Sylt-Ost

Infobox Ort in Deutschland
image_photo = 2003-08 Sylt - Church of Keitum.jpg
Wappen = Sylt-Ost Wappen.pnglat_deg = 54 |lat_min = 52
lon_deg = 08 |lon_min = 22
Lageplan = Sylt-Ost in NF.pngBundesland = Schleswig-Holstein
Kreis = Nordfriesland
Amt = Landschaft Sylt
Höhe = 1
Fläche = 37.97
Einwohner = 5833
Stand = 2007-12-31
PLZ = 25980
Vorwahl = 04651
Kfz = NF
Gemeindeschlüssel = 01 0 54 133
Adresse-Verband = C.-P.-Hansen Allee 9
25980 Keitum
Website = [http://www.sylt-ost.de www.sylt-ost.de]
Bürgermeister = Erik Kennel
Partei =

Sylt-Ost is a municipality and seaside resort on the island of Sylt, in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The place is the seat of the "Amt" Landschaft Sylt. A public referendum in May 2008 decided for the merger of Sylt-Ost with the town of Westerland in 2009. [cite web|url=http://www.shz.de/lokales/sylter-rundschau/artikeldetails/article/789/westerland-und-sylt-ost-fusionieren-1.html|title=Westerland und Sylt-Ost fusionieren|language=German|publisher=Schleswig-Holsteinischer Zeitungsverlag]

Districts

The municipality is divided into the five formerly independent villages of Archsum, Keitum, Morsum, Munkmarsch and Tinnum. The current municipality was created in 1970.

Archsum

A prehistoric settlement in this area is proven by archaeological research. According to old lore, all inhabitants of Archsum fell victim to the plague in 1350. Afterwards the village is said to be re-settled by people from Rantum. In 1634 the sea dikes were destroyed by the Burchardi flood. Only in 1938, due to the construction of the neighbouring Rantum Basin seaplane port, Archsum was again completely protected by dikes.

Keitum

Due to its numerous alleys and the high content of old trees, Keitum is today regarded the island's "green village". Already in the late 12th century the St. Severinus church was built there.

Morsum

Morsum is located in a heath at a 1.8 kilometres long cliff shore, which reaches up to 21 m of height.

The late romanesque church of St. Martin was built in the 13th century from granite blocks and cobblestones. Instead of a proper tower, it features a small separate wooden bell tower. In the 15th and 16th century, this village was also frequently struck by the plague. Since 1958, Morsum is recognised as a climatic health resort.

Munkmarsch

The village is first recorded in 1422. In 1859, a port was constructed which featured a ferry link to the mainland harbour of Hoyer.

Tinnum

Tinnum is the municipalities biggest settlement and forms a structural unit with Westerland to the west. Not least because of the central location on Sylt, a number of business parks can be found here, which are of import for all tourism-related enterprises on Sylt. Moreover, several great discount shops are situated here, thus Tinnum, in addition to Westerland, plays a central role in provisioning local citizens and guests.

The original village of Tinnum, which used to be the seat of the island's bailiff from 1547 to 1868 and hosted the local prison and courthouse, was first mentioned in 1440. The bailiff's house of 1649 is one of the oldest remaining buildings on Sylt.

Near Tinnum there is also the so-called "Tinnumburg", an eight metres tall ring wall with a diameter of 120 m which was built around the time of Christ's birth.

Politics

Mayors

*1986-1996: Heinz Maurus, CDU
*1996-2005: Ingbert Liebing, CDU
*2005-2008: Christoph Schmatloch, CDU
*since 2008: Erik Kennel

Arms

Blazon: Per fess low or and azure. Above a sun rising in his splendor gules, accompanied by five eight-pointed mullets azure. Below a herring argent swimming to the left. [ [http://193.101.67.134/Datenblatt_1.asp?ID=146&txtAnz=1&txtI=&txt
] (in German)]

The coat of arms was designed by a Sylt artist and granted in 2002. The five mullets (stars) in it symbolise the villages of the municipality. The herring is meant to depict the former importance of fishery for the area, it was already used as seal of the Sylt bailiffs in the 17th century. The colours are the traditional North Frisian colours which are also reflected in the island's national costume.

Economy

The most important factor of income is tourism, which nowadays influences almost any business on Sylt. While being most important prior to the arrival of the tourist business, agriculture meanwhile plays a minor role.

References

*reflist

External links

* [http://www.sylt-ost.de/ Sylt-Ost] de icon
*dmoz|World/Deutsch/Regional/Europa/Deutschland/Schleswig-Holstein/Kreise/Nordfriesland/St%c3%a4dte_und_Gemeinden/Sylt-Ost|Sylt-Ost