The North Frisian islands of Sylt, Föhr and Amrum, lying off the northwest coast of Schleswig-Holstein, are ridges of sandy heathland (geest) which have escaped erosion or drowning by the sea. Sylt and Amrum have been partly overlaid by dunes. While Sylt and Amrum have only narrow strips of fenland along their east coasts, Föhr has a considerable area of fens.
Numerous prehistoric tombs bear witness to early human settlement. The islanders maintained their independence against the kings of Denmark. Then in the 19th century seaside resorts began to develop on the islands, with their healthy oceanic climate and unrestricted sunshine.
Föhr
Föhr, the second largest of the North Frisian Islands (12km/7.5mi long and up to 8km/5mi wide), lies south of Sylt, some 11km/7mi from the mainland. Sheltered from the open sea by Sylt, Amrum and the Halligen, Föhr is surrounded by mud-flats.
The southern part of the island is geest country, with no dunes; the north is fertile fenland, drained by canals and protected from the sea by a stone wall built in 1890. The islanders live mainly from tourism and agriculture.
Wyk
In the southeast of the island is the little town of Wyk, whose mild climate makes it a popular holiday resort (ferry service from the mainland port of Dagebüll), with a sandy beach and a seafront promenade. The Frisian Museum documents prehistory and the early historical period, domestic life, natural history, shipping).
From Dunsum, on the west coast of the island, it is possible at low tide to cross to the northern tip of Amrum on a track over the mud-flats (2km/1.25mi).
Amrum
Amrum, the most southerly of the three North Frisian Islands, is 10km/6mi long and up to 3km/2mi wide. The main bathing beach is the 1km/0.75mi wide Kniepsand on the west side of the island (heavy surf).
Wittdün
The chief place on the island is the health resort of Wittdün (ferry service from the mainland via Föhr).
From Wittdün, a road runs north passing the 67m/220ft high lighthouse (view; off the road to the right, at Steenodde, Bronze Age tombs), to the old Frisian village of Nebel, with richly decorated 18th century tombstones in the churchyard. To the west is a seventh century Viking cemetery excavated in 1845. To the north of the village of Norddorf is the starting point of the walk over the mud-flats to Föhr.
Nordstrand
The island of Nordstrand, lying off Husum, is connected to the mainland by a 2.5km/1.5mi long causeway. A 24km/15mi long dike surrounds an area of fenland, which until a devastating storm tide in 1634 was part of the mainland. Odenbüll has a 13th century church (pulpit of 1605).
Südfall
To the west of Nordstrand is the little island of Südfall, one of the Halligen, which is used for the grazing of sheep (bird sanctuary).
Pellworm
Still farther west lies Pellworm, an island of fertile fenland enclosed by dikes. In the center of the island is the Baroque New Church (1622), on an artificial mound (warft) the Romanesque Old Church, with a ruined tower.
Halligen
The Halligen are the small islands lying between Föhr and Amrum in the north and the Eiderstedt peninsula in the south. In the narrower sense, the group includes only the islands of Oland, Langeness, Hooge, Gröde-Appelland, Habel, Nordstrandischmoor, Norderoog, Süderoog and Südfall; but in the wider sense it is taken to include also the Hamburger Hallig (now linked with the mainland) and the larger islands of Nordstrand and Pellworm.
The Halligen are the remains of an area of fenland which in prehistoric times was part of the mainland. In a storm tide they are flooded by the sea, apart from the houses and farmsteads on the man-made warften. As a result the soil is too salty to permit arable farming, and the land is used for the grazing of livestock.
Langeness Hooge
The largest of the Halligen are the two diked islands of Langeness (causeway to Dagebüll on the mainland) and Hooge. On the large Hanswarft on Hooge is the Hansensches Haus (1766), with the Königspesel (parlor), the finest example of an old Frisian house.
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