Germany's only high seas island lives up to its reputation even when the North Sea is not rolling in from the west with its elemental force: there are those quiet days. The sea is almost as smooth as glass at the foot of the vertical, red rocks and the view stretches out in all directions. But as far as you can see, the mainland remains hidden behind the horizon.
Heligoland's unique flair not only attracts flocks of seabirds in summer, but also holidaymakers. Most of them come as day visitors on the seaside resort ships from Büsum, Cuxhaven or Bremerhaven, are brought ashore from the roadstead in the islanders' boats at lunchtime and return on board in the afternoon. The clanking of the anchor chains in the jetties heralds the most beautiful time of day. Because when the last excursion steamer is on its way home, the island suddenly becomes quiet.
A good reason to come to Heligoland on your own keel, stay for a few days and enjoy the long, bright evenings - either on walks along the cliff edge on the upper land, or in one of the numerous restaurants in the lower land with a portion of "Knieper". You could hardly feel further away from everyday life in Germany! On the following pages, we have summarised what you need to consider when setting off on a cruise, where you can moor and what the island has to offer.
1 South harbour
The south harbour offers the most berths for pleasure craft. Moorings are moored alongside the jetties on the west side of the jetty bridge and in front of the east quay, and in the main season (especially at weekends) also inParcelwhich can quickly comprise a dozen boats. Shore lines of sufficient length should therefore be on board. Registration should be made immediately at the harbour office (WSA service building at the buoy yard on the west quay, where current nautical information is also displayed; tel. 04725-81 59 30, VHF channel 67). Berths for larger boats can be allocated at the Nordkaje, while the Westkaje and both dams are reserved for commercial shipping, such as the rescue cruiser "Hermann Marwede" at the Ostdamm. If the sign is green, the berths of theWSC Heligoland on the east side of the bridge (with finger piers). Towards the east quay, however, the bottom is shallow; there is still debris from the blown-up submarine bunker. Register here at the clubhouse at the top of the bridge (the one with the unmistakable blonde under the gable! Tel. 0170-707 28 09, www.wsc-helgoland.de )
2 Harbour area
Today's harbour area was only dredged up around 100 years ago for a war port. After the Second World War, a large part of the site lay fallow for a long time, but is currently being utilised by utility companies for theWind power industry newly developed and built on. The helipad is used for SAR missions by the German Navy's Sea Kings.
3 Inland harbour
In the southern corner of the small harbour basin (no moorings!) is theSports boat petrol station Jörn Rickmers GmbH (diesel and super, also available in canisters, Tel. 04725-64 06 74, www.rickmers-online.de ), right next to the company's well-stocked yacht equipment shop. The quay wall is also decorated by the colourfulLobster shacks where the island fishermen used to store their gear and fishing baskets. Today, souvenirs and delicious Heligoland specialities can be bought here. The inland harbour is also the berth of theBoats.
4 Unterland
Colourful houses like something out of a construction kit and streets so narrow that not only cars but even bicycles are taboo on the island (except for schoolchildren). And yet the densely packed ensemble is known as the "blue Mauritius" of the German-speaking world.Post-war architecture. Visually perhaps not everyone's cup of tea, but definitely unique. Hotels, nice restaurants (casual: "Düne Süd", Lung Wai 41; interesting: "Rickmers Galerie Restaurant", Am Südstrand 2) and shops for theduty-free shopping with an extensive range of products, such as cigars and whiskeys. Tourist information centre (Lung Wai 28, tel. 04725-813 70, www.helgoland.de ), Edeka (Siemens-Terrasse 170).North Sea aquarium (Alfred Wegener Institute, Kurpromenade 201, www.awi.de/de/entdecken/aquarium ). Lift and stairs to the Oberland.
