The North Frisian Islands lie off the western coast of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

Did you know that Sylt the most northern and probably most popular of the North Frisian Island lies on the same latitude as Southern Alaska? About 8000 years ago Sylt was separated from the mainland and can now be reached via the Hindenburgdamm causeway which is only accessible to trains. But of course you can take your car on the train.

Sylt © flickr/micha 1968

Sylt also is the largest of the North Frisian Islands and the fourth largest German island. Sylt is well known for its 40 kilometres of sandy beaches, coastal mudflats, unspoiled dunes, flowering heath and its thatched Frisian cottages and beautiful gardens. Sylt also offers a variety of walking and cycling trains as well as great water sports facilities. The lively centre of Sylt is Westerland but there are of course many other villages to see: Keitum and Morsum with the historical churches, the Morsum Cliff which shows geological history of five million years on a height of only 21 metres. The family resort Wenningstedt and Kampen with the Kampen lighthouse located between Kampen and Wenningstedt.
Tinnum Castle (Tinnumburg)was possibly built as a pagan holy site in the 1st century BC.  The island of Sylt still has its own dialect called Söl’ring with elements of Danish, Dutch and English.

Föhr is the second largest German North Sea island and lies in the heart of the Wattenmeer (Wadden Sea) National Park. With more than half of the island being marshland it has a lot to offer for bird watchers, hikers and cyclists. Wyk on the south eastern shore is the island’s main town.

Föhr © flickr/elbfoto

Amrum has wide sandy beaches and magnificent sand dunes which are up to 30 meters high. But in the heart of Amrum you also find dark forests and heathland. The island’s villages are located on the eastern shore with the health resort of Wittdün being the most important. In the village of Nebel visitors can see richly decorated 18th century tombstones. But there are also Bronze Age tombs and an excavated Viking cemetery that can be seen on the island.

Pellworm is an island full of unspoiled nature with marshland, meadows and fields. In spring and autumn visitors can watch migratory birds. By night visitors can not only sea the beams from the lighthouse but also the stars in the sky which is remarkably clear.

Nordstrand peninsula is connected to the mainland by a causeway and is surrounded by a dyke.  Nordstrand is perfect for cycling tours and you can also go on horse-drawn cart trips along the sea bed.

And last but not least there are the North Frisian Hallig islands. The marshy islands are a result of tides and storm floods. There used to be hundreds of Hallig islands but now only 10 still exist. On the small islands in the ocean visitors can find peace and relaxation but also get an impression of how powerful nature can be.

One thing visitors should experience when visiting the North Frisian Islands is a walk in the mudflats. But make sure you are accompanied by an expert tour guide because descending fogs and rapidly rising tides are always a great danger.

The Schlei is an inlet of the Baltic Sea in Schleswig-Holstein between Kiel and Flensburg which stretches for about 26 miles from Schleimünde (the mouth of the Schlei) to Schleswig.

The important Viking settlement of Hedeby (Haithabu) was located at the head of the Schlei near Schleswig. Now there is a museum on the site of the settlement.

Schleimünde © flickr/sky#walker

The region is a popular travel destination not only for lovers of the German television’s “Country Doctor” (Der Landarzt). For about 20 years the small harbour town of Kappeln has been one of the filming locations for the Country Doctor but it has of course a lot more to offer. The romantic old town is more than 650 years old and the herring fences in the Schlei date back to the 16th century. They are the town’s landmark.

St. Nicolas Church in Kappeln was built in the 18th century and inside you can see a wooden crucifix from the 13th century which might have been in the chapel Kappeln derives its name from. The flap bridge across the Schlei is very modern and was built in 2002. Worth a visit in Kappeln also is the Museum Harbour with about 20 old boats. And enthusiasts of old steam railways can go on a trip with the Angeln Steam Train. Or how about a boat trip on the Schlei, a visit to the old windmill or the old sawmill?

Along the Schlei there are many picturesque villages with the typical thatched roof houses and the landscape with its beech woods, flowering meadows and yellow rape fields is just magnificent. Here visitors can go on cycling tours or Nordic trekking excursions, go on a trip along the Garden Route to discover the magic of the Schlei gardens or simply go fishing.

Dom/Cathedral Schleswig © flickr/sky#walker

In Schleswig you can not only discover the world of the Vikings but also visit the princely residence of the Gottorf Dukes. Schleswig once used to be the cultural centre of northern Europe and some of the spirit of those frourishing times is still there. There you can see the Gottorf Globe which is a replica of the wonder of the world dating back to the 17th century and go for a walk in the restored Baroque Gardens of the castle. On the Holm Island you can see old picturesque fishermen’s houses. The most impressive building in Schleswig certainly is St. Peter’s Cathedral. From the Neo-Gothic spire with a height of 112 metres you have a great view of the town.

