Westerland

Geschichte

Westerland is a seaside resort and a former municipality located on the German North Sea island of Sylt. Since 1 January 2009, Westerland has been part of the municipality Gemeinde Sylt. Westerland is part of the Nordfriesland district in Schleswig-Holstein. It is the largest resort on the island, the local transportation hub and the centre of Sylt's tourist industry.HistoryWesterland is partly one of the younger settlements on the island of Sylt. After the All Saints' Day Flood of 1436 had destroyed the biggest part of the community of Eidum (except for the area that is today called Enden and the Church), the survivors built a new community to the northeast on a heath. The new settlement was called Hedigen (heath area).In the 16th. century most of the people on Sylt were involved in the hunting of Herring near Heligoland, Westerland was no exception.The Old Church of Eidum St. Niels was broken down by the people in 1634 (mainly because of a particularly bad stench in it) and rebuild in 1636 in the heath area, far away from the sea.Westerlant (probably an old field name used by the people of Tinnum) had its first documentary mention in 1462. In 1636 there were 43 and in 1695 76 taxable houses.