ Haider Munske, Horst, ed. (2001). Handbuch des Friesischen — Handbook of Frisian Studies (in German and English). Tübingen: Max Niemeyer Verlag GmbH. p. 370. ISBN 3-484-73048-X.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  10. ^ Föhr – Geschichte und Gestalt einer Insel (in German). Münsterdorf: Hansen & Hansen. 1971. p. 25. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |editors= ignored (|editor= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "Der "Jöölboom"" (in German). Söl'ring Foriining. Image and description of a Jöölboom used on Sylt.
  12. ^ "Föhrer Bräuche" (in German). Seniorenakademie Heidenheim.
  13. ^ Nickelsen, Ellin (1991). Jonk Bradlep (in Fering). Bredstedt: Nordfriisk Instituut. ISBN 978-3-88007-175-9.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) Weblink in German and Fering.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Föhr.

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