Halligen

Coordinates: 54°34′N 8°39′E / 54.567°N 8.650°E / 54.567; 8.650
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Halligen
Native name:
North Frisian and Danish Wadden Sea Islands with Halligen (darker green)
Map
Geography
Coordinates54°34′N 8°39′E / 54.567°N 8.650°E / 54.567; 8.650
Total islands13
Administration
Germany, Denmark
Demographics
Populationabout 291

The Halligen (German, singular Hallig, German:

Nordfriesland[2] and one remaining hallig at the west coast of Denmark (Langli
).

The name is cognate to Old-English halh, meaning "slightly raised ground isolated by marsh".[3] The very existence of the halligen is a result of frequent floods and poor coastal protection. The floods were much more common in the Middle Ages and coastal protection was much poorer.

The halligen have areas ranging from 7 to 956 ha, and are often former parts of the mainland, separated therefrom by storm tide erosion. Some are parts of once much bigger islands sundered by the same forces.[4] Some, owing to sediment deposition, have actually grown together to form larger ones. Langeneß (or Langeness) includes a former island by that same name, and two others that were called Nordmarsch and Butwehl.

Dwellings and commercial buildings are built upon metre-high, man-made mounds, called

Værft in Danish, to guard against storm tides. Some halligen also have overflow dikes.[clarification needed
]

Not very many people live on the halligen. Their livelihoods are mainly based on

salt meadows.[5][6]

The halligen are to be found in the

Hooge are surrounded by the protected area, but not an integral part of it. The smaller halligen, Habel, Südfall, Süderoog, and Norderoog as well as the Hamburger Hallig are parts of the national park. Walks on the tidal flats
and informational meetings are offered by tourist boards and the park administration.

In the west the German halligen are protected from the open sea by the North Frisian Barrier Island.

  • The Halligen area around 1650 on a map by Johannes Mejer
    The Halligen area around 1650 on a map by Johannes Mejer
  • The North Frisian Halligen area around 1850, showing changes
    The North Frisian Halligen area around 1850, showing changes
  • A hallig: the salt meadow in bloom
    A hallig: the
    salt meadow
    in bloom
  • Alexander Eckener: Warft of a Hallig during a storm tide, 1906
    Alexander Eckener: Warft of a Hallig during a storm tide, 1906
  • Dagebüll hallig railway, flooded, in 1984
    Dagebüll hallig railway, flooded, in 1984

List of Halligen

Currently, there are 10 halligen in Germany. The following list does not include formerly existing Halligen that have either vanished or merged with current halligen or the mainland:

On the Danish side, one still exists:

Also Danish Mandø used to be a hallig, but it has dikes today. The German peninsula and former island of Großer Werder on the Baltic Sea coast is also nicknamed "Baltic Hallig" (Ostsee-Hallig) due to its remote situation and appearance.

See also

References

  1. ^ Walker, Tamsin (2020-03-01). "The German islands that regularly vanish beneath the sea". Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com). Archived from the original on 2021-02-24. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
  2. ^ Walker, Tamsin (2020-01-14). "Will Germany's vanishing Hallig islands survive rising seas?". Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com). Archived from the original on 2021-02-24. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
  3. OCLC 38013841. An etymology from Celtic
    word hal, meaning "salt" is less likely.
  4. ^ Walker, Tasmin (2019-12-23). "Could flooding be a cure for rising seas?". Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com). Archived from the original on 2021-01-14. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
  5. S2CID 20754802
    .
  6. OCLC 20217629
    .

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Halligen&oldid=1218606617"