Neufeld Harbour in the south of Dithmarschen is expected to be accessible only to a limited extent until the end of April 2027. According to the State Agency for Coastal Protection, National Parks and Marine Conservation, the sheet pile wall there was at risk of subsiding. Work at the foot of the dyke is set to continue until mid-October and will cost around two million euros. The stabilisation work has resulted in the loss of some berths in the harbour. However, the harbour master said, when asked, that alongside permanent berth holders, there would still be space available for visiting vessels.
New floating jetties for the harbour
The municipality of Neufeld intends to use the construction phase to redevelop the facility for the future. The plan is to build a new floating jetty system for sailing boats and fishing boats. Initial preparations have already been made: as part of the safety works, dolens have been installed to which the new jetties will later be attached.
According to Mayor Michael Lucks, the local council has already invested around 200,000 euros in the project. A further 500,000 euros has been earmarked for the floating jetties and the necessary bridges. It remains to be seen whether this sum will ultimately be sufficient. If everything goes according to plan, the harbour could reopen with more berths at the end of the storm surge season in late April 2027.
A small harbour on the south-west coast of Schleswig-Holstein
The Neufeld Harbour is situated at the southernmost tip of Dithmarschen, in the area of the Elbe estuary. It serves as a home port for pleasure craft, sailors and recreational anglers, and is set in unspoilt foreshore land where, amongst other things, geese, sheep and numerous wild animals can be found. The harbour entrance is marked by buoys when approaching from the sea.
The Neufeld Recreational Boating Club has around 50 berths for recreational fishermen and sailing boats, and access is heavily dependent on the tides: according to the club, boats with a draught of up to 1.40 metres can pass through the entrance approximately two hours before to one hour after mean high tide in Brunsbüttel. At low tide, the front and rear sections of the harbour basin are exposed. The central section is not suitable for keelboats. For visiting boats, the club offers, amongst other things, toilet facilities, fresh water, electricity, barbecue facilities, a mast crane and a slipway. There are also two restaurants right by the harbour. Fresh crabs are another typical feature of the harbour scene: a number of amateur and part-time fishermen, known as ‘Lüttfischer’, sell their catch directly on site. With the planned new jetty complex, the small, unspoilt harbour is set to once again become a popular destination for sailors and motorboat enthusiasts at the mouth of the Elbe.
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Jill Grigoleit
Editor Travel
