Neuwerk
Encyclopedia
Neuwerk is a Wadden Sea
island on the German
North Sea
coast and a homonymous quarter of the city of Hamburg
, Germany
, in the borough Hamburg-Mitte
. It is located northwest of Cuxhaven, between the Weser and Elbe
estuaries, the distance to Hamburg's center is about 120 km.
During low tide
the island can be reached on foot or by horse carriages from Cuxhaven, at other times by ship.
The smaller islands Scharhörn and Nigehörn close to Neuwerk are bird sanctuaries, closed to the public. All three islands and the Wadden Sea around them form the Hamburg Wadden Sea National Park
.
The oldest existing document that mentions Neuwerk is a Frisian contract of 1316, where its old name Nige O is used.
Since the Elbe river was vital to the Hanseatic League
's member Hamburg, in 1299 a 35 meter tower was built as lighthouse and protection against pirates. The lighthouse existing today was built between 1367 and 1369 after a fire destroyed the earlier one. It is Hamburg's oldest existing building as well as Hamburg's last fortification.
Due to the Greater Hamburg Law
Neuwerk became part of Prussia
in 1937, and thus after World War II
it was given to the new state of Lower Saxony
. In 1969 Hamburg waived older rights on harbour estate in Cuxhaven in favour of Neuwerk and Scharhörn.
In the early 20th century, tourism became important for Neuwerk.
Wadden Sea
The Wadden Sea is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern continental Europe and the range of Frisian Islands, forming a shallow body of water with tidal flats and wetlands. It is rich in biological diversity...
island on the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
coast and a homonymous quarter of the city of Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, in the borough Hamburg-Mitte
Hamburg-Mitte
Hamburg-Mitte located in the Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg, Germany is one of the seven boroughs of Hamburg, covering mostly the urban center of the city of Hamburg. The quarters Hamburg-Altstadt and Neustadt are the historical origin of Hamburg...
. It is located northwest of Cuxhaven, between the Weser and Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
estuaries, the distance to Hamburg's center is about 120 km.
During low tide
Tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....
the island can be reached on foot or by horse carriages from Cuxhaven, at other times by ship.
The smaller islands Scharhörn and Nigehörn close to Neuwerk are bird sanctuaries, closed to the public. All three islands and the Wadden Sea around them form the Hamburg Wadden Sea National Park
Hamburg Wadden Sea National Park
The Hamburg Wadden Sea National Park is an exclave of the city state of Hamburg in North Germany and lies 12.5 km off Cuxhaven in the estuary of the Elbe in the North Sea . This part of the Wadden Sea lies inside the area of the Lower Saxon Wadden Sea National Park and also includes the...
.
History
Since the Elbe river was vital to the Hanseatic League
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
's member Hamburg, in 1299 a 35 meter tower was built as lighthouse and protection against pirates. The lighthouse existing today was built between 1367 and 1369 after a fire destroyed the earlier one. It is Hamburg's oldest existing building as well as Hamburg's last fortification.
Due to the Greater Hamburg Law
Gesetz über Groß-Hamburg und andere Gebietsbereinigungen
The Greater Hamburg Act was passed by the government of Nazi Germany on January 26, 1937, and mandated the exchange of territories between Hamburg and the Free State of Prussia...
Neuwerk became part of Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
in 1937, and thus after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
it was given to the new state of Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
. In 1969 Hamburg waived older rights on harbour estate in Cuxhaven in favour of Neuwerk and Scharhörn.
In the early 20th century, tourism became important for Neuwerk.