Koenigshafen
Coordinates: 55 ° 2 ′ 24 ″ N , 8 ° 24 ′ 52 ″ E
The Königshafen is the northernmost bay on the North Frisian island of Sylt in the state of Schleswig-Holstein and thus also the northernmost bay in Germany. The bay got its name from its use as a natural harbor and from its legal status as part of the royal Danish enclave Listland . The port was in use until at least the 18th century and was later abandoned due to silting .
location
The Königshafen bay is located north of the Sylt seaside resort List and southeast of the Ellenbogen headland , Germany's northernmost point of land, on which the two lighthouses List Ost and List West are also the northernmost buildings in Germany. The approximately 4.2 km² bay opens to the east towards the Wadden Sea ; it is separated from the open North Sea in the west by a spit that is only 300 m wide . The small and uninhabited island of Uthörn on Sylt with a bird sanctuary and the Lister Haken are located in the Königshafen .
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history
The formed by the bay natural harbor has been in the past as a safe port of refuge estimated on the North Sea coast. In the Middle Ages it was the most important seaport between the Danish city of Skagen in the north and the mouth of the Elbe in the south, which is why the Danish kings kept Listland as a royal enclave for centuries.
However, according to contemporary reports, the royal port began to silt up in the 18th century, so that it subsequently became insignificant for shipping. Until the mid-1980s, NATO held regular air-to-ground target practice here. Königshafen has been part of the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park since 1985 and may only be driven on and entered under certain conditions. A sub-area in the north-west of the Königshafen is now a popular windsurfing area.