Editing Sylt

{{short description|German island in the North Sea}}
{{other uses}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{coord|54|54|N|8|20|E|region:DE_type:isle_scale:500000|display=title}}
{{Infobox islands
| name                            = Sylt
| image_name                      = 13-09-29-nordfriesisches-wattenmeer-RalfR-05.jpg
| image_caption                   = September 2013 aerial photograph of Sylt
| image_size                      = 
| map_image                       = Wadden - Sylt.PNG
| map_caption                     = 
| native_name                     = Söl, Sild
| native_name_link                = 
| nickname                        = 
| location                        = [[Wadden Sea]]
| coordinates                     = {{coord|54|54|N|8|20|E|region:DE_type:isle_scale:500000}}
| archipelago                     = [[North Frisian Islands]]
| total_islands                   = 
| major_islands                   = Sylt, [[Föhr]], [[Amrum]]
| area_km2                        = 99
| length_km                       = 38
| width_km                        = 13
| coastline_km                    = 
| highest_mount                   = Uwe-Düne
| elevation_m                     = 52
| country                         = Germany
| country_admin_divisions_title   = [[States of Germany|State]]
| country_admin_divisions         = [[Schleswig-Holstein]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_1 = [[Districts of Germany|District]]
| country_admin_divisions_1       = [[Nordfriesland]]
| population                      = 21,000
| population_as_of                = 
| density_km2                     = 212
| demonym                         = Sylters
| ethnic_groups                   = [[German people|Germans]], [[Frisian people|Frisians]], [[Danish people|Danes]]
| additional_info                 = 
| website                         = {{Official URL}}
}}

'''Sylt''' ({{IPA|de|ˈzʏlt|audio=De-Sylt.ogg}}; {{langx|da|Sild}}; [[Sylt North Frisian|Söl'ring North Frisian]]: {{lang|frr|Söl}}) is an island in northern [[Germany]], part of [[Nordfriesland]] district, [[Schleswig-Holstein]], with a distinctively shaped shoreline. It belongs to the [[North Frisian Islands]] and is the largest island in [[North Frisia]].
The northernmost island of Germany, it is known for its tourist resorts, notably [[Westerland, Germany|Westerland]], [[Kampen, Germany|Kampen]] and [[Wenningstedt-Braderup]], as well as for its {{convert|40|km|0|abbr=off|adj=mid|-long}} sandy beach. It is frequently covered by the media in connection with its exposed situation in the [[North Sea]] and its ongoing loss of land during [[Storm tides of the North Sea|storm tides]]. Since 1927, Sylt has been connected to the mainland by the [[Hindenburgdamm]] causeway. In later years, it has been a resort for the German jet set and tourists in search of occasional celebrity sightings.{{Citation needed|date=July 2014}}

== Geography ==
[[File:SyltSat.jpg|thumb|left|Satellite image of Sylt]]
[[File:Söl-Sylt-Sild.png|thumb|left|Map of Sylt (North Frisian, German and Danish place names)]]
With {{convert|99.14|km²|sqmi|2|abbr=off}}, Sylt is the fourth-largest [[Islands of Germany|German island]] and the largest German island in the [[North Sea]]. Sylt is located from {{convert|9|to(-)|16|km|mi|0|abbr=off}} off the mainland, to which it is connected by the [[Hindenburgdamm]]. Southeast of Sylt are the islands of [[Föhr]] and [[Amrum]], to the north lies the [[Denmark|Danish]] island of [[Rømø]]. The island of Sylt extends for {{convert|38|km|0|abbr=off}} in a north–south direction. At its northern point at [[Königshafen]], it is only {{convert|320|m|ft|0|abbr=off}} wide. Its greatest width, from the town of Westerland in the west to the eastern ''Nössespitze'' near [[Morsum]], measures {{convert|12.6|km|mi|1|abbr=off}}. On the western and northwestern shore, there is a {{convert|40|km|0|abbr=off|adj=mid|-long}} sandy beach. To the east of Sylt, is the [[Wadden Sea]], which belongs to the [[Wadden Sea National Parks|Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park]] and mostly falls dry during low [[tide]].

