Greetsiel

Of all the East Frisian Siel villages (a Siel is a sluice in a dyke), Greetsiel has the best preserved old fishermen's cottages. In its picturesque fishing harbour there are still 28 shrimp cutters (Krabbenkutter). Other notable buildings are:

• Greetsiel Church, an Evangelical Reformed church. The rectangular, brick, aisleless church (Saalkirche) was built between 1380 and 1410 as the private church of the chief, Haro Edzardsna, in two stages. In 1401, long before its final completion, it was to be consecrated to Saint Mary. The building is crowned by a small flèche (Dachreiter) decorated with a clock. This is adorned by a 1730 weather vane in the shape of a ship. The actual clock tower stands off to one side. The simple interior, which at one time had a flat ceiling, has been covered by a slightly vaulted wooden ceiling since 1852. The organ was completely renovated in 1963, but its case is from 1738; the pulpit, however, had already been made in 1669.
• Steinhaus, the former seat of the Cirksena family. The brick building at the end of the high street (Hohe Straße) was built about 1600 on the foundations of a previous building erected around 1390. In the interior the original hall has been restored in the course of renovation work.
• Houses. Among the most famous photographic motifs in Greetsiel is the row of houses on Sielstraße flanking the harbour. The houses at No. 11 and No. 15, with their bell-shaped gables based on Dutch designs, are particularly striking. While the former is dated 1741, No. 15 was built in 1792. The Poppingas Old Bakery (Poppingas Alte Bäckerei), No. 21, from the 19th century is also found on Sielstraße and is used now as a museum, cafe and gallery; its interior has been preserved unchanged. Near the church is the so-called High House (Hohes Haus) at 1, Hohe Straße, a two-storey, sideways-on, brick building, which once served as the seat of the treasurer or Rentmeister. According to the anchor plate on the gable it dates to "1696", but is thought to have already been in decline by the middle of the 16th century. Today the building, whose street façade is covered with an ashlar facing, houses a hotel. The Amtmannshaus on Neuer Deich is probably from the same period, but was extensively renovated during the 19th century. In the latest renovation the exterior appearance of the house and its associated Gulf barn was changed significantly by the addition of modern dormers. In Mühlenstraße is Haus von Halem, built in 1794 and one of the most important residential examples of neoclassical architecture in East Frisia. The two-storey brick building with a hip roof is divided by a huge pilasters. The portal has a richly carved fanlights in the late rococo style.

53.497586°N 7.100105°E / 53.497586; 7.100105

The twin windmills (German: Zwillingsmühlen) of Greetsiel-West date from 1856 (green) and Greetsiel-Ost from 1706 (red, renovated in 1921 with parts of Aurich's Wallmühle mill of 1750). They are smock mills (German: Holländerwindmühlen).

Other places of interest include the scoop wheel, the old Siel (1798), the new Siel (1887) and the Pilsum Lighthouse. Greetsiel also hosts the largest ship in a bottle museum in Germany and Europe, with about 800 examples.[1] Of all the places in the municipality of Krummhörn, Greetsiel has the highest influx of tourists.

An annual painting and art exhibition, known as Greetsiel Week (Greetsieler Woche), is of national prominence. It has been running for more than 30 years and exhibits a range of works including: art, ceramics, goldsmiths' products and sculptures. Every two years, the Imke Folkerts Prize for Fine Arts, worth 10,000 euros, is awarded at the event.[2] Qualifying entries include works in the fields of art, graphics, photography and sculpture. There are also regular exhibitions in Greetsiel's twin windmills. Every year in mid-summer is the boat parade in which the majority of Greetsiel's cutters take part. The crews take guests on a roughly four-hour boat trip. The port also hosts a supporting programme of events with music and shrimp-shelling competitions.[3]