Northeast Friesland and Wadden Sea

The Landscape

Northeast Friesland is a region where the landscape still speaks the language of history. For centuries, people here battled the sea, a struggle still visible in the many terps, artificial dwelling mounds where people have lived since the Iron Age and long before the first dikes were built. The old terp villages, often clustered around medieval churches, are scattered like beacons across the wide clay landscape. The area is marked by reed beds, flower-filled meadows, stately farms, gently flowing waterways, and an almost unbroken horizon. Clean sea air drifts inland from the dikes, carrying the scent of the unique terp landscape. In the distance, the Wadden coast and salt marshes emerge. A wild, briny natural world rich in birdlife and shaped by the rhythm of the tides.

The Wadden Sea is one of the most unique natural areas in the world and has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2009. Stretching along the coasts of the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark, it is the largest tidal system on Earth that still functions largely undisturbed. From the dikes, a spectacular view opens up over a dynamic landscape of mudflats, sandbanks, channels, salt marshes, and seagrass meadows. All constantly shaped by the rhythm of the tides. This rhythm governs the lives of millions of migratory birds, fish, shellfish, and seals. Each year, around 10 to 12 million birds use the Wadden Sea as a vital stopover during their impressive journey from the Arctic to Africa.