Düne

Düne

Picture of Düne taken from airplane, in the background the island Heligoland
Düne
Geography
Location	German Bight
Coordinates	54°11′5″N 7°54′44″E
Archipelago	Heligoland
Area	0.7 km2 (0.27 sq mi)
Administration
Germany
State	Schleswig-Holstein
District	Pinneberg district
Municipality	Heligoland
Demographics
Population	unpopulated
Additional information
Official website	helgoland.de

Düne (Danish: Dynen, North Frisian: de Halem) is one of two islands in the German North Sea Coast Area that belong to the Archipelago of Heligoland, the other being Heligoland proper.

Geography

The small island Düne is part of the German State Schleswig-Holstein. Situated 1.6 kilometres (1 mi) to the east of the main island Heligoland, Düne is part of the natural landscape of Heligoland rock core. The island measures 1.26 kilometres (0.78 mi) in length and 0.85 kilometres (0.53 mi) in width.

History

Until the 17th century, Düne was connected to Heligoland. On New Year's Eve 1721 a big storm surge separated the dunes from Heligoland. Therefore, the island that arose was called Düne (English: Dune). In 1935 the size of the island was 10 hectares (25 acres). In 1940 the Nazi government increased the size of the island to 40 hectares (99 acres). This increase was for military use. An airfield was built that is still used today. The Heligoland Airport has three runways, of which the longest is 480 metres (1,570 feet).

External links

• Düne at the website of Heligoland municipality