east frisian islands

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East Frisian Islands

Wikipedia on Answers.com: East Frisian Islands

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East Frisian IslandsNative name: Ostfriesische

Inseln

Geography

Location Wadden Sea

Total islands 12

Major islands Borkum,Norderney

Country

Germany

State Lower Saxony

Districts Leer

Aurich

Wittmund

Friesland

Demographics
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Ethnic groups Germans,Frisians

The East Frisian Islands (German: Ostfriesische Inseln) are a chain of islands in theNorth

Sea, off the coast ofEast Frisia inLower Saxony, Germany. The islands extend for

some 90 kilometres (56 mi) from west to east between the mouths of theEms and

Jade /Weser rivers and lie about 3.5 to 10 km offshore. Between the islands and themainland are extensivemudflats, known locally as Watten, which form part of

theWadden Sea. In front of the islands are Germany's territorial waters, which occupy a

much larger area than the islands themselves. The islands, the surrounding mudflats and

the territorial waters (The Kstenmeer vor den ostfriesischen Inselnnature reserve) form

a close ecological relationship. The island group makes up about 5% of the Lower

Saxony Wadden Sea National Park.

The largest island by surface area isBorkum, located at the western end of the chain; the

other six inhabited islands are from west to east: Juist,Norderney with the largest town

in the islands, Baltrum,Langeoog,Spiekeroog andWangerooge. There are also four

other small, uninhabited islands: Ltje Hrneast of Borkum, Memmert and

Kachelotplate southwest of Juist,Minsener Oog, a dredged island southeast of

Wangerooge, andMellum at the eastern end of the island chain which, following the

boundary revision by the Federal Office for Nature Conservation, no longer belongs to

the East Frisian Islands, but to the mudflats of theElbe-Weser Triangle (Watten im Elbe-

Weser-Dreieck).

Contents

1 1 Overview of the islands and sand

flats

2 2 Effects of storms and currents

3 3 See also

4 4 External links

5 5 References

Overview of the islands and sand flats
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The chain of the East Frisian Islands off the coast of Lower Saxony

The following table contains basic information about the islands and sand flats

(Sandplaten). The uninhabited and unparished sand flats are highlighted in yellow.

Coat of

arms

Island/Sa

nd flat

Municipality Distric

t

Area

in km

(2004[1]/05[

2])

Distance to

the mainland

in km (2004)

[1]

Population

as at: 31

December

2008

P

o

p

u

l

a

t

io

n

d

e

n

s

i

t

y

p

e

r
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k

m

Borkum Town ofBorkum Leer 30.74[2] 10.5 5,186

1

69

Kachelot

platenot municipalised no data uninhabited

Ltje

Hrn

Island of Ltje

HrnLeer 0.1[1] 12.5 uninhabited

Memmert

North Sea

island of

Memmert

Aurich 4.3[1] 13 uninhabited

Juist Juist Aurich 16,43[2] 8 1,696

1

0

3

Norderne

y

Town of

NorderneyAurich 26.29[2] 3 5,810

2

2

1

Baltrum Baltrum Aurich 6,5[2] 4.5 488 75

Langeoo

gLangeoog

Wittm

und19.67[2] 5 1,953

9

9

Spiekero

og

SpiekeroogWittm

und

18.25[2] 6.5 7814

3

Wangero

ogeWangerooge

Friesla

nd7.94[2] 6,5 923

1

1

6
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Minsener

Oog

artificiall

y

dredged

ButjadingenWeser

marsch2.2[1] 3.5 uninhabited

Mellum ButjadingenWeser

marsch4.9[1] 6 uninhabited

East Frisian Islands 134.35[2] 16,837

1

2

9

unparished area

former parish of Langwarden, which was incorporated in 1974 into Butjadingen (today

the Gemarkung of Langwarden)

east of the outer Jade, after the boundary revision by the Federal Agency for NatureConservation no longer part of the East Frisian Islands, but belongs to the mudflats in the

Elbe-Weser Triangle Watten im Elbe-Weser-Dreieck.[3]

Norderney is the remaining part ofBuise, which was almost entirely engulfed by the sea

in the 17th century. Ltje Hrn east of Borkum is in constant danger of being washed

away. In 2003 the German Coastal Defence (NLWK) announced that the sandbank

Kachelotplate can now be called an island too, because it is no longer regularly flooded

by high tide. However, it is not larger than 2 km and will remain unsettled. Kachelotplate

is located north of the mouth of the Ems river.

