Embrace the slow life on Fehmarn
Fehmarn arrival by ferry from Denmark
“Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not just the scenery you miss… you also miss the sense of where you’re going and why”. – Eddie Cantor
The island of Fehmarn lies off the northeast coast of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany in the Baltic Sea. Beloved for the nature and summer recreation, a 1963 bridge connection to the mainland made Fehmarn something of a traffic thoroughfare for travelers between Scandinavia and Germany due to frequent ferry service from Denmark to the harbor of Puttgarden. Yet, it is a place to slow down, stay awhile, and take in the dunes, cliffs, fields, and all that the island has to offer.
Fehmarn was settled in the early Middle Ages by one of many Slavic tribes that populated these coastal regions, who named their home “fe more”, old Slavic for “in the sea”. They were Christianized by Danes, and gradually became Germanized in language and culture through immigrants from nearby provinces, though at first old and new residents lived side-by-side in villages with two separate districts, still distinctly recognizable today. Politically, they were ping-ponged between the Danish Duchy of Schleswig and the independent Duchy of Holstein over centuries of brutal conflict, which has left behind some peculiar customs that live on- for example, a card game played nowhere else, a specific way of serving food at gatherings, and a traditional wedding cake.
Numerous villages dot the landscape, while Burg, the largest town with 6000 residents, is the island’s heart. As is typical for the region, everything is built of brick including the Town Hall, most houses on the main Broad Street, and the Romanesque-Gothic St. Nikolai Church. Wednesday is market day at Burg’s cobbled Market Square where vendors bring fresh produce and sell crafts. At Burgstaaken, the town’s original harbor, yachts moor alongside fishing trawlers and commercial vessels. Restaurants abound, and island cruises and the U-boat Museum are the main attractions. On a nearby spit of land, the long, sandy Burgtiefe beach slopes gently and features several bathing jetties. Steps from the beach lie Glambek castle ruins, built by Danish King Valdemar II in 1210, ironically destroyed by his descendant Christian IV.
Fehmarn is a resting place for migratory birds, particularly on the west coast where the Walinau Waterbird Reserve has a conservation and education center set between forest, lakes, and seaside paths. Flügge Lighthouse, also on the west coast, is a 1.3 km (0.8 miles) walk from the parking lot. The panorama view of the Fehmarn Sound and bridge is worth the 162 steps to the observation deck. Walk the opposite direction past a large campground to Flügge Beach, the location of Jimi Hendrix’s last concert at the Open-Air Love & Peace Festival in September 1970. A memorial stone stands between the dunes and the fields where revival concerts still take place.
Near the north coast, a vast wind farm of locally owned and operated turbines provides all the island’s electricity. Fehmarn also shows its “green” side in the wide wildflower borders along the edges of and between many fields of corn and grain. At Grüner Brink beach near the northern seaport of Puttgarden, the windsurfers and kitesurfers enjoy especially brisk breezes.
Don’t Miss:
The panorama view from atop Flügge Lighthouse.
Serendipity:
Finding the unexpected- A memorial stone to Jimi Hendrix on an island in the Baltic Sea, and there’s a friendly family of 3 generations having a picnic there.
Lunch Tip:
Aalkate for all sorts of fresh fish and waterside seating in Lemken Harbor.
Bedtime:
Avalon Hotel Bellevue, in the quiet of the countryside, yet not far from Lemken Harbor.
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*All photographs are mine, taken with my Nikon D3100 or iPhone 12 Pro.*