Munkmarsch (Frisian: ''Munkmersk'') is a village on the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

island of

Sylt Sylt (; da, Sild; Söl'ring North Frisian: ) is an island in northern Germany, part of Nordfriesland district, Schleswig-Holstein, and well known for the distinctive shape of its shoreline. It belongs to the North Frisian Islands and is the ...

in the district of

Nordfriesland Nordfriesland (; da, Nordfrisland; frr, Nordfraschlönj ), also known as North Frisia, is the northernmost district of Germany, part of the state of Schleswig-Holstein. It includes almost all of traditional North Frisia (with the exception ...

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sc ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. Today, it is an ''Ortsteil'' of the '' Gemeinde Sylt''.

Etymology

Munkmarsch (Frisian: ''Munkmersk'') derives from "marsh of the monks".

History

The village is located on territory that once belonged to the monastery of

St. Canute's Abbey, Odense St. Canute's Abbey, Odense ( da, Skt Knuds Kloster), a Benedictine monastery, was built to support the pilgrimage centre for the relics of the royal Danish martyr Saint Canute (died 1086), and was the successor to the priory of St. Mary and St. Alb ...

. In 1573, the area was known as ''Sankt Knutsmarsch''. A 1648 map referred to ''Munckmarsch'', a map from 1778 used ''Monckmarsch''. In 1744, a mill was constructed, flour produced there was mainly sent to Norway. From 1755, mail boats touched at the local harbour. The port was the main connection between Sylt and the mainland after

Keitum Keitum (Danish: ''Kejtum'', North Frisian: ''Kairem'') is a village on the North Sea island of Sylt in the district of Nordfriesland in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Today, it is an ''Ortsteil'' of the '' Gemeinde Sylt''. Etymology It is unclea ...

harbour silted up in the 1850s. In 1859, a 100-metre pier for ferry ships was constructed. Paddlesteamers docked there and the passengers then took coaches to Westerland. In 1869, an inn was built, this later became the ''Fährhaus'' which still exists today. A shipyard was also constructed. In 1888, Munkmarsch was linked to Westerland by the , reducing the travel time to 12 minutes. Munkmarsch retained some of its importance until construction of the Hindenburgdamm in 1927, although after 1901 ferry traffic increasingly shifted to

Hörnum ( Sölring Frisian: ''Hörnem'', Danish: ''Hørnum'') is a municipality in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located on the southern headland of the island of Sylt. The municipality is part of the ''Amt'' ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, Munkmarsch was a major landing area for materiel and men when the island was fortified.

Geography

Munkmarsch is located between Braderup and Keitum on the

Wadden Sea The Wadden Sea ( nl, Waddenzee ; german: Wattenmeer; nds, Wattensee or ; da, Vadehavet; fy, Waadsee, longname=yes; frr, di Heef) is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern cont ...

side of the island.

Demographics

Munkmarsch has a population of around 100 (2013).

Economy

Today, tourism dominates the local economy. The port now serves as a

marina A marina (from Spanish language, Spanish , Portuguese language, Portuguese and Italian language, Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a Dock (maritime), dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina dif ...

and is used by ''Sylter Segel-Club''. To the north of the village there are gravel pits in which sand for local construction is won and which have also yielded numerous fossils in the past.

Attractions

Today, the 19th-century ''Fährhaus'' is a luxury hotel which sports a restaurant with two Michelin stars.

Government

Prior to the ''Gebietsreform'' of 1970, Munkmarsch had been an ''Ortsteil'' of

. In 1970, it became part of

Sylt-Ost Sylt-Ost (translated, East Sylt) is a former municipality on the island of Sylt, in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It used to be the administrative seat of the ''Amt Landschaft Sylt'' and a municipality into which ...

. Sylt-Ost was merged on 1 January 2009 with

Rantum Rantum (; Sölring Frisian: Raantem) is a village and a former municipality on the island of Sylt in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Since 1 January 2009, it has been an ''Ortsteil'' (part) of the municipality Sylt ...

and the town of Westerland. In separate referendums in 2008, Westerland (by a large majority) and Sylt-Ost (narrowly) agreed to the merger in May 2008. Rantum followed. In September 2008, the merger contract was signed. Munkmarsch is now an ''Ortsteil'' of ''Gemeinde Sylt''. Since 1 May 2015, the mayor of ''Gemeinde Sylt has been Nikolas Häckel.

Infrastructure

Transport

The K118 road connects Munkmarsch to Keitum and Braderup. ' operates buses that provide public transport on the island.

Sylt Airport Sylt Airport is the airport on the German island of Sylt located in the municipality of the same name. It mostly features summer seasonal scheduled traffic to major German cities as well as general aviation and gliding. Sometimes the airport is ...

is located immediately to the west of the village. However, the terminal is on the western side of the airfield, near Westerland.

References

External links

Munkmarsch tourist office (German)Chronicle of Munkmarsch and its inhabitants (German)
{{authority control Villages in Schleswig-Holstein Sylt Nordfriesland