Most of the islandsdo not allow cars. The exceptions are Borkum and Norderney, whichare also the most crowded islands. There are no bridges connecting the mainland with the

islands. Each island is accessible by ferry.

Borkum andNorderney, theNazilabour camps onAlderney, were named after the

islands.

The islands and the surrounding sea are part of the Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National

Park.

Effects of storms and currents

Even though today they are established islands, some of them continue to be in motion.On the East Frisian island ofJuist for example, since the year 1650 there are five

different proven sites for the church, as the spot for rebuilding the church had to keep

pace with the ever-moving island. At times, Juist even consisted of two islands, which

eventually grew back together. The neighboring island ofWangerooge in the last 300

years has moved a distance equivalent to its own length to the east, its church tower,

destroyed at the outbreak of World War I apparently moving from east to west.[4]
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In this process, land is slowly eroded on the western coasts, while sediments are

deposited on the eastern coasts. As a result, western coasts are increasingly protected by

human action. The canals between the islands serve as passages for the tides, so that in

these places the scouring action of current prevents the islands gradually joining one to

another.

Early

Spring

1976 - FRTThe

Northfrisian Island Heligoland and its People

"Heligolanders your island is circumscribed, your population is small, but you are still a

nation in yourself."Gouverneur Maxse in a speech given in 1864

Two hours after the tourist boat leaves the Elbe estuary, the red rock of Heligoland rises

above the horizon. Only one mile long, of triangular shape, and with a base of ca. _ mile,its size seems unimportant.

Nevertheless it has intrigued the imagination of man since early history. Tacitus, theRoman historian, called it the columns of Hercules which rise up in the north of

Friesland. For originally the red rock had a companion of white limestone standing about

a mile apart and connected by a strip of sand and stones. Protected by the Witte Cliff(white Cliff) against the north west storms stretched another much lower sandy islandcalled Hallem in the local Frisian dialect.

The sandy island as well as the red rock, of course, are still there. However, during hardtimes in the 16th and 17th century the Witte Cliff was little by little broken down and sold

as chalk. Unfortunately this lead to the complete disappearance of the white rock and the

connecting strip in 1721 while a violent storm battered the island.


7/14

Whether in Tacitus' times the rock and dunes were already surrounded by the North Sea's

blue-green waters is not absolutely certain. The sagas tell us that the land linked almostwith Eiderstedt on the mainland. Only a ditch, it is said, separated both over which you

could jump with the help of a pole. Sure is, however, that for the Frisians it was a place of

worship. There they paid homage to Fosetes, the God of justice, for nothing was moresacred to our forefathers than the law. In 697 A.D., Radbod, the last Frisian king, defeated

by the Franks withdrew to the island. At that time, as stated in the Biographies of

Willibrord and Liudger, missionaries bringing Christianity to Friesland, it was calledFosetesland. From Adams, Bishop of Bremen, it comes to us in 1050 A.D. as Heiligland.

And in a booklet 'Helgolandia' from 1643 the following names were used: Helgoland -

Helgerland - Hilgeland, and Hilligeland - whereas the local people said Helgelund.

