Husum, Germany

Husum (, frr, Hüsem) is the capital of the ''Kreis'' (district) Nordfriesland in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The town was the birthplace of the novelist Theodor Storm, who coined the epithet "the grey town by the sea". It is also the home of the annual international piano festival ''Raritäten der Klaviermusik'' (Rarities of Piano Music) founded in 1986.

History

Husum was first mentioned as ''Husembro'' in 1252, when king Abel was murdered.

Like most towns on the North Sea, Husum was always strongly influenced by storm tides. In 1362 a disastrous storm tide, the " Grote Mandrenke" flooded the town and carved out the inland harbour. Before this date Husum was not situated directly on the coast. The people of the city took advantage of this opportunity and built a marketplace, which led to a great economic upturn.

Between 1372 and 1398 the population of Husum grew rapidly, and two villages, ''Oster-Husum'' (East-Husum) and ''Wester-Husum'' (West-Husum), were founded.

The name ''Husum'' is first mentioned in 1409. It is shown on the Carta Marina in the Frisian form of Husem.

Its first church was built in 1431. Wisby rights were granted it in 1582, and in 1603 it received municipal privileges from Alexander, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg. It suffered greatly from inundations in 1634 and 1717.

Geography

Husum is located on the North Sea by the Bay of Husum; 82 km W of Kiel, 139 km NW of Hamburg and 43 km SW of Flensburg.

Subdivisions

* Zentrum (Danish: ''Indreby'')
* Nordhusum (Danish: ''Nørre Husum'')
* Porrenkoog (Danish: ''Porrekog'', North Frisian: ''Porekuuch'')
* Osterhusum (Danish: ''Øster Husum''), Osterhusumfeld
* Altstadt
* Norderschlag (Danish: ''Nørreslag'')
* Dreimühlen (Danish: ''Tremølle'')
* Rödemis (Danish: ''Rødemis'', North Frisian: ''Rööms'')
* Fischersiedlung
* Neustadt (Danish: ''Nystad(en)'')
* Gewerbegebiet
* Schauendahl (Danish: ''Skovdal'')
* Kielsburg (Danish: ''Kilsborg'')
* Rosenburg
* Schobüll (Danish: ''Skobøl'', North Frisian: ''Schööbel'')
* Halebüll (Danish: ''Halebøl'', North Frisian: ''Hälbel'')
* Hockensbüll (Danish: ''Hokkensbøl'', North Frisian: ''Hukensbel'')
* Lund

Culture

Being a tourist resort and the gateway to the North Frisian Islands, Husum offers many cultural features.

Festival ''Raritäten der Klaviermusik''

This international festival of rare piano music, specialising in unknown classical piano music, was founded in 1986 by Peter Froundjian, and takes place in the town's castle.

Museums

The (Wasserreihe 31) was the house of Theodor Storm. It is home to an exhibition about the novelist and his works.
The (Zingel 15) shows ships from the Middle Ages to the present. The models on display give a good impression of life on the coast and at sea.
The ''Ostenfelder Bauernhaus'' (Nordhusumer Str.13) is an old farmhouse and the oldest open-air museum in Germany.

Sights

*, collapsed 1807, re-erected 1833
*The , 1582, was a residence of the dukes of Holstein-Gottorp
*Old Town Hall, 1601
*New Town Hall, 1988/1989

Clubs

* The is a famous marching band from the district of Rödemis.

Husum is also home of two football clubs, the ''Husumer SV'' and the ''Rödemisser SV''.

Husum Cricket Club is based at the Mikkelberg-Kunst-und-Cricket Center which has in the past hosted international women's cricket matches. The ground is located in nearby Hattstedt.

Twinning

Husum is twinned with:

Infrastructure

Husum station is located on the Westerland–Hamburg line (Marsh Railway), the Husum–Bad St. Peter-Ording line to the Eiderstedt peninsula and the Husum–Jübek line, which connects to the Neumünster–Flensburg line and Kiel.

Education

Grammar schools

* Hermann-Tast-Schule, humanistic grammar school since 1527, one of the oldest schools in the state of Schleswig-Holstein.
* Theodor-Storm-Schule

High schools

* Gemeinschaftsschule Husum-Nord
* Ferdinand-Tönnies-Schule
* Husum Danske Skole (Danish School)

Elementary schools

* Iven-Agßen-Schule, since 1619, one of the oldest elementary schools in Germany.
* Bürgerschule
* Klaus-Groth-Schule
* Bornschool in Schobüll

Notable people

* Herwig Ahrendsen (born 1948), handball player, competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics
* Georg Beseler (1809–1888), Prussian jurist and politician
* Margarete Böhme (1867–1939), German writer
* Adolf Brütt (1855–1939), sculptor
* Nicolaus Bruhns (1665–1697), organist in Husum, 1689–1697, an important influence on Johann Sebastian Bach
* Goslar Carstens ( de) (1894–1978), German attorney, local politician, local historian and author; Mayor of Husum in 1946
* Claus-Frenz Claussen (born 1939), ENT-Medician, University teacher, author, editor, artist and inventor
* Johan Georg Forchhammer (1794–1865), mineralogist and geologist
* Peter Wilhelm Forchhammer (1801–1894), classical archaeologist
* Lars Hartig (born 1990), rower, competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics
* Hans Hartz (1943–2002), musician and songwriter
* Freya Hoffmeister (born 1964), business owner and athlete who holds several sea kayaking endurance records
* Matthias Holst (born 1982), football player
* Isgaard (born 1972), singer
* Morten Jensen (born 1987), football goalkeeper
* Friedrich Lübker (1811–1867), educator and philologist
* Richard Petersen ( de) (1865–1946), Technical Director for the construction of the Wuppertaler Schwebebahn
* Joachim Friedrich Quack (born 1966), Egyptologist and recipient of the Leibniz Prize
* Ernst Graf zu Reventlow (1869–1943), naval officer, journalist and Nazi politician
* Fanny zu Reventlow (1871–1918), painter and writer
* Emil Schiller ( de) (1865–1945), pastor and missionary in Japan
* Theodor Storm (1817−1888), novelist of German realism style
* Janina Uhse (born 1989), actress IMDb Database
retrieved 12 November 2018
* Oskar Vogt (1870–1959), neuroanatomy, psychiatrist; He dissected the brain of Lenin in the 1920s
* Johann Wadephul (born 1963), CDU politician
* Jan Wayne (born 1974), electronic dance music DJ and producer

References

Sources

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External links

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Husum in old postcards

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Towns in Schleswig-Holstein
Port cities and towns of the North Sea
Nordfriesland
Populated coastal places in Germany (North Sea)