Amrum Travel Guide

Lighthouse
[ source: Wikipedia]

Amrum Overview

Amrum's area measures 20.46 km², making it the tenth-largest island of Germany. It is one of three isles with a geestland core in Nordfriesland. To the east, it borders to the Wadden Sea mud flats of the North Sea. The east side is also where the island's ancient hamlets are situated: Norddorf, Nebel, Süddorf and Steenodde. On 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, the entire island is covered with dunes. The maximal width of this area amounts to more than a kilometre, its length measures about 12 km. Amrum's tallest dune near Norddorf, called a Siatler (the settling dune) reaches 32 m of height. Northward, 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 the sea by dikes. During low tide it is possible to reach the neighbouring island of Föhr by mudflat hiking.

Things to See in Amrum

There are two peculiar traditions on Amrum. On February 21 the Biakendai is celebrated, where a great bonfire is lit to dispel Winter. On 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). According to their age, they are either treated with sweets or alcoholic drinks.

Plants and wild animals on Amrum are marked by the proximity to the sea, but some also distinguish themselves by extreme rarity and a high ecological value worth of protection. This fact was acknowledged by the establishment of two nature reserves and Amrum's situation close to the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park.

The Amrumer Flora is located on the sea and the different, often nutrient-poor landscapes of the island determined by. Parts of the Sands Kniep and wide dunes dune grasses grow like the beach grassand beach wormwood , and many other sand-loving plants such as the Sand Mountain Bellin the summer in locations protected dunes bloom. Some of the sea breeze curved, small stature pines, and creeping willow are found in sheltered areas. Until the 1970s it was still there the rare beach thistle.

The Amrumer fauna, the flora of the islands in the North Sea as determined. There are, on the island only small wild mammals such as rabbits, mice, hedgehogs and bats. In the 12th Century Amrum on wild rabbits as game animals introduced. They still inhabit the island. A pregnant vixen was a few years on the island exposed to. They and their descendants have done great damage in the animal world, but now have been killed. In the sea and on the offshore sand banks Amrum, ie in the area of the national park, live seals, gray seals and porpoises.

[ source: wikipedia ]