Today we hear on Sal: Heligloen, on Oomram and Feer: Haleglun, and in the

Wiedingharde: Halligloin. The Hallunder (Heligolander) refers to it simply as ee Lunn

(our land) leaving no doubt about it how he thinks to whom the island belongs. A general

consensus has never developed, but it can almost with certainty be assumed, that -besides the last - all are versions of 'Heiligland' meaning holy or sacred land. All the more

this seems to be true since in earlier times it was believed, that whoever stole or damagedanything on the island would soon perish. Sailors and pirates even willingly offered 1/10

of their coffers to the hermits living there in order to gain the favor of their gods.

Here now is in short a record of the political fortunes of Heligoland. In 1231 it is listed as

property of the Danish king Waldemar II. Up to 1714 sovereignty changed several times

between Denmark and the Duchy of Schleswig with a short stint of Hanseatic Hamburg

in command. After that it remained with Denmark until the English took it by force in1807 during the Napoleonic war. In 1890 England ceded it to Germany for the rights to

Wituland and Sansibar in Africa. Since then it has remained in German hands.

With such a frequent change of suzerains one may wonder what it did to the Frisian

population. Starting with the economic side of life one can say it has not always been

easy. The first news comes from 1402 when a fleet of the Hanseatic League set out fromHamburg and captured 80 'Liikendeelers' (pirates) who had their base on the island.

Together with their leader, Claus Stoertebecker, they were brought to Hamburg and

beheaded. Good times came in 1425 when large quantities of herrings showed up around

the island. Soon selskaps and companies from Denmark, the Low Countries, and thecities Hamburg, Bremen, and Stade installed themselves on Heligoland. Here are some

figures about the number of people and vessels engaged in those years catching herrings:

1500 A.D. ca. 220 ships and 1875 persons; 1513 A.D. ca. 200 boats and 1510 persons;from these forty came from Sal; 1520 A.D. 340 vessels and 2580 persons.

(will be continued)

Spring 1976 - FRT

The Northfrisian Island Heligoland and Its People: (1st cont.) Unfortunately the good

times soon ended with the disappearance of the herring. Since--besides of a short period

of epidemics around 1550, 1,800 to 2,500 people had to find a living on an area


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somewhat less than 1/2 square mile--things got tough. Selling the Witte Cliff piece by

piece had to keep them going until new methods and bigger ships enabled them to try for

haddock and lobsters. Combined with better marketing arrangements through generalcooperation in so called selskaps it allowed them for quite some centuries a comfortable

living.

Here are some interesting facts and figures how catch and income looked in 1791: 50,000

lobsters with an average price of 30 Uarks per hundred, and 2 million haddocks with an

average price of 6 Marks per hundred bringing in a grand total of 135,000 harks. With219,000 Marks invested in ships and equipment it gave them a net income of 45,000

Marks. Additional income of 60,000 Marks came from piloting and salvage money from

ships in distress bringing the net total to 105,000 Marks constituting the collective

income of 430 families.

Another boom from a different direction came in 1807 after the British fleet, on their way

back from Kopenhagen, took Heligoland for the English crown. Cut off from British

trade by Napoleon's blockade, the Continent lacked the goods imported from overseas.Beginning with small boat traffic and bartering of butter and eggs against coffee and tea

etc., it soon developed into big business. In 1809 300 to 400 vessels were counted duringone day arriving or leaving the island. Naturally money could be made easily in such

times, and the hard work of fishing was soon forgotten.

But with the war over, the ships stopped coming and with them the easy money. With

markets for fish and lobsters lost through the war, and income from piloting decreasing

rapidly the Heligolanders had to find new pastures.

It was the idea of Jacob Andresen Siemens, a boat builder, to establish a sea-side resort on

the island. After some resistance from his fellow Frisians he succeeded, and in 1826 the

first tourists came to the island. Since then the tourist traffic has gradually grown tobecome the major source of income.