The island's shape has constantly shifted over time, a process which is still ongoing today. The northern and southern [[Spit (landform)|spits]] of Sylt are exclusively made up of infertile sand deposits, while the central part with the municipalities of [[Westerland, Germany|Westerland]], [[Wenningstedt-Braderup]] and [[Sylt-Ost]] consists of a [[geest]]land core, which becomes apparent in the form of the Red Cliff of Wenningstedt. The geestland facing the Wadden Sea gradually turns into fertile [[marshland]] around Sylt-Ost. Sylt has only been an island since the ''[[Grote Mandrenke]]'' flood of 1362.<ref name="TU Berlin">{{cite web |url=http://www2.tu-berlin.de/~kehl/project/lv-twk/002-sylt.htm |title=Entstehung der Insel Sylt im Laufe von 700 Jahren |author=Kehl, H. |publisher=Institute of Ecology, [[Technische Universität Berlin]] |language=de |access-date=28 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081228020854/http://www2.tu-berlin.de/~kehl/project/lv-twk/002-sylt.htm |archive-date=28 December 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The so-called ''Uwe-Düne'' (Uwe Dune) is the island's highest elevation with {{convert|52.5|m|ft|1|abbr=off}} [[above sea level]].

The island in its current form has only existed for about 400 years. Like the mainland [[geest]]land, it was formed of [[moraine]]s from the older [[Quaternary glaciation|ice ages]], thus being made up of a [[till]] core, which is now apparent in the island's west and centre by the cliff, dunes and beach. This sandy core began to [[erosion|erode]] as it was exposed to a strong current along the island's steep basement when the sea level rose 8000 years ago. During the process, [[sediment]]s were accumulated north and south of the island. The west coast, which was originally situated {{convert|10|km|mi|0|abbr=off}} off today's shore, was thus gradually moved eastward, while at the same time the island began to extend to the north and south. After the ice ages, marshland began to form around this geestland core.

In 1141, Sylt is recorded as an island, yet before the ''[[Grote Mandrenke]]'' flood it belonged to a landscape cut by [[tidal creek]]s and, at least during low tide, it could be reached on foot.<ref name="TU Berlin" /> It is only since this flood that the creation of a [[spit (landform)|spit]] from sediments began to form the current characteristic shape of Sylt. It is the northern and southern edges of Sylt which were, and still are, the subject of greatest change. For example, Listland was separated from the rest of the island in the 14th century and from the later 17th century onwards the ''Königshafen'' (King's Harbour) began to silt up as the "elbow" spit began to form.<ref name="geomar">{{cite web |url=http://www.iczm.de/geomarab.pdf |title=Klimaänderung und Küste – Fallstudie Sylt |language=de |author1=Thiede, J |author2=K. Ahrendt |year=2000 |publisher=GEOMAR, [[University of Kiel]] |access-date=28 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071006050257/http://www.iczm.de/geomarab.pdf |archive-date=6 October 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In addition to the constant loss of land, the inhabitants during the [[Little Ice Age]] were constrained by sand drift. Dunes shifting to the east threatened settlements and arable land and had to be stopped by the planting of [[marram grass]] in the 18th century. Consequently, though, material breaking off the island was increasingly washed away and the island's extent continued to decrease.

Records of the annual [[land loss]] exist since 1870. According to them, Sylt lost an annual {{convert|0.4|m|in|0|abbr=off}} of land in the north and {{convert|0.7|m|in|0|abbr=off}} in the south from 1870 to 1951. From 1951 to 1984, the rate increased to {{convert|0.9|and|1.4|m|in|0|abbr=off}} respectively, while shorelines at the island's very edges at Hörnum and List are even more affected.<ref>{{cite book |title=Umweltatlas Wattenmeer (Wadden Sea environmental Atlas) |editor=Landesamt für den Nationalpark Schleswig-Holsteinisches Wattenmeer, Umweltbundesamt |volume=I – Nordfriesisches und Dithmarscher Wattenmeer |location=Stuttgart |year=1998 |page=38 |language=de}}</ref>

Severe storm surges of the last decades have repeatedly endangered Sylt to the point of breaking in two, e.g. Hörnum was temporarily cut off from the island in 1962. Part of the island near Rantum which is only 500&nbsp;metres (yards) wide is especially threatened.

