- Oldsum
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Oldsum The windmill is Oldsum's landmark
OldsumLocation of Oldsum within Nordfriesland district
Coordinates 54°44′N 8°27′E / 54.73333°N 8.45°ECoordinates: 54°44′N 8°27′E / 54.73333°N 8.45°E Administration Country Germany State Schleswig-Holstein District Nordfriesland Municipal assoc. Föhr-Amrum Mayor Jens Pedersen Basic statistics Area 13.3 km2 (5.1 sq mi) Elevation 4 m (13 ft) Population 566 (31 December 2010)[1] - Density 43 /km2 (110 /sq mi) Other information Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Licence plate NF Postal code 25938 Area code 04683 Website www.oldsum-auf-foehr.de Oldsum (Fering: Olersem) is a municipality on the island of Föhr, in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
Contents
Geography
A typical thatched house in Oldsum
The municipality of Oldsum consists of the three hamlets of Oldsum, Klintum (Fering: Klantem) and Toftum (Fering: Taftem) which are extended for some two kilometers along a main road. The population count about 600. The view of the place is marked by well-preserved thatched farmhouses. Oldsum's landmark is an ancient thatched windmill whose antecessor presumably dates back to the year 1700, burned down 200 years later, was rebuilt and subsequently was in use until 1954. Since 1972 the mill is exclusively used as a dwelling house. Oldsum is situated approximately two kilometers from the western shore of the island, the northern coastline is just a little closer. Oldsum adjoins to Süderende to the south, Dunsum to the southwest and Alkersum and Midlum to the east.
History
The place was first recorded in 1462 as Uluersum.[2] During the 17th century, Oldsum was an important whaling village. One of the most successful whalers, Matthias Petersen (born 1632) lived there. In his lifetime he was able to catch 373 whales, his tomb can still be visited in the graveyard of the St. Laurentii church in Süderende.
As a part of Westerland Föhr, Oldsum belonged to the Royal Enclaves of Denmark and thus was a direct part of the Danish crown while Osterland Föhr belonged to the duchy of Schleswig. Only when Denmark lost Schleswig to Prussia in the Second Schleswig War, Oldsum became a part of Schleswig-Holstein.
Politics
Since the communal elections of 2008, the Oldsumer Wählergemeinschaft holds eight seats out of nine in the municipality's council. The ninth seat is held by an independent contestant.
Economy
With the rise of tourism, agriculture began to play an ever lesser role. Today there are only a few farmsteads scattered across the village. Some farms were evacuated out of the town in the 1950s and 60's and are now situated outside the village proper but still in the municipality's area. Oldsum underwent a transformation from a farmers' to an artists' village, numerous studios and galleries can now be found there. Other important economical factors are a rising number of crafts enterprises as well as retailing.
Notable people
- Matthias Petersen, 17th century whaling captain, called "Lucky"
- Hinrich Braren, 19th century nautical examiner who wrote the first nautical textbook in German language
- Oluf Braren, 18th century painter
- Friede Springer, widow of Axel Springer and major shareholder of Axel Springer AG
References
- ^ "Statistikamt Nord: Bevölkerung in Schleswig-Holstein am 31. Dezember 2010 nach Kreisen, Ämtern, amtsfreien Gemeinden und Städten" (in German). Statistisches Amt für Hamburg und Schleswig-Holstein. 31 December 2010. http://www.statistik-nord.de/uploads/tx_standocuments/A_I_2_vj104_S.pdf.
- ^ Roeloffs, Brar C. (1984) (in German). Von der Seefahrt zur Landwirtschaft. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Insel Föhr. Neumünster: Karl Wachholtz Verlag. p. 16. ISBN 3529061840.
External links
Media related to Oldsum at Wikimedia Commons- Oldsum
Categories:- Municipalities in Schleswig-Holstein
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