However, a considerable change in many aspects took place after Heligoland became the

German Heligoland. But for a better understanding what it all meant it is necessary to sayfirst something about the Frisian population of the island, their kind of government, their

customs, feelings and thinking. (will be continued)

Henry K. Barts, USA--Heligoland

Early Summer 1976

The Northfrisian Island Heligoland and its People: (2nd cont.) Even though history

records little about their origin, the Heligolanders are unquestionably a chip of the Frisian

block, and nobody has ever come forth to challenge it. Considering the generaloppression existing in Europe throughout the middle ages, credit must be given to the

many suzerains that they respected the peculiarities, customs, and traditions developed

and practiced by this small community. And - since (excluding the last few decades) they

never experienced the uniforming, governmental pressures by which most modern


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nations have been created - these marked peculiarities, customs, and traditions are so

typically Frisian they must have their origin in the common Frisian ground from where

once the individual soul took flight.

It is hard to set forth an exact description of these singular Frisian character traits, but it

could be generalized by saying that common sense rules: that liberty and equality shouldbe absolute, and yet guarded by laws (called Beliebungen) geared to the public good, that

these laws should cover local requirements and kuert (voted for) by the people, and that

even elected officials and judges are subject to constant super-vision by trustedrepresentatives of the electorate.

When trying to summarize the 'Heligolander Beliebungen' one can say, they remarkably

resemble in kind those of the 'Siebenhardenbeliebung' of Feer and those of the 'SevenSealands' in what is now West and East Friesland, although Heligolanders have lived in

complete political isolation from their fellow Frisians. When, in the year 1587, these

Beliebungen were written down, it was said in a foreword: "So von older to older

gebruecklich gewesen." This brings out another trait of the Frisian character: an absoluteattachment to the customs and traditions of their forefathers demonstrated here by the

fact, that up to 158? these laws had been preserved by simply passing them on orallyfrom one generation to the next. Henry K. Barts (USA--Heligoland)

Early Autumn 1976 - FRTThe Northfrisian Island Heligoland and its People: (3rd cont.) Further light on the nature

of the Beliebungen has been shed by the words of a chronicler which could be regarded

as a preamble to their purpose and meaning: "A wholesome ordinance wherein it is said

how every inhabitant should behave towards the living and the dead, and what everybodyshould contribute to the maintenance of harmony, peace, and concord."

Even though the Danish crown, the Duke of Schleswig as well as the English crown wererepresented on the island by an overseer, bailiff or governor, the Heligolander governed at

all times to a very large extent themselves by elected aldermen and councilors in the same

general fashion as practiced in North, East and West Friesland of the Middle Ages. Theirsense of being free never left them as F.v.D. Decken spells it out in his book of 1826:

"The apprehension of experiencing disturbances or even loss of liberty was the cause that

at no time they attached themselves with sincere devotion to their suzerain, and often

showed stiff-necked obstinacy against decrees (from the suzerain). Although since manycenturies subject to foreign sovereigns, he still thinks of himself as free, and any alien

rule as having been forced upon him against his will. The common man says openly in

public, he is no subject, they have been raised on the island, the land belongs to them,their fathers had owned it too, and they themselves had been the protectors of their

kinsfolk."

Naturally - though never developing into a truly literary language - the Heligolander

stuck to their Frisian dialect, one akin to Feers and Sylt's and the closest to the Anglo-

Saxon root of the English tongue. This affinity is most strikingly evident in the often

quoted rhyme:


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"Bread, butter and green cheese, is good English and good Friese." From the homespun

little verses which have come forth in the local vernacular, the following has become themost widely known. The reason for it is probably because it not only explains the motive

for the Heligolander colors, but also because it consists of basic words still rather

unchanged existing in all languages of Germanic origin, and therefore easily lendingthemselves for translation. In Frisian it goes: "Green es deat lunn - roa es de cant - witt es

de sunn - deat senn the cloern van Hilligelunn." In English it would change to: "Green is

the land - red is the cant - white is the sand - these are the colors of Heligoland." And inGerman it would sound: "Gruen ist das Land - rot ist die Kant -weiss ist der Sand - das

sind die Farben von Helgoland."

