Wild Germany: North Frisia

Dikes, beaches, halligen and the North Sea

Schaf Westerhever Leuchtturm Nordfriesland Zorillafilm
Hallig Langeneß Nordfriesland Zorillafilm

Our film about North Frisia is the prelude to the successful series “Wild Germany”, which is currently in its eighth season.

Dikes, beaches, halligen and of course the North Sea – that is North Friesland in the far northwest of Germany. Flat country, over which a “stiff breeze” almost always blows and where almost as many sheep as humans live. Whether in the Wadden Sea or in the dunes – wind and water shape nature and ensure that the country always presents itself in a new guise.

Twice a day the water comes and goes. At low tide it exposes the Wadden Sea. The unique habitat is home to ten times more animals than other seabeds. Shrimps, sand crabs, cockles or lugworms attract large flocks of birds every year during the migration season. Seals and grey seals rest on sandbanks after strenuous dives. They spend three quarters of their life in the water, the rest of the time they like to sunbathe. The Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea is part of the largest national park in Germany and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2009.

The halligen are also unique in the world. There are ten of them, and they all lie in the North Frisian Wadden Sea, which can often only be reached by rail or ship. Unlike islands, halligen are flooded several times a year – but are still inhabited! Life on the Halligen is more leisurely than on the mainland. Whether it’s a chat with the Hallig merchant or coffee and cake with the postman, every change is welcome.

On the halligen you can really feel how much nature has shaped the North Frisians: independent, self-determined people, formed by the free view of the wide horizon, by wind and weather, and of course by the sea. The motto of the North Frisians is accordingly: “Better dead than slave”.

Our film shows you North Frisia in the change of the seasons. Time-lapse, slow motion, camera movements and unusual perspectives provide memorable pictures. The spectator experiences bizarre and homeland connected Hallig inhabitants, visits romantic places and lighthouses, moving dunes and wide mudflats, observes seals, grey seals, gigantic flocks of birds and storks. Impressive aerial footage will also show you the uniqueness and diversity of this landscape high up in northern Germany.

North Frisia

Series Wildes Germany
45 minutes
For Doclights / NDR Naturfilm, Arte, BR
Completion 2010