Heligoland, Past and PresentHeligoland (spelled “Helgoland†in German) consists of two small German islands in the southeast of the North Sea, some 50 kilometres from the German mainland. The main – and the only inhabited - island has a length of less than two kilometres but it is one of the top-tourist destinations of northwest Germany. This book contains the first comprehensive history of Heligoland in the English language, including: its unique geology (with its cliffs and fossils); its seals, birds and plants; its legends of saints and pirates; its wreckers, fishermen, hunters and pilots; its turbulent military history, from the Middle Ages to the Nazis; accounts of eyewitnesses from various centuries; many line drawings, some historic ones and some made by the Dutch artist Anneke de Vries. |
Contents
PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS _______________________ | 5 |
Landscape geology and archaeology_________________ | 14 |
Wildlife ________________________________________ | 28 |
Legends of saints and pirates c 700c 1600 ___________ | 39 |
Heligoland under the Hanse and SchleswigGottorp c 1400 | 54 |
1714_______________________________________________________ | 62 |
Heligoland is British 18071890 ___________________ | 69 |
Heligoland is German since 1890 __________________ | 90 |
population statistics ______________________________ | 105 |
Common terms and phrases
19th century allowed Anneke August bathing beach became become birds Black boats bottom breeding Britain British building called carried caused century CHAPTER church cliffs close coast colonial council course Danish Denmark deposits Duke Dune Island early east English example existed fact fish formed former four German girl governor Hamburg Harbour Heligoland holy houses huge Ibid important Insel interesting Kaiser keep King Klaus Störtebeker Krüss land later layers legend lighthouse lives lobster main island mainland Maxse metres military Nazi never North Sea northern nowadays Oberland official once paid period pilots pirates places present remained rest result rock rocky salt sand sandstone Schleswig seals Second shillings ships showed species spring stack started stay summer tide tourist tried upper various visitors Wittkliff World wrecking wrote