The Halligen are known for their fascinating natural beauty and breathtaking landscapes. These tiny islands in the North Sea are home to diverse flora and fauna, and you can explore everything from marshes and mudflats to salt marshes and sand dunes. You also shouldn't miss the birdwatching opportunities on the Halligen, so be sure to bring your binoculars!
They offer travelers a unique opportunity to stay in some of the most unusual accommodations, such as small wooden houses built on stilts for protection from rising waters.
If you're looking for adventure, some of the inhabited ones have plenty to offer. You can bike or hike on the island trails, explore the mudflats to discover hidden animals, or even try your hand at windsurfing or kitesurfing at high tide.
When you set foot on the Halligen, you will feel as if you are immersed in another world. The small islands off the German coast are surrounded by the sparkling waters of the North Sea and offer an unparalleled view of the horizon. The Halligen are known for their tranquil beauty and offer a refreshing escape from the hustle and bustle of city life.
The best thing about the Halligen is the variety of activities you can indulge in during your stay. Take a walk along the rugged coastline or hop on a bike and explore the breathtaking landscape. For the lovers of water sports, there is nothing better than sailing or kayaking on the sea or fishing in the various waters.
The Halligen are a group of tiny, unprotected islets in the North Sea. One Hallig is on the west coast of Denmark (Mandø), and eleven German ones are in the North Frisian Islands off the coast of Schleswig-Holstein.
The name derives from the Old English word halh, which means "a small piece of higher land in the middle of a swamp." Since the coast was not well protected and was repeatedly flooded, the Halligen form in the first place. During this time, floods occurred much more frequently and there was not nearly as much protection along the coast.
Halligen are between 7 and 956 hectares in size and often consist of parts of the mainland broken off by erosion during storm surges. Some of them are also small parts of much larger islands that have broken off in the same way. There have been times when they have coalesced into larger islands due to the accumulation of sediments. Langeneß is composed of three islands. One of them used to be called Langeneß, the other two are called Nordmarsch and Butwehl.
The artificially heaped up hills, which are one meter high, are called in German "Warften" and "vaerft" in Danish. They protect homes and businesses from the damage that storm surges can cause. Some also have overflow dikes.
Not many people live on them. Most of the money they need comes from agriculture, coastal protection and tourism. The last type of economic activity is largely cattle breeding on the fertile but often flooded salt marshes.
The Halligen are located in the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park. The protected area completely encloses the economically developed Nordstrandischmoor, Gröde, Oland, Langeneß and Hooge. In addition to the Hamburg Hallig, the smaller ones such as Habel, Südfall, Süderoog and Norderoog also belong to the national park. Tourism offices and the park administration jointly offer activities such as. Tidal flat walks and information events.
The North Frisian Wadden Sea is a barrier between the open sea and the German Halligen, which are located in the west of Germany.
Even though the island of Mandø in the Danish Wadden Sea is spatially separated from the other ten Halligen, which are all close to each other, it is still counted among them. When an Ebbevej, which means "low tide path" in Danish, is visible above the water, it is possible to cross the tidal flats and reach the island of Mandø.
At Hallig Hooge there are ten inhabited terps that rise between the flat meadows and the numerous salt water streams. These terps are spread all over the island. Since the summer dike surrounding them creates an island-like atmosphere, here you have the impression of being on a much larger island. The dike protects you from storm surges and floods, which are common on the North Sea. At low tide, however, the water level drops so low that you can walk almost two kilometers from the Hallig to the mainland.
On the small island of Hooge, off the German coast, visitors make up the vast majority of the population. On clear, warm days, up to a few hundred people can stay on the island to enjoy the sun. At the ferry station, visitors can board one of the Hallig carriages to get to the island. The easiest and most convenient way to get around the 5.8 km² Hallig is to rent a bicycle at the ferry dock. Visitors are also required to pay a small fee of fifty cents to help maintain the island.
Even though it is relatively busy and touristy on Hallig Hooge in the summer, you can find Langeneß still find the peculiarities characteristic of life on. Rixwarf, located on the Waterkant and protected from further erosion by dikes and stone revetments, serves as a landing place for excursion boats and ferries. This area is also home to a waterfront kiosk and the National Park Information Center with attractive display boards and a miniature aquarium.
Due to the vastness of the island and the fact that most guests are only there for a few hours, it is actually impossible to explore the entire island in a single day. There is usually a set program that includes a visit to the Captain Tadsen Museum and the Hallig Church. The Hallig Express departs from the pier and takes passengers to the most popular sights of the island.