[[File:2002-07 Sylt - Groyne.jpg|thumb|An armoured concrete groyne at Westerland]]
[[File:Sylt fg01.jpg|thumb|Concrete tetrapods in Westerland]]
[[File:Kliffende, Island Sylt, 1999.jpg|thumb|[[Geotextile]] sand cushions successfully protected the historic house Kliffende on Sylt against storms, which strongly eroded the cliffs on the north and south sides of the sand cushion barrier (1999).<ref name="geo">{{Cite journal |doi=10.1088/1468-6996/16/3/034605 |title=Geosynthetics in geoenvironmental engineering |journal=Science and Technology of Advanced Materials |volume=16 |issue=3 |pages=034605 |year=2015 |last1=Müller |first1=W. W. |last2=Saathoff |first2=F. |pmc=5099829 |pmid=27877792|bibcode=2015STAdM..16c4605M }} {{Open access}}</ref>]]
[[Coastal management|Measures of protection]] against the continuous erosion date back to the early 19th century when [[groyne]]s of wooden poles were constructed. Those were built at right angles into the sea from the coast line. Later they were replaced by metal and eventually by armoured concrete groynes. The constructions did not have the desired effect of stopping the erosion caused by crossways currents. "[[Windward and leeward|Leeward]] erosion", i.e. erosion on the downwind side of the groynes prevented sustainable accumulation of sand.

In the 1960s, breaking the power of the sea was attempted by installing [[Tetrapod (structure)|tetrapods]] along the groyne bases or by putting them into the sea like groynes. The four-armed structures, built in France and many tons in weight, were too heavy for Sylt's beaches and were equally unable to prevent erosion. Therefore, they were removed from the Hörnum west beach in 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.auf.uni-rostock.de/uiw/b7/Projekte/iwr_fallstudie_sylt_abschlussbericht.pdf |title=Fallstudie Sylt |publisher=[[University of Rostock]] | author=Witte, J.-O.; Kohlhase, Sören, J. Radomski, P. Fröhle |language=de |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070810121605/http://www.auf.uni-rostock.de/uiw/b7/Projekte/iwr_fallstudie_sylt_abschlussbericht.pdf |archive-date=10 August 2007}}</ref>

Since the early 1970s, the only effective means so far has been flushing sand onto the shore. [[Dredging]] vessels are used to pump a mixture of sand and water to a beach where it is spread by bulldozers. Thus storm floods would only erase the artificial accumulation of sand, while the shoreline proper remains intact and erosion is slowed down.<ref>{{cite web |title=Küstenschutz: Bisherige und zukünftige Maßnahmen |url=http://www.tu-harburg.de/wb/mitarbeiter/lieberman/veroeffentlichungen/58.pdf |author=Von Liebermann, Nicole |publisher=Hamburg University of Technology|language=de |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070611213752/http://www.tu-harburg.de/wb/mitarbeiter/lieberman/veroeffentlichungen/58.pdf |archive-date=11 June 2007}}</ref> This procedure incurs considerable costs. The required budget of an annual [[Euro|€]]10&nbsp;million is currently provided by federal German, Schleswig-Holstein state and EU funds. Since 1972, an estimated 35.5&nbsp;million cubic metres (46.4 million cu. yd.) of sand have been flushed ashore and dumped on Sylt. The measures have so far cost more than €134&nbsp;million in total, but according to scientific calculations they are sufficient to prevent further loss of land for at least three decades, so the benefits for the island's economic power and for the economically underdeveloped region in general would outweigh the costs.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.sterr.geographie.uni-kiel.de/Daschkeit/downloads/Daschkeit-Sterr-2005-Sylt.pdf |title=Edition Humanökologie |chapter=Küste, Ökologie und Mensch, Integriertes Küstenmanagement als Instrument nachhaltiger Entwicklung |last=Daschkeit |first=Achim |author2=Horst Sterr |editor=Bernhard Glaeser |volume=2 |publisher=Deutsche Gesellschaft für Humanökologie |access-date=28 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091127233718/http://www.sterr.geographie.uni-kiel.de/Daschkeit/downloads/Daschkeit-Sterr-2005-Sylt.pdf |archive-date=27 November 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In the 1995 study ''Klimafolgen für Mensch und Küste am Beispiel der Nordseeinsel Sylt'' (Climate impact for Man and Shores as seen on the North Sea island Sylt), it reads: ''"Hätte Sylt nicht das Image einer attraktiven Ferieninsel, gäbe es den Küstenschutz in der bestehenden Form gewiss nicht"'' (If Sylt did not have the image of an attractive holiday island, coastal management in its current form would certainly not exist).<ref>{{cite book |title=Klimafolgen für Mensch und Küste am Beispiel der Nordseeinsel Sylt |first=Achim |last=Daschkeit |author2=Peter Schottes |publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media|Springer]] | year=2002 |language=de |isbn=978-3-540-42569-4}}</ref>