5 North-east harbour
The north-east harbour is home to the motorboat department of theWSC Heligoland. Modern floating jetty with finger pontoons (see picture below), guest berths available, sanitary building. Harbour master: Tel. 0160-420 94 82, www.wsc-helgoland.de
6 Adventure pool and island museum
Swimming was yesterday, wellness is today: in the modernMare Frisicum Spa you can let yourself drift after the crossing: Indoor and outdoor pools, seawater up to 30° C temperature, sauna area (spa promenade, www.helgoland.de ). TheHistory of the island is vividly told in the museum next door (Kurpromenade 8, www.museum-helgoland.de )
7 North East Land
The north-east land was washed up at the end of the 1930s as part of the crazy "Hummerschere" project. Today, the Helgoland Youth Hostel stands in its northern corner, and the football pitch of the island club was built in the shadow of the rocks.VFL Fosite laid out - with artificial turf because of the harsh weather...
8 Oberland
Whatever grows here is kept flat by the west wind. Small trees or shrubs can only be found in the old bomb and blast funnels that have shaped the once flat plateau into a wild hilly landscape. From theCliff edge path However, it is easy to see that nothing lasts forever on Heligoland, even in peace - the erosion of the porous rock cannot be stopped. The inhabitants of theLummenfelsens The gannets, kittiwakes and guillemots breed on the steep cliffs, making Germany's smallest nature reserve an attraction in its own right. Between the settlement and the cliff edge is the only building on the island that survived the war: the bunker of the former anti-aircraft control centre. Today theSeefeuer Helgoland at the top - with 35 million candelas of light. Also worth mentioning: the legendary (by Heligoland standards) "Diskothek Krebs" (Norderfalm 321) and the cakes in the "Falm-Café" just opposite.
9 Lange Anna
The imminent demise of Heligoland's landmark has often been predicted, but the 48-metre rock is still firmly in place. In the long term, however, safety measures will not be able to prevent it from collapsing; storms and frost are gnawing away at it too much.red sandstone. The name is said to come from a tall waitress who served on the island in imperial times - and stimulated the imagination, as it was quickly forgotten that the rock was actually called "Mönch".
10 Dune
Heligoland's bathing island isFerry (Catamaran "Witte Kliff", journey times: www.helgoland.de ) with the main island, otherwise the rather large dune harbour is closed to other vehicles. The smallAirport offers year-round scheduled services to the mainland coast (Bremerhaven/Heide, www.fliegofd.de ). The beach visitors on the dune also includeHarbour seals and grey seals.
Approaching the island
The German Bight is a busy area. Anyone marking out a route from the mainland to Heligoland must keep an eye on the major shipping routes. This applies in particular to the traffic separation schemes (VTG), estuaries and anchorages. Heligoland is a federal harbour and can be called at in any weather and at any time of day. If it is no longer bearable "outside", nobody is turned away. There is always a place somewhere. A point of orientation at night is the white beacon of the lighthouse on the Oberland).
The sea around Heligoland is shallow, especially in the north: The island's old rocky base lies just below the surface here and shows how large it was before the elements began their gruelling game (see map above). The so-called "Felswatt" falls dry in the area of today's coast even at low tide, an area that is not only treacherous from a nautical point of view, but also an important habitat for endangered species - such as the Heligoland lobster. The extensive closure of the reef area, which is marked with cardinal buoys, therefore makes double sense and must be strictly observed.
As a rule, the approach will be from the south between the cardinal buoys "Helgoland East" and "Dune South". The slightly offset pair of cardinal buoys "1"/"6" marks the narrow passage opening in the closed area. The entrance to the outer and southern harbours is now to the north-west, while the southern roadstead and north-eastern harbour are to the north. The Düne lighthouse marks the north and south approaches with white leading sectors.
Roadsteads and even harbour basins are still peppered with underwater obstacles: Wrecks, blasted rock debris, remains of fortifications or quays, natural shallows (especially stones) and the corresponding buoys make precise preparation with the map and careful navigation on site essential even during the day - for example when approaching the inland harbour with the petrol station