And being in Schleswig you should also pay the Haithabu Viking Museum a visit. Here you can travel back in time and discover a Viking settlement. The original town of Hedeby was destroyed in a raid in 1066.

Last but not least the Geltinger Birk nature reserve should be mentioned. There you can even see wild horses.

The cuisine of the region is just splendid. Everywhere you get fresh fish and other delicious regional products. And especially for families who want to spend their holidays in one of the many holiday homes the Schlei region is more than suitable. But of course there are lots of good hotels too.

Now in spring while the the rape is blooming and the herrings are coming up the Schlei Fjord the Herring Days are held in Kappeln, Schleswig-Holstein again from 13-16 May, 2010.

With the Herring Days the town is celebrating the old tradition of herring fishing in Kappeln. The herring fences in the Schlei Fjord date back to the 15th century and the one in Kappeln is the last existing in Europe or even the world.

Herring Fence©Julia Höfer-von Seelen

The fences are made of poles with wickerwork made of brushwood. They set up funnel-shaped and lead the fish into the fishing nets like a large fish trap. In former times there used to be many herring fences in the Schlei Fjord between the mouth and the town of Arnis. Most of them were owned by the lords of the manors and they often paid the day labourers with herrings.

The most important event during the Herring Days it the herring bet. You can bet on the amount of herrings being caught at that very day and the person who wins will be Herring Queen or Herring King for one year. The money will be used for the preservation of the herring fence.

Kappeln©Julia Höfer-von Seelen

During the 4 days of the event bands will be playing, you can see the old ships in of the Museum Harbour of Kappeln, go on a ride on a boat or the old steam train of the Angelner Dampfeisenbahn and have a lot of fun and enjoy yourself.

But of course Kappeln is not only worth a visit during the Herring Days. Located in the beautiful region called Angeln on the Schlei Fjord it is worth a visit all year. The town is picturesque with an old windmill and beautiful small houses. The region also is perfect for hiking and cycling and if ratehr go swimming, the beaches of the Baltic Sea are not far.

Kappeln also is a good starting point if you want to visit Schleswig, Flensburg, Kiel, Denmark or the North Sea. Even Hamburg isn’t far away.

The Cheese Route ( KäseStraße) in Schleswig-Holstein this year is 10 years old. It has a length of more than 500 kilometres and on it you can travel around Schleswig-Holstein from one cheese dairy to the next.

In many cheese dairies you can buy cheese and many of them are also open to the public and you can learn about how to make cheese.

Especially this year there are many events to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Cheese Route.

On May 9, 2010 there will be a cheese market at the open-air museum Kiekeberg south of Hamburg.

On May 13, 2010 (Ascension Day) there will be a farmyard feast at the organic Dannwisch farmyard near Elmshorn.
From 22 through 24 May, 2010 (Whitsun) there will be a farmyard feast at Gut Behl near Plön. There will be lots of entertainment like a children’s zoo, bull-riding and guided tours of the farm. You can also see how chees is being made and learn about the local cattle breeding. About 20,000 visitors are expected.

From 16 through 18 July, 2010 there will be a cheese and wine feast in Kiel, the capital of Schleswig-Holstein. It is called “Käse trifft Wein” (cheese meets wine) and here you can not only buy but also taste cheese and wine. And of course Kiel is worth a visit too.

July 24, 2010 you can learn in the Ostenfelder Meierei, the Ostenfeld dairy farm how cheese is made. Ostenfeld is west of Husum.

And last but not least there will again be a farmyard feast at Dannwisch farmyard on September 11, 2010.

And the Cheese Route of course has more to offer than just cheese as the landscape of Schleswig-Holstein really is magnificent and you will not only see the Baltic Sea but also the Schlei Fjord and the North Sea. One of the cheese dairies is on the island of Föhr on the German coast of the North Sea.

Cheese©flickr/CoreForce

Spring in the North of Germany in Husum, Schleswig-Holstein means to get a “blue surprise”. More than 4 million crocuses are blooming in the Schlosspark.

crocus blossom©flickr-southgeist

A legend says that Franciscan monks planted them in the 15th century to get saffron. The monks wanted to dye their grey cowls orange. Another legend tells about the duchess Maria Elisabeth in the 17th century who seemed to have loved saffron pastry. It doesn’t really matter which legend is true because of the fact that you can’t get saffron out of the “crocus neapolitanus” anyway.

It seems almost incredible that this south European plant seems to feel comfortable in the north German climate. Thousands of visitors come each year to see this colourful event. On the 20th and 21st of March 11, 2010 even craftspeople show their works in the Schlosspark and the Krokusblütenkönigin (crocus blossom queen) will be nominated.

