Oh you wonderfully clever Lower Saxons! The good ol’ Germanic tribes came to be the invaders of Britannia in the 5th century A.D. thus changing the political and social landscape of Europe (and eventually the New World) forever.
In the Wittmund District of Lower Saxony (including the East Frisian Islands) you’ll find the descendents of these ancient “explorers.”
What you’ll also find is the Island of Spiekeroog (one of seven barrier islands) that’s technically inhabited since the Middle ages; if you consider 13 families that made Spiekeroog their home in 1625 inhabited.
Even today Spiekeroog has only approximately 800 residents but 3,500 beds for guests. So it’s quite a popular seaside resort with a few “wellness centers” and many of its visitors like to go “mudflat hiking.”
It’s not too difficult, just a matter of walking on the mud flats during low tide. Don’t go out way too far, because the returning tide is going to be much faster than you.
There’s sightseeing to be done inasmuch as lounging on the shores of the North Sea all day.
The Old Island Church was built in 1696. It’s rumored that the picture of the apostles in the church was from a flagship of the Spanish Armada that was stranded on the island in 1588.
While the Island Museum tells the story of the natural and cultural history of the island, the Shell Museum makes a unique shell exhibit.
Considered now to be a “green” island with many groves of trees, it wasn’t always the case since as back as only the 19th century the landscape was pretty barren. With no cars allowed on the tiny 11 square mile island, it truly is a green island.
All in all, Spiekeroog really has come an exceptionally long way since pirates made the island their “home” in the 14th century.
Come to Spiekeroog and you’ll find yourself sightseeing seaside, Lower Saxon Style!