The enforcement of a natural [[reef]] off Sylt is being discussed as an alternative solution. A first experiment was conducted from 1996 to 2003.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stiftung-deutscher-kuestenschutz.de/projects/preistraeger/2004/bleck_kuenstliche_riffe.pdf |title=Funktionale Bemessung künstlicher Riffe für aktiven und sanften Küstenschutz |author=Bleck, Matthias |publisher=Stiftung deutscher Küstenschutz}}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> A sand drainage as being successfully used on Danish islands is not likely to work on Sylt owing to the underwater slope here.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sand auf Sylt |url=http://www.uni-kiel.de/med-klimatologie/pdftexte/sand.pdf |author=Newig, J. |publisher=University of Kiel |access-date=28 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100705061113/http://www.uni-kiel.de/med-klimatologie/pdftexte/sand.pdf |archive-date=5 July 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In parallel to the ongoing sand flushing, the deliberate demolition of groynes has begun amid great effort at certain beach sections where they were proven largely ineffective. This measure also terminated the presumably most famous groyne of Sylt, ''Buhne 16'' – the namesake of the local naturist beach.

A number of experts, however, fears that Sylt will still have to face considerable losses of land until the mid 21st century. The continuous [[global warming]] is thought to result in increasing storm activity, which would result in increased land loss and, as a first impact, might mean the end of property insurance. Measurements showed that, unlike in former times, the wave energy of the sea is no longer lost offshore, today it carries its destructive effects on to the beaches proper. This will result in an annual loss of sand of {{convert|1.1|e6m3|e6yd3|abbr=off}}.<ref name="geomar" />
The dunes of the island constitute [[nature reserve]]s and may only be traversed on marked tracks. So called "wild paths" promote erosion and are not to be followed. Where vegetation is tread upon, no roots are left to hold the sand and it will be removed by wind and water.

The [[Wadden Sea]] on the east side between Sylt and the mainland has been a nature reserve and [[bird sanctuary]] since 1935 and is part of the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park. The construction of breakwaters in this area will abate sedimentation and is used for [[land reclamation]].

Also the grazing of sheep on the sea dikes and heaths of Sylt eventually serves coastal management, since the animals keep the vegetation short and compress the soil with their hooves. Thus they help create a denser dike surface, which in case of storm surges provides less area for the waves to impact.

=== Flora and fauna ===
[[File:Flower dsc05303.jpg|thumb|''Rosa rugosa'', known as "Sylt rose" on the island]]
The [[flora]] of Sylt is shaped by the island's original sparseness. Until the mid 19th century, Sylt was an island almost completely devoid of trees except for small areas of forest and bush created by plantations. Today, one can still recognize the man-made origin of the ''Friedrichshain'' and ''Südwäldchen'' forests in Westerland where many of the trees stand in rank and file. Also, the now widespread rose ''[[Rosa rugosa]]'', known as the "Sylt rose" on the island was imported to Sylt. It originates from the [[Kamchatka]] peninsula in [[Siberia]]. The undemanding rose met ideal conditions on Sylt and spread so quickly that it is now a common sight on the island. Its proliferation is viewed critically from a biological point of view, since it threatens to displace endangered local species, especially on the heaths.<ref name="braderup">{{cite web |title=Interessantes über die Braderuper Heide |url=http://www.naturschutz-sylt.de/NSG_gebiete_heide.html |language=de |publisher=Naturschutzgemeinschaft Sylt |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217012517/http://www.naturschutz-sylt.de/NSG_gebiete_heide.html |archive-date=17 February 2012}}</ref>

The ample [[Heath (habitat)|heaths]] on the eastern side of the island provide habitats for many rare species of plants and animals which are adapted to the extreme conditions such as drought, warmth, wind. About 2,500 animal species and 150 species of plants have so far been recorded. 45% of those plants are on the [[IUCN Red List]].<ref name="braderup" /> Especially notable are the 600 species of [[butterfly|butterflies]] that live in the heaths, [[small tortoiseshell]], [[common brimstone|brimstone]], [[painted lady]] and [[Aglais io|peacock butterfly]] among them.<ref>{{cite web |title=Morsum-Kliff |url=http://www.naturschutz-sylt.de/NSG_gebiete_morsum.html |language=de |publisher=Naturschutzgemeinschaft Sylt |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217012522/http://www.naturschutz-sylt.de/NSG_gebiete_morsum.html |archive-date=17 February 2012}}</ref>

