exploring Bremen & its surrounding areas
You are here: worth seeing in the surroundings
The East Frisian Island Wangerooge (1/2)
Behind the dune belt lies the sea
Whether one prefers the German North Sea or Baltic Sea coast is a matter of taste; there are many beautiful regions along the hundreds of kilometers along both seas between the border with the Netherlands and Poland. However, those seeking longer sandy beach sections on the mainland North Sea coast must search very carefully. One can certainly counter this with the seaside resorts of Cuxhaven or the Schleswig-Holstein St. Peter-Ording with its wide beach. Yes, but in large coastal sections, the dike foreland is also fortified; through targeted measures for coastal protection, the power of the waves is broken and land reclamation is practiced; the seabed is more muddy than sandy. Nevertheless, there are often artificially created small sandy beach sections in many places. But not every vacationer needs sand for successful and relaxing days by the sea.
In the harbor of Harlesiel with the ferry terminal to the right
Nevertheless, the beautiful sandy beaches and good bathing opportunities on most of the North Sea islands significantly contribute to their popularity. This includes the chain of East Frisian Islands. The easternmost inhabited island is Wangerooge. In the warm months, day trips from Bremen are often offered by tour bus, which include ferry rides in the price and also take care of tickets. Those who take the wheel themselves cover the roughly 140 kilometers in about 1½ hours. The ferry port is Harlesiel in Wangerland. By the way, the word part "oog" stands for the Frisian "island," so the neighboring islands are also called Spiekeroog and Langeoog. "Wanga" on the other hand comes from Old German and means something like "meadow."
The ferry from Neuharlingersiel to Spiekeroog, Wangerooge’s neighboring island, only has enough water under its keel in the dredged fairway
Since the Wadden Sea between the mainland and the islands is very shallow, it can sometimes disrupt the already tide-dependent ferry traffic, for example when strong offshore winds push too much water out of the fairway or during storms. Then individual connections are canceled or ferry traffic is completely suspended to avoid the danger that ships run aground or worse.
When the North Sea recedes at low tide, the water current often leaves patterns on the drying sandy seabed, the Wadden
It is therefore quite a good idea to gather corresponding information before departure. Similarly, it is advisable to stand early with a valid ticket at the landing stage, as demand can sometimes be high and one may have to wait for the next ferry if the ship is full before boarding, which on a day trip is an annoying loss of time.
Mast with radar equipment and signal horn on one of the ferries that shuttle between Harlesiel in Wangerland and Wangerooge Island
At the harbor of Wangerooge at the West landing stage, the island train stands ready upon arrival, bringing passengers, luggage and supplies to the island village. The leisurely ride at around 20 km/h through salt marshes, a rest zone for birds, duration is only about 20 minutes, but until the small train is ready to depart, some time passes, so that with the 45-minute crossing, the total duration sums up to approx. 90 minutes.
The island railway station is the hub for passenger and goods traffic to the island and to the mainland coast with the ferry port Harlesiel
Among the inhabited East Frisian Islands,Wangerooge with 7.94 km² is after Baltrum the second smallest and car-free, which makes a stroll through town much more pleasant compared to some other islands, as distances can indeed be covered on foot. From the small island railway station, you are also in the middle of town after just a few steps and quickly stand before the unmistakable Old Lighthouse, which today houses the Island Museum with over 900 exhibits on island and maritime history.
Not to be missed: the Old Lighthouse with Island Museum, wedding room and observation gallery
From 1856 to 1969, the lighthouse served as a maritime beacon and guided ships. How far it was visible becomes clear when one climbs the 149 steps up to the lantern room, from where one can step out onto the surrounding gallery and is rewarded with a wide view over the island and the North Sea.
Old steam locomotive of the island train, built in 1929 by Henschel. Until 1960, the locomotive pulled the wagons over the 1000 mm-gauge track, then it was decommissioned and in 1968 erected as a monument at the Old Lighthouse
If you turn from Zedeliusstraße on your way to Nordstrand just before the rose garden to the right, you reach Friedrich-August-Straße with the National Park House "Rosenhaus." Unlike the sperm whale, whose impressive skeleton is displayed next to the building, the fish in the aquarium, which alongside exhibits and film material are intended to bring interested visitors closer to the worthy-of-protection Wadden Sea National Park, are still very much alive. This cannot be said of most of the eyewitnesses, who experienced the function of the lazaret bunker built in 1944 during the last war months until the surrender in ’45.
Fountain on the central strolling avenue, Zedeliusstraße
Today, the threat to the inhabitants of the island chain is different: the sale of their real estate. Well-off people from the mainland buy dilapidated houses from inheritance or when local owners lack the funds for necessary investments, they renovate the buildings and rent them out to tourists or use them as holiday homes. As one cannot build arbitrarily on the islands, the living space for islanders and workers in the tourism industry, the main source of income on the islands, is scarce. The situation has become so acute that in 2018 it was decided at the highest state political level to at least prohibit the use of normal rental apartments for tourist purposes by ban.
Also not suitable as interim housing are the beach chairs on the main beach ;-) But they are great for oneself and the seven things one often has with them during a beach visit.
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Map
Further information
Kurverwaltung Nordseeheilbad Wangerooge
Obere Strandpromenade 3
26486 Wangerooge
Phone: +49 (0)4469 990
Email: kurverwaltung@wangerooge.de
www.wangerooge.de
Verkehrsverein Nordseeheilbad Wangerooge e.V.
Zedeliusstraße 34
26486 Wangerooge
Phone: +49 (0)4469 94880
Email: info@westturm.de
Inselmuseum “alter Leuchtturm”
(Island Museum Old Lighthouse)
Zedeliusstr. 3
26486 Wangerooge
Phone: +49 (0)4469 8324
Email: inselmuseum@wangerooge.de
www.leuchtturm-wangerooge.de
Nationalpark House Wangerooge
Friedrich-August-Straße 18
26486 Wangerooge
Phone: +49 (0)4469 8397
Email: nationalparkhaus@wangerooge.de
www.facebook.com/Nationalpark-Haus-Wangerooge-394825757699685/
www.nationalparkhaus-wattenmeer.de/nationalpark-haus-wangerooge
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Heligoland - a day trip
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Oldenburg
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Bremerhaven - Zoo am Meer (Zoo by the Sea)
In addition to the 19th-century harbor facilities, the Zoo am Meer is the oldest attraction on the site between the Weser River and the pedestrian zone. It opened in 1928 under the name "Tiergrotten." The enclosures house polar bears, seals, penguins, various bird species such as gannets and keas, reptiles like turtles, raccoons, Arctic foxes, pumas, monkeys, and others - almost 50 animal species in total.
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