This green-red-and-white flag was already in 1696 well known in French, Dutch, English,and German harbors as a letter of the representative of the suzerain of those times - a

Friedrich von Gottes Gnaden, Erbe zu Norwegen, Herzog zu Schlesswig, Holstein,

Stormarn, und der Dittmarschen, Graf zu Oldenburg und Delmenhorst - indicates. In this

letter he affirmed the right of the Heligolanders to fly their colors from the top of the mastif his coat of arms would show in the middle of the flag.

Henry Barts (Heligoland - USA)

1/1/77 FRT

The North Frisian Island Heligoland and its People" (4th cont..)Each time their suzerain changed - as it did again in 1714, when the Danish fleet took the

island for the king of Denmark - the population quickly addressed a petition to their new

sovereign. In it they asked for a confirmation of their ancient rights, liberties, and

customs. These were again and again granted - in the past - this time - and oncemore in 1807 when Great Britain took over from Denmark. In fact, Heligoland and its

people so clearly resembled a minute nation, that the English governor Sir Henry

Fitzhardinge Maxse at a special occasion in 1864 felt encouraged to say: "Do not forget(Heligolanders) that your children in years after will look back to this day, and that future

generations of Heligolanders will revere or despise your memory according to the manner

in which you shall have exercised your Political Power... Heligolanders, your island iscircumscribed, your population is small, but you are still a nation in yourself'."

And here are more of the fine points, which also may have helped to bring this condition

about. In order to prevent an upsetting change in the nature of the population, noforeigner could buy property on the island or become a member of a selskap doing

business there, nor even become a citizen - it be then - he married a Heligolander girl.

Furthermore, and very much in contrast to the general history of Europe, there was anotable absence of 'Leaders', 'Commanders', 'Lords', 'Feudalism', or downright 'Slavery.'

This was a society of free men - living up as good as they knew how - to the basics of

their forefathers maxims:

"Rymm heart, cloar kymmen (pure heart, clear horizon)," and "no master above me, no

serf below me, rather dead than slave." They managed, while the rest of Europe

succumbed to feudalism, to keep their ancient right of self-government alive. And when


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time was lacking, the lot decided between the equally qualified. In such cases the

outcome was also regarded as just and final. Tradition even provided a part of the

collective income for the widows and orphans, which - happening as it was - in the 16thand 17th centuries, must be looked upon as a quite remarkable proof of warm-

heartedness.

Having thus arranged the welfare of their community, they carefully avoided any closeassociation with outsiders whether these were 'lijkendeelers (pirates who divided the

spoils equally), or natives of nations around the North Sea. So strong was the feeling of

independence and aloofness to the rest of the world, that none of the sovereigns couldexact universal obedience to their decrees or even suppress criticism. Hence, since heroes

always appear where the multitude feels helpless and powerless, the Heligolander never

had them nor needed them in their own ranks. Without pompous airs the man chosen for

the job took his place, and left again as called for by law or custom.

However, when England ceded the island to Germany in July 1890 -"sold like a crate of

poultry" as a Londoner paper put it - the Heligolander soon faced a situation for which

they had not been prepared by past experience Though it was said in article 12, paragraph4 of the agreement: "Native laws and customs now existing, will as far as possible remain

undisturbed," the understanding of the words as far as possible found a widely differinginterpretation. Germany s sovereign - Kaiser Wilhelm II wanted to turn what he now

called his Deutsches Helgoland into a gigantic naval base: "A bulwark and protection

for the the German Sea against any enemy." This he did.

In 1914, when World War I broke out, the fortress with guns, a large harbor, and

underground quarters was complete. For the islanders it had been time of rising

prosperity with thousands of workmen on Helgoland and an increasing tourist traffic. Buttheir self-government had ceased to exist. 'They had been gleichgeschaltet with other

Prussian communities, German code of law ruled, and mainlanders could settle and buy

property without emotionally uniting with the native population through marriage.

he only rights left were the exemption of English born islanders from service in the

German Armed Forces and duty free import of goods from overseas. Never before in theirentire history had Heligolanders been subject to conscription as those born after 1890

now had become. The substructure which had formed and sustained the distinctive

features of Heligolander philosophy was dismantled.