Hallig Gröde is a small village situated on two very close warfts (artificial hills). The entire village consists of only five houses, four of which are located on the Knudswarft. After the storm surge of 1962, Knudswarft was essentially rebuilt, and a small ring dike was built around it to provide additional protection against future flooding. The houses in the settlement were thatched and arranged in their former form around the rainwater collection pond. Only one structure is located in the nearby small churchyard, which is also protected by a ring dike. Nevertheless, this structure has a long history and has been carefully preserved.
The Hamburg Hallig is a good place to spend a vacation if you really want to get away from it all. It used to house a small group of people, but now it stands empty. All that is left is an attractive settlement hill with the thatched Hallig-Krog and three outbuildings. Even though it is no longer considered one because it is constantly washed by the sea, Hamburger Hallig still looks and acts like one. It is a salt marsh that juts out into the Wadden Sea and is not surrounded by a wall.
Do not miss walking or biking the 4 km long path that leads to you parallel to the dead-straight, paved path. This is an experience you should not miss. Hamburg Hallig is very vulnerable to flooding, which can occur up to fifty times a year. Mostly it happens during the winter spring tides, but it can also happen during storms in summer. Nevertheless, the bike path offers a beautiful and unique experience that more than compensates for the hassle of getting there.
Hallig Norderoog is only 9 hectares in size (0.09 km²) and is located 25 kilometers from the mainland in the Wadden Sea. Being the westernmost, it is the most exposed to the rough waters of the North Sea. Like the Hallig Süderoog to Norderoogsand also includes a 7 to 8 kilometer long sandbank west of Norderoog. This sandbank is much larger and contributes to some extent to the protection.
The cute little Halligh houses that can be seen in the distance from Beltringharder Koog stand on the four terps that form the Hallig Nordstrandischmoor form. To get to the Hallig, there is a long dam. But when the tide is very high, this is often covered with water. Each family has its own cart that runs on tiny rails. In this way people and goods are transported from one side of the Hallig to the other. Most of the day guests come by excursion boat.
The Halligen are a group of small, uninhabited islands in the Baltic Sea, near Germany and Denmark. Many people agree that Hallig Hooge, with its small community of only 19 inhabitants, is the most beautiful of these islands. The settlement is located in the middle of the island on a small round hill. A pond, which collects rainwater, surrounds the settlement on all sides. In the neighborhood there are 15 houses, a school, an inn and a grocery store. The community is located in a nature reserve, which facilitates the growth of many different plants and trees.
On the top of the hill stands the only thatched lighthouse in Germany. This lighthouse is the shortest in Europe. It was built in 1929 from red bricks and has a square base. The tower is still in use today, the only outside lantern is on the north side, where it serves as a cross light for the Dagebüll fairway.
This lighthouse is special not only because it is the only one in Germany with a thatched roof, but also because it is quite tall. It is only 7 meters high, making it the shortest lighthouse in all of Europe. Although the lighthouse is small, it is still in operation and its one outer lantern is now used as a cross light for the Dagebüll fairway.
As in Südfall is also on Süderoog the only terp is a single residential mound used for both living and farming. Located about 6 kilometers southwest of Pellworm, it is inhabited by a tenant family (consisting of a mother, father and their two children), the mother and father both work for the Landesbetrieb für Küstenschutz. This makes Süderoog the smallest on which people live year-round. Süderoog is a small island located southwest of Pellworm. At any given time, only one family of tenants lives there. The mother, father and their two children all work at the Landesbetrieb für Küstenschutz. Süderoog is thus the smallest of the permanently inhabited.
The Hallig Southfall consists of a single residential hill with a beautiful house, a stable and a children's playground. The couple who rents the house and lives there only in the summer welcomes the many day guests with sausages and cakes. Only during these months they live there. Of course, the couple is also involved in wildlife and bird conservation, coastal protection, and other conservation-related activities. It is amazing that this has remained so pure and natural for so long, as it is a truly amazing place. The couple who live there put a lot of effort into conservation, and they treat everyone with kindness and a warm greeting.
Most day visitors come from Nordstrand and either hike with a guide or take a horse-drawn carriage through the Wadden Sea. But the small one is operated from Pellworm, and the excursion ship MS "Nordfriesland" sails there up to three times a week from Pellworm. The Wadden Sea is a kind of wetland, most of which is found near the coast. When the tide recedes, a layer of mud is left behind. This is how they were formed. Mudflats are important habitats for many different species of animals such as fish, birds and crabs.
