Amrum: The metamorphosis to the tourist island - a review of 50 years!

The North Frisian Island of Amrum, which is located in the district of North Friesland in Schleswig-Holstein, has a long history that goes back to the Neolithic Age. According to a research by the Institute for State Studies, which was summarized in a report from 1974, Amrum has experienced significant changes in the past decades, especially with regard to tourism.

The first hotel building on Amrum took place in Wittdün in 1889, where finished parts of corrugated sheet were used. This marked the beginning of Wittdüns development into a sophisticated seaside resort. In response to the tourist boom, several Christian Seehospice in Norddorf were created in order to act as a counterweight to the rising bathing company. The growing popularity of Wittdüns also meant that foreign landowners were able to exert great influence on tourism.

Influence of tourism

in 1923 the place Nebel was largely free of external ownership, while agriculture in Nebel and Süddorf was observed during this time. Wittdün, on the other hand, was susceptible to times of crisis, for example through war and inflation, which led to fluctuating soil prices and frequent changes.

From 1950, a wide development of the island began through tourism, which led to the tripling of the number of guests until 1972 - the number of guests had increased to five times compared to 1950. This development was promoted by increased advertising, improvements in the spa offering and a significant increase in guest beds, which increased from 1329 in 1949 to 7365 in 1973 With an area of ​​20.47 km² and around 2300 inhabitants (as of September 30, 2023),

Amrum is one of the most important North Frisian islands. The main economy is based on tourism, which registered a total of 1.29 million overnight stays in 2016, as wikipedia . The island has numerous nature reserves and a rich flora and fauna that are shaped by its location in the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park.