Henry Barts (Heligoland--USA)

Vol. I No. 3 1977

The North Frisian Island Heligoland and its People: (5th cont.) During the first world warthe entire population was moved to the mainland, but returned as soon as it was over in

i918. In the following years a serious attempt was made to regain some of the past

independence. But the once homogeneous character of the native islanders had alreadybeen lost, and was further diluted by over a thousand discharged soldiers and workmen

not leaving the island after hostilities ceased. Yet even under such circumstances together

with a rather hostile attitude of Prussian officials towards petitions submitted in line with

the traditions of their forefathers by a core of old-time Heligolanders, memories of the


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Frisian conception of independence and the devotion to ancient customs lingered on,

though native laws were never reinstated.

When in 1933 Hitler came to power, the fortress Heligoland - which according to the

Treaty of Versailles had been demolished - rose like a Phoenix again from its ashes. Any

still remaining traces of Heligolander individualism were rigorously suppressed, and theirmost stiff-necked defender, August Kuchlenz, imprisoned in a concentration camp.

During almost the entire duration of 'World War II the population was left on the island,though many a night had to be spent in shelters when Allied bombers passed on their way

to the German mainland. As the conflict went on, also daylight attacks increased and on

April 18, 1945 in 104 minutes over a thousand giant bombers emptied their magazines

over the island leaving nothing but flaming ruins behind. Shelters cut into the rockprotected the population and the 128 killed were mostly soldiers manning the anti-aircraft

guns.

The following night the people had to vacate the island, the second time in 30 years. Thenon May 5, Helgoland surrendered to the British without further resistance.

From here on began for the islanders as well as for the island itself the darkest period intheir history. Gone was the 115 foot high modern lighthouse, probably hit by a 10,000

kilogram bomb dropped in the raid. It became a victim not of obsolescence - like its

predecessors - the 1670 built open-fire beacon, or the 1810 constructed lighthouse withkerosene lamps - but by one of Man's rather senseless follies - total war.

Also the church, built in 1686 with the support of the Danish King Christian V, was

destroyed. Its altar had been lighted by two candelabras, inscribed with: "Present of hismajesty the King Gustav Adolph IV of Sweden." They were received for helping this

monarch when he became a refugee in the Napoleonic war presenting historic proof that

also Heligolander, in line with the general Frisian tradition, gave shelter to theunfortunates of political conflicts. Later the German poets Heine, and Hoffmann V.

Fallersleben enjoyed the same privileges. Ironically it was here were the latter, living

exiled from his fatherland on English territory, wrote in 1841 what is now Germany'snational anthem 'Deutschland, Deutschland ueber alles.'

Now, 104 years later, the total population of Helgoland had become refugees. Spread over

60 different villages and towns, they waited for a speedy return to their island. But theoutlook was bleak. Not even the 'Society to Save Shipwrecked People' (Coast Guard) was

allowed to station their life-boat there again. Founded by England in 1868, it helped for

example in the years from 1890 to 1912, 78 ships in distress. Daniel Denker and RickmerBock, both native Frisians and long time foremen of the life-boat, saved a total of 580

sailors from their sinking ships.

However, the message from the English Military Government from March 19, 1946 to

the German Administration was simply this: "You will discourage all applications for

visits or removing private property from Heligoland with the utmost vigor." Alarmed by

such prospects an appeal was made from the ranks of 250 Heligolanders who were still


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born under the English flag. In their petition to the British Government they expressed

their feelings with the following words: "It is almost impossible for us to believe that

Great Britain and its people to whom a lot of other small nations are again thankful fortheir regained freedom and liberty, should have forgotten their former subjects, the

natives of the Crown Colony of Heligoland. If it is impossible to come back under British

rule, then we would prefer to come back under Danish protection, as the island's historyhas never been German but Danish for many centuries."