With several thousand individuals in the dune belt of Sylt, the [[natterjack toad]], endangered in Germany, has one of Germany's largest populations here. Their spawning places are wet dune slacks and shallow, short-lived pools. For a habitat they prefer sandy areas with vegetation, but the species has also been observed on the top of the Uwe Dune. The main threat for this species on Sylt is road traffic.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Die Amphibien und Reptilien Schleswig-Holsteins, Rote Liste |url=http://www.umweltdaten.landsh.de/nuis/upool/gesamt/amphibien/rl_amphibien.pdf |publisher=Schleswig-Holstein State Office for Nature and Environment |author=Klinge, Andreas |version=3rd version |language=de |year=2003 |access-date=28 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719054339/http://www.umweltdaten.landsh.de/nuis/upool/gesamt/amphibien/rl_amphibien.pdf |archive-date=19 July 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The many [[water bird]]s and other coastal avians that have their hatching grounds on Sylt or use the island for resting on their [[Migratory bird|migrations]] constitute an [[Ornithology|ornithological]] feature. There are two notable hatching areas on Sylt, the ''Königshafen'' bay with the small island [[Uthörn]] in the north and the Rantum basin in the southeast. Birds that hatch on Sylt include [[black-headed gull]], [[Arctic tern]], [[pied avocet]], [[common redshank]], [[common gull]], [[Eurasian oystercatcher|oystercatcher]], [[northern lapwing]], [[common shelduck]] and [[tufted duck]]. During the migration, Sylt is a resting spot for thousands of [[Brent goose|brent geese]] and shelducks, [[Eurasian wigeon]]s and [[common eider]]s, as well as [[bar-tailed godwit]]s, [[red knot]]s, [[dunlin]]s and [[Eurasian golden plover]]s. [[Ringed plover]], [[common snipe]], [[Ruff (bird)|ruff]] and other species are less common visitors to the island.<ref>{{cite book |first=M. |last=Lohmann |author2=K. Haarmann |title=Vogelparadiese |year=1989 |volume=1 – Norddeutschland |language=de |publisher=Paul Parey |isbn=3-490-16418-0}}</ref>

Regarding land [[mammal]]s, there is no significant difference from the neighbouring areas of mainland Nordfriesland. Primarily [[European hare]], [[European rabbit|rabbit]] and [[roe deer]] can be found and are also hunted as game on the island. When the island was connected to the mainland by the causeway, [[red fox]] and [[European badger]] also became common.

West of Sylt a breeding area of [[harbour porpoise]]s is located. In addition, great numbers of [[harbour seal]]s and [[grey seal]]s, the latter being rather uncommon in German seas, can be found on sand banks off Sylt.

Numerous associations and societies that care for the exploration and the protection of endangered animals and plants have branches on Sylt. Among them are the [[Alfred-Wegener-Institute for Polar and Marine Research]], Verein Jordsand and [[Wadden Sea Conservation Station]]. Also the Federal Office for the Environment operates a research station in the dunes at Westerland.

=== Climate ===
On Sylt, a [[marine climate]] influenced by the [[Gulf Stream]] is predominant. With an average of {{convert|2|°C|°F|abbr=on}}, winter months are slightly milder than on the mainland, summer months though, with a median of {{convert|17|°C|°F|abbr=on}}, are somewhat cooler, despite a longer sunshine period. The annual average sunshine period on Sylt is 4.4 hours per day. It is due to the low relief of the shoreline that Sylt had a total of 1,899 hours of sunshine in 2005, 180 hours above the German average.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.westerland.de/fileroot/service/download/Tourismusstatistik2005.pdf |title=Tourimusstatistik 2005 |language=de |publisher=Town of Westerland |access-date=28 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090815163342/http://www.westerland.de/fileroot/service/download/Tourismusstatistik2005.pdf |archive-date=15 August 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Clouds cannot accumulate as quickly and are generally scattered by the constant westerly or northwesterly winds.

