Spiekeroog is one of the East Frisian Islands, off the North Sea coast of Germany. It is situated between Langeoog to its west, and Wangerooge to its east. The island belongs to the municipality of the district of Wittmund, in Lower Saxony in Germany. The only village on the island is also called Spiekeroog.
Spiekeroog covers an area of 18.25 km², the shortest distance to the mainland is 5.7 km. The island is - with the exception of fire and rescue vehicles - free of cars. A daily ferry service with the harbor of Neuharlingersiel connects the island with the German mainland.
The origination of the name "Spiekeroog" is controversial. Today, most of the people tend to believe that it is a translation of "storage island".
History
Spiekeroog was first mentioned in 1398 as island of "Spiekeroch". At this time, it was a highly appreciated ambush for pirates who were partly supported by insulars. Pirates, on the other hand, mugged residents, too.
1625, 13 families lived on the island, making their living with farming, fishing and the production of shell limestone. The following years, whaling and shipping became more and more important to the island. During the Napoleonic Occupation shipping came to a halt due to a Continental System against England which led to great poverty. Smuggling goods to and from the then-english Helgoland was the only income during that time. 1812, England attacked the French settlements on the island, but that attack was repelled.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the idea of coastal resorts - originated in England - became popular among the German North Sea islands. The first coastal resort was founded 1797 on the island of Norderney. Since 1820, guests have been using Spiekeroog for vacation. A weekly ferry service was established in 1792 with Neuharlingersiel, since 1842 the service is on a daily basis. To improve the comfort for tourists and guests, a 1.7 km long horse-driven railway was established 1885 between the village and the western beach. It was extended in 1892 to the newly-built harbor in the southwest of the island. This horse-driven railway was replaced by diesel trains on May, 31st, 1949 which makes it the last horse-driven railway in Germany.
Tourism
Spiekeroog was a frequent vacation destination for different German presidents. Gustav Heinemann, Richard von Weizsäcker and Johannes Rau (who got married on the island) spent their holidays here.
As a North Sea coastal resort the island houses different health institutions like a wellness center, a mother/child health asylum and an island bath. Spiekeroog has a capacity of 3500 beds for guests - counting all hotels, pensions, private rooms, vacation apartments and health and leisure asylums. According to a survey from 2003, 64000 tourists visit the island yearly, with 554.000 accommodations, plus 81.000 same-day visitors. The average stay on the island is 5.8 days.
Beside hotels, pensions and vacation apartments, there's a camping site on the western part of the island too. It is opened from May to September.
Places of interest
The "Old Island Church" (protestant) was built in 1696 and is so the oldest of all East Frisian Islands. The illustration of Virgin Mary within the church shall derive from a ship of the Spanish Armada that stranded on Spiekeroog in 1588.
Drinkeldodenkarkhof , also known as "Cemetery of the Homeless"
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