Sylt-Ost (translated, East Sylt) is a former municipality on the 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 ...
, in
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 ...
. It used to be the administrative seat of the ''
Amt
Amt is a type of administrative division governing a group of municipalities, today only in Germany, but formerly also common in other countries of Northern Europe. Its size and functions differ by country and the term is roughly equivalent to ...
Landschaft Sylt
Landschaft Sylt is an ''Amt'' ("collective municipality") in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It covers the island of Sylt (except the independent municipality Sylt in the center of the island), in the North Sea, abou ...
'' and a municipality into which a number of villages had been amalgamated in 1970. However, following a referendum in May 2008, Sylt-Ost merged with
Westerland and
Rantum to form the collective municipality ''
Gemeinde Sylt'' which was created on 1 January 2009. Since 2009, the seat of the ''Amt Landschaft Sylt'' has been in Westerland.
Subdivision
The former municipality "Sylt-Ost" was created from five villages in 1970:
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Archsum
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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 ...
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Morsum
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Munkmarsch (previously an ''Ortsteil'' of Keitum)
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Tinnum
The five villages are now ''Ortsteile'' of ''Gemeinde Sylt''.
Politics
Mayors
*1986-1996: Heinz Maurus,
CDU
*1996-2005: Ingbert Liebing, CDU
*2005-2008: Christoph Schmatloch, CDU
*2008: Erik Kennel
Arms
Blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visua ...
: Per fess low or and azure. Above a sun rising in his splendour gules, accompanied by five eight-pointed mullets azure. Below a herring argent swimming to the left.
Schleswig-Holstein Municipal Roll of Arms
(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 the 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 in the area is tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism ...
, which nowadays completely dominates the Sylt economy. Having been the most important sector prior to the arrival of the tourist business, agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peop ...
today plays a minor role.
References
{{Authority control
Former municipalities in Schleswig-Holstein
Sylt
Nordfriesland