The annual mean temperature is {{convert|8.5|°C|°F|abbr=on}}. The annually averaged wind speed measures 6.7&nbsp;m/s (15&nbsp;mph), predominantly from western directions. The annual rainfall amounts to about 650 millimetres (25½").<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.klimadiagramme.de/Deutschland/list2.html |title=List auf Sylt (climate chart) |publisher=Bernhard Mühr |date=1 June 2007 |access-date=28 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011104603/http://www.klimadiagramme.de/Deutschland/list2.html |archive-date=11 October 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Since 1937 weather data are collected at [[Deutscher Wetterdienst]]'s northernmost station on a dune near [[List, Germany|List]], which has meanwhile become automated. A number of commercial meteorological services like [[Meteomedia AG]] operate stations in List too.

Sylt features an [[oceanic climate]] that is influenced by the [[Gulf Stream]]. On average, the winter season is slightly warmer than in mainland Nordfriesland. The summer season, however, is cooler despite longer sunshine periods. The yearly average sunshine period is greater than 4.4 hours per day with some years exceeding the average sunshine for all of Germany. Also precipitation is lower than on the mainland. This is due to the low relief of Sylt's shoreline where clouds are not able to accumulate and rain off.<ref>{{cite web |title=Das Wetter auf Sylt: viel Sonne und eine frische Brise |trans-title=The Weather on Sylt: A lot of Sunshine and a fresh Breeze |language=de |work=[[Die Zeit|Zeit Reisen]] | access-date=23 October 2012 |url=http://zeitreisen.zeit.de/ratgeber/deutschland/sylt/das-wetter-auf-sylt-viel-sonne-und-eine-frische-brise}}</ref>

{{weather box
| location=[[List, Schleswig-Holstein|List]] (1961–1990 averages)
| source 1=[[Deutscher Wetterdienst|German Meteorological Service]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dwd.de/bvbw/appmanager/bvbw/dwdwwwDesktop?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=_dwdwww_menu2_leistungen_a-z_freiemetinfos&T115202758871200642573928gsbDocumentPath=Navigation%2FOeffentlichkeit%2FKlima__Umwelt%2FKlimadaten%2Fkldaten__kostenfrei%2Fausgabe__mittelwerte__akt__node.html%3F__nnn%3Dtrue |title=Frei zugängliche Klimadaten |language=de |publisher=[[Deutscher Wetterdienst|German Meteorological Service]]}}</ref>
| metric first = Yes
| single line = Yes
| Jan mean C= 1.0
| Feb mean C= 0.9
| Mar mean C= 2.7
| Apr mean C= 6.0
| May mean C= 10.8
| Jun mean C= 14.2
| Jul mean C= 15.7
| Aug mean C= 16.2
| Sep mean C= 13.9
| Oct mean C= 10.4
| Nov mean C= 6.1
| Dec mean C= 2.8
| year mean C= 
| Jan precipitation mm= 57.3
| Feb precipitation mm= 35.1
| Mar precipitation mm= 44.9
| Apr precipitation mm= 39.5
| May precipitation mm= 41.5
| Jun precipitation mm= 55.9
| Jul precipitation mm= 62.1
| Aug precipitation mm= 72.1
| Sep precipitation mm= 82.5
| Oct precipitation mm= 88.5
| Nov precipitation mm= 94.3
| Dec precipitation mm= 71.6
| year precipitation mm= 745.3
| Jan sun= 46.7
| Feb sun= 75.3
| Mar sun= 120.1
| Apr sun= 179.3
| May sun= 243
| Jun sun= 246.5
| Jul sun= 230.7
| Aug sun= 228.1
| Sep sun= 147.8
| Oct sun= 98.3
| Nov sun= 55.6
| Dec sun= 42.6
| year sun= 1714
}}

