Düne

Düne (Danish: Dynen, North Frisian: de Halem) is one of two islands in the German Bight that form the Archipelago of Heligoland, the other being Heligoland proper.

Düne
Picture of Düne taken from airplane, in the background the island Heligoland
Düne
Geography
LocationGerman Bight
Coordinates54°11′5″N 7°54′44″E
ArchipelagoHeligoland
Area0.7 km2 (0.27 sq mi)
Administration
StateSchleswig-Holstein
DistrictPinneberg district
MunicipalityHeligoland
Demographics
Populationunpopulated
Additional information
Official websitehelgoland.de

Geography

The small island of Düne is part of the German State Schleswig-Holstein. Situated 1.6 kilometres (1 mi) to the east of the main island Heligoland, Düne is part of the Heligoland protected natural area. The island measures 1.26 kilometres (0.78 mi) in length and 0.85 kilometres (0.53 mi) in width. The island is separated from Heligoland proper by the Rede strait.

History

Until the 17th century, Düne was connected to Heligoland. On New Year's Eve 1721 a big storm surge separated the dunes from Heligoland. Therefore, the island that arose was called Düne (English: Dune). In 1935 the size of the island was 10 hectares (25 acres). In 1940 the Nazi government increased the size of the island to 40 hectares (99 acres). This increase was for military use. An airfield was built that is still used today. The Heligoland Airport has three runways, of which the longest is 480 metres (1,570 feet).

  • Düne at the website of Heligoland municipality


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