Besides that the “grey town by the sea” (die graue Stadt am Meer) of course has a lot more to offer. It is the home of the German poet Theodor Storm. The house he had lived in is in a condition as if he had left it only yesterday. You can visit it in “Wasserreihe 31-35” and you can even see the poet’s corner where he wrote the famous novella “Der Schimmelreiter”.

Husum 1©Julia Höfer-v. Seelen

Another attraction is the inner harbour that was built during the Middle Ages. The western border is a railway balance bridge and on the northern quay wall you will find the MS Nordertor, a restaurant ship where you get good food. On the other side there are railtracks leading directly to the modern guild hall. They belong to an old shipyard.
Right at the port you will also find the North Friesland shipping museum, where you can learn about the history of whaling and fishing. A special sight is the “sugar ship”, the wreck of a sailing ship from the 16th century. You can even see some of the personal belongings of the ship owner there.
In the Nordsee Museum in the Nissenhaus you can learn about the tides and the development of dyke construction and of course about the people of the town and their life between high tide and low tide. One part of the museum is dedicated to its founder Ludwig Nissen, the son of a tradesman, who became a wealthy jewellery dealer in New York.

The true landmark of the town though is the “Trine”, the sculpture of a fisherman’s wife with typical clogs.

When you visit Husum you should also try the typical brown bread with shrimps and fried egg, called “Halligbrot” or the Matjes herring.

Husum 3©Julia Höfer-v. Seelen

In 1987 the historical centre of the hanseatic city of Lübeck was declared a World Cultural Heritage Site.

Lübeck©flickr/albertsen.training

The city centre not only is magnificent but also very lively. The formerly Free Hanseatic City and state of its own, now politically belongs to Schleswig-Holstein. Lübeck with the famous “Holstentor” is the cultural capital of the north is said by its more than 200,000 inhabitants.

The city was founded in 1143 by Adolf von Schauenburg and reinvigorated by Henry Lionheart in 1157. And during the Middle Ages Lübeck was Germany’s second largest city and a gateway to the Baltic Sea. Today you can learn about the history in one of the many museums in the city and you should of course try some of the marzipan made in Lübeck. And even though it is not quite clear how it all started but after 1800 Lübeck became famous for its marzipan and still is.

One thing is for sure the north German red-brick gothic buildings are a touristic attraction. The beauty of the old city centre does not only attract visitors from Scandinavia but from all over the world. And from Lübeck you can easily get to the beautiful coastal resort of Travemünde, located on the German coast of the Baltic Sea.

Schleswig-Holstein

Flensburg:

Phänomenta
Here you may touch things you see and do little experiments yourself. You will learn a lot about technical and natural scientific things. www.phaenomenta-flensburg.de

Husum:

Schiffahrtsmuseum
Ship models, about how to build ships, shipyards, fishery and whaling, and the history oft he sailors and their families is shown here. www.schiffahrtsmuseum-nf.de

Kappeln:

Historisches Sägewerk

In 1900 work started in the old saw mill which now is a working museum. The saws are powered by a windmill.www.kappeln.de/workingmuseum.html

Kiel:

Kieler Schifffahrtsmuseum

Here you can see ship models of all times, learn about the maritime history of Kiel, and you can even see a model of the first German submarine. www.kiel.de/kulur/museen

Flensburg, Schleswig-Holstein is located in the very North of Germany.

The town is well know for its nationwide database of traffic violators, the beer, “Flensburger Pilsener” also called “Flens”, the handball team “SG Flensburg-Handewitt”, for being the centre of the Danish minority in Germany, the Naval Academy at Mürwik, and last but not least for the erotic mail-order companies, Beate Uhse and Orion.

Flensburg ©Julia Höfer-von Seelen

But Flensburg is much more than that; it is a beautiful town and a travel destination worth visiting. Flensburg lies at the Flensburg Fjord and on the Danish border. Because of being so near to Denmark Flensburg has its own Scandinavian flair, the old town is very picturesque and the harbour used to be very important in former times. Now only few big ships still come here, but there is still a big shipyard building mostly RoRo ships, and in the historic part of the harbour you can see old sailing ships and see how ships were produced in the past.

Flensburg © Julia Höfer-von Seelen

In Flensburg you can find nice quiet spots if you want to relax, museums like the Harbour Museum, the Maritime Museum and the unique Rum Museum of Germany, you find many restaurants offering excellent food, and you also find fantastic shopping facilities. You can go on day trips to the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, the beautiful Schlei region and Denmark. Come to Flensburg to experience the beauty of the town and the frankness of the people living here, you will for sure love it.