Südfall

Südfall
Sydfald
	Nordfriesland
Demographics
Population	2

Südfall (Danish: Sydfald) is a small island in the Wadden Sea off the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, one of the ten German Hallig islands. It has a permanent population of two people. It covers an area of 0.56 square kilometres (0.22 sq mi) and is administratively part of Pellworm Municipality.

History

Approximate locations of several settlements, including Rungholt, on the former island of Strand near Südfall

Prior to the

warfts

on the western side of the island were totally submerged, and the total area of the island was halved. The single warft that remains on the island today was constructed in 1828. Ownership of the island has changed hands numerous times since then.

In 1910, the Countess Diana von Reventlow-Criminil purchased the island to spend her retirement years on it. After this, the Dethleffsen family rented out the island for a 50-year term. In 1921, Andreas Busch from

locks in the intertidal zone (German

: Watt) around Südfall. He mapped the area and discovered numerous traces of the area's former inhabitants, such as wells, fields, paths, and graves. Based on these findings, it was determined that Rungholt was situated near present-day Südfall prior to its destruction in 1362. Since 1960, the number of times per year that the island has flooded has increased from around 30 to nearly 70.

Modern times

Today, Südfall is part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Since 1957, the environmental group Verein Jordsand has served as the island's caretaker. It was granted official environmental protection in 1959, and is now part of the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park, which is in turn part of the larger Wadden Sea UNESCO World Heritage Site.

One house, inhabited by a water-warden and his wife, and several surrounding buildings are situated on the lone wharf on the island. A bird-conservation station and a watchpost/radio station of the

German Maritime Search and Rescue Service (German

: Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Rettung Schiffbrüchiger) are maintained on the island.

Transportation

With permission from the National Park Service, Südfall is reachable from Nordstrand at low tide by foot or on horseback over the intertidal zone. In the summertime, the island is visited thrice per week by a ship from Pellworm. As Südfall is in the First Protection Zone (German: Schutzzone 1) of the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park, accessing the island is otherwise prohibited.