Henry Barts (Heligoland -- USA)

1-4-1977 FRT

The North Frisian Island Heligoland and its People: (6th cont.) In contrast to the usual

pattern of using chauvinistic arguments-when countering independent actions by

Heligolanders. it must be said that this time German authorities and associations gavepriority to the plight of the islanders suggesting an administration by the UN or European

Parliament if this would allow a return of the population to their island.

But things moved from bad to worse. On April 18, 1947 the English Navy tried, using6800 tons of explosives, to wipe Helgoland from the map. However, when the dust

settled, the red rock was still standing, though one corner had changed into gentle hills.Again years passed while the British Royal Air Force used the island for bombing

practice. Yet gradually through the contacts of young Frisians with their Frisian kinsfolk

in the Netherland and the USA, letters from English born Heligolanders found exposurein the world press. Here are some lines taken from and article in the "Daily Mirror" from

March 10, 1948: "We are aware of the fact that our beloved island is no more than a bare,

rocky stump of no value and no importance for anybody in the whole world except for

us... God our Lord has placed our Island before the shores of several nations, each of-which is in some way related to us and yet different, so that we feel somewhat apart. We

are fishermen, not soldiers ...why are we Heligolanders to pay for the sins and stupidity of

German imperialism? All fortifications of the island are completely destroyed. What isnow happening out there in the sea is nothing but a mere sin and an act against nature."

Professor Savory, a member of the British Parliament and a friend of minorities spokerepeatedly about 'what was happening out there in the sea' bringing the attention of his

fellow members to 'the horrifying picture of senseless desolation' as he called it in his

great speech of July 26, 1950. Gradually also the German Federal Republic urged by

letters from the exiled Helgolander community, began to plead with the Allied HighCommission for a return of the islanders to their homeland. Further publicity was

generated. when a small group of German students 'invaded' Helgoland. or better, what

was left of it. It ended in a forced evacuation by a British-German patrol.

Finally in 1952 Helgoland was given back to German authorities, and a return for the

islanders became feasible. However, not one house was intact, and thousands ofunexploded bombs, mines shells etc. were covering the area, which - with crater touching

crater - had to be re-landscaped before any building could begin.

Unreserved acclaim must be awarded to the way this tremendous task was handled by the


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German Federal Republic and the provincial government. From 250 entries of German

and foreign architects a plan was chosen, that not only gave hope to restore the previous

idyllic character of the narrow streets with its picturesque houses and cottages, but alsopromised to create a harmonious whole where homes and gardens, hotels and shops

blended together in size and color as taken from an artists canvas.

Today, the rebuilding many years completed, it can be said, this at last - was a job well

done. Millions of tourists have visited the island proving the attractiveness of the new

Helgoland and bringing prosperity to the population.

Some of the old customs and traditions are still preserved, also the Helgolandish version

of Frisian is still spoken by many people, but passing time inevitably brings changes.

How much of the intrinsic values that formed the nature and the life of the HeligolanderFrisians will be kept alive in the thoughts, pursuits, and conduct of future generations -

nobody can possibly foresee. The last of the old-time Heligolanders has just about past

away. Yet their impressive faces are still around on portraits, photographs, as book

illustrations etc. "Characterkoepfe" they were called by German admirers (meaning theface of a man whose features indicate an extraordinary character). They proved that Man

can become what he wants to be if he clearly defines his laws- by which he chooses tolive.

The ancient Heligolanders, in line with general Frisian tradition, chose as their motto'wholesome ordinances wherein it is said how every inhabitant should behave towards

the living and the dead, and what every-body should contribute to the maintenance of

harmony, peace, and concord. What better legacy could such a small and unsophisticated

people bequeath to posterity. May we, the living, in times of stress, always remembertheir example.

Henry Barts

east frisian islands

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