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Terschelling Skylge | |
|---|---|
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location in Friesland | |
| Coordinates:53°24′N5°19′E / 53.400°N 5.317°E /53.400; 5.317 | |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Province | Friesland |
| Government | |
| • Body | Municipal council |
| • Mayor | Caroline van de Pol (VVD) |
| Area | |
• Total | 673.99 km2 (260.23 sq mi) |
| • Land | 85.26 km2 (32.92 sq mi) |
| • Water | 588.73 km2 (227.31 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 6 m (20 ft) |
| Population (January 2021)[4] | |
• Total | 4,870 |
| • Density | 57/km2 (150/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Terschellinger |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postcode | 8880–8897 |
| Area code | 0562 |
| Website | www |
| Official name | Duinen Terschelling |
| Designated | 29 August 2000 |
| Reference no. | 2215[5] |
Terschelling (Dutch pronunciation:[tɛrˈsxɛlɪŋ]ⓘ;West Frisian:Skylge; Terschelling dialect:Schylge) is amunicipality and anisland in the northernNetherlands, one of theWest Frisian Islands. It is situated between the islands ofVlieland andAmeland.
Wadden Islanders are known for their resourcefulness in using anything and everything that washes ashore.[citation needed] With few trees to use for timber, most of the farms and barns are built with masts recovered from shipwrecks. The islands are surrounded by shipwrecks, and even today many containers wash ashore that have blown off the decks ofcontainer ships in the North Sea.[citation needed]
The main source of income on Terschelling is tourism. There is some agriculture, but a large part of the island has become a nature reserve.
Terschelling is well known for the yearlyOerol Festival during which theatre performances are played throughout the island, making use of its landscape and nature.
Terschelling can be reached byferry from the mainland Frisian townHarlingen and in summer fromVlieland byhigh-speedcatamaran.
The island in its current shape formed in theMiddle Ages from a sandy area called De Schelling in the west and the original island Wexalia in the east. The name Wexalia, Wuxalia, or Wecsile is the medieval name of eastern Terschelling. However, this name disappeared at the end of the Middle Ages. The last appearance of the name Wexalia is in a treaty between Folkerus Reijner Popma, then ruler of Terschelling, with kingEdward IV of England in 1482.
The oldest traces of civilization on Terschelling date from around 850, when a small wooden church was built on a hill near Seeryp or Stryp (Striep). This hill was later used as a burial ground and is known as the "Strieperkerkhof".
Historically, tensions existed between the inhabitants of West-Terschelling, with its strong orientation towards the sea, and the more agriculturally oriented inhabitants of East-Terschelling. In 1612 this led to the division of the island into independent political entities, West-Terschelling and East-Terschelling. Only after the French occupation at the start of the 19th century was Terschelling again united as one entity.
The Dutch navigatorWillem Barentsz was born on Terschelling around 1550.
In 1666 West-Terschelling was ransacked by the English. The English fleet had originally planned to attack the Dutch merchant fleet which was moored before the coast ofVlieland, the next island to the west. When the Dutch vessels retreated towards Terschelling, the English followed, destroyed 150 Dutch vessels, and landed in the harbour of West Terschelling. The town was burnt to the ground by the English on this occasion which would become known as "Holmes's Bonfire" after the English admiralSir Robert Holmes. TheGreat Fire of London in the very same year was considered by some[who?] to have been God's retribution. The next year, in 1667, the Dutch under command ofDe Ruyter executed a retaliatory expedition, and dealt the English navy a heavy blow at theRaid on the Medway (also known as the Battle of Chatham), in effect ending theSecond Anglo-Dutch War.[citation needed]
In 1799,HMSLutine, aBritish frigate loaded with Britishgold, sank on the western Terschelling coast (was erroneously quoted in the lemma on Texel) in a storm. Her wreck shifted in the sands; despite several intensive, well-financed searches, only a few treasures have been found. A beaker made from a silver bar is displayed in theNational Maritime Museum at Greenwich. Her bell was recovered and is now in the headquarters ofLloyd's of London, where it is tolled before announcing important news.
Until 1942 Terschelling, like Vlieland, was part of the province ofNorth Holland.
On the island of Terschelling bothDutch, the national language of the Netherlands, andFrisian are spoken. Historically, Frisian dialects have dominated on the western and eastern sides of the island while a Dutch dialect called Midslands has been the main language of Midsland and the surrounding area at the center of the island. However, the use of the three dialects is on the decline, and all three are slowly being replaced by the standard Dutch language.
The island is known for being one of only twoWadden islands wherecranberries grow, the other being the island of Vlieland. In 1840, a barrel of cranberries, apparently packed by sailors as anantiscorbutic, washed ashore on the island's coast, and the islanders cultivated them for their own sailors.
The cranberries, finding the environment favorable, established themselves on the island. Nowadays, the cranberry fields cover 0.48 km2 (0.185 sq mi) or 48 ha (119 acres). The cranberries are mainly sold to tourists and used by the island's restaurants and bakeries.
Areas in Terschelling are the following:(StandardWest Frisian names in brackets)
Media from Commons
Travel guides from WikivoyagePlaces adjacent to Terschelling | |
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Municipalities ofFriesland | ||
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| West Frisian Islands (Netherlands) |
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| East Frisian Islands (Germany) |
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| Heligoland Bight (Germany) | |||||||
| North Frisian Islands (Germany) |
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| Danish Wadden Sea Islands (Denmark) |
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