{{weather box
| metric first=yes
| location = List, (1990–2014 averages)
| source 1=WeatherOnline.co.uk<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/weather/maps/city?LANG=en&PLZ=_____&PLZN=_____&WMO=10020&CONT=euro&R=160&LEVEL=162&REGION=0001&LAND=DL&MOD=tab&ART=TEM&NOREGION=1&FMM=1&FYY=1990&LMM=12&LYY=2014 |title=CLimate Robot List/Sylt |work=WeatherOnline.co.uk |access-date=17 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054702/http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/weather/maps/city?LANG=en&PLZ=_____&PLZN=_____&WMO=10020&CONT=euro&R=160&LEVEL=162&REGION=0001&LAND=DL&MOD=tab&ART=TEM&NOREGION=1&FMM=1&FYY=1990&LMM=12&LYY=2014 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| single line = Yes
| Jan mean C = 2.3
| Feb mean C = 2.2
| Mar mean C = 4.3
| Apr mean C = 8.2
| May mean C = 12.1
| Jun mean C = 14.8
| Jul mean C = 17.7
| Aug mean C = 18.0
| Sep mean C = 15.0
| Oct mean C = 10.8
| Nov mean C = 6.5
| Dec mean C = 3.3
| year mean C = 9.6
| Jan precipitation mm= 49.9
| Feb precipitation mm= 38.4
| Mar precipitation mm= 33.5
| Apr precipitation mm= 31.1
| May precipitation mm= 37.8
| Jun precipitation mm= 47.6
| Jul precipitation mm= 54.3
| Aug precipitation mm= 84.8
| Sep precipitation mm= 77.6
| Oct precipitation mm= 85.1
| Nov precipitation mm= 69.3
| Dec precipitation mm= 61.8
| year precipitation mm= 670.8
| Jan sun= 46.74
| Feb sun= 67.1
| Mar sun= 129.2
| Apr sun= 179.5
| May sun= 221.1
| Jun sun= 209.8
| Jul sun= 215.3
| Aug sun= 189.8
| Sep sun= 137.9
| Oct sun= 97.2
| Nov sun= 51.1
| Dec sun= 42.6
| year sun= 1587.2
}}

{{weather box
| metric first=yes
| location = List, (2019-present averages)
| source 1=WeatherOnline.co.uk<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dwd.de/DE/leistungen/klimadatendeutschland/klimadatendeutschland.html?nn=540998 |title=CLimate List/Sylt |work=dwd.de |access-date=13 August 2020 }}</ref>
| single line = Yes
| Jan mean C = 6.3
| Feb mean C = 5.6
| Mar mean C = 5.6
| Apr mean C = 8.4
| May mean C = 10.6
| Jun mean C = 16.9
| Jul mean C = 15.8
| Aug mean C = 18.7
| Sep mean C = 14.9
| Oct mean C = 11.1
| Nov mean C = 6.4
| Dec mean C = 6.1
| year mean C = 
| Jan precipitation mm= 62.9
| Feb precipitation mm= 99.1
| Mar precipitation mm= 25.9
| Apr precipitation mm= 15.0
| May precipitation mm= 14.0
| Jun precipitation mm= 63.2
| Jul precipitation mm= 79.7
| Aug precipitation mm= 70.4
| Sep precipitation mm= 151.9
| Oct precipitation mm= 125.6
| Nov precipitation mm= 124.8
| Dec precipitation mm= 38.9
| year precipitation mm= 
| Jan sun= 33.6
| Feb sun= 52.6
| Mar sun= 194.3
| Apr sun= 239.2
| May sun= 268.0
| Jun sun= 277.1
| Jul sun= 187.1
| Aug sun= 250.6
| Sep sun= 153.3
| Oct sun= 101.7
| Nov sun= 30.0
| Dec sun= 38.1
| year sun= 
}}

{|style="width:100%;text-align:center;line-height:1.2em;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto" class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
|-
!Colspan=14|Climate data for Sylt
|-
!Month
!Jan
!Feb
!Mar
!Apr
!May
!Jun
!Jul
!Aug
!Sep
!Oct
!Nov
!Dec
!style="border-left-width:medium"|Year
|-
!Average sea temperature °C
|style="background:#9090FF;color:#000000;"|4.7<br />
|style="background:#8484FF;color:#000000;"|3.7<br />
|style="background:#7E7EFF;color:#000000;"|4.6<br />
|style="background:#8888FF;color:#000000;"|8.0<br />
|style="background:#9C9CFF;color:#000000;"|12.1<br />
|style="background:#B8B8FF;color:#000000;"|16.0<br />
|style="background:#D3D3FF;color:#000000;"|18.4<br />
|style="background:#DFDFFF;color:#000000;"|19.1<br />
|style="background:#DEDEFF;color:#000000;"|17.2<br />
|style="background:#D3D3FF;color:#000000;"|13.5<br />
|style="background:#C4C4FF;color:#000000;"|10.0<br />
|style="background:#A9A9FF;color:#000000;"|6.5<br />
|style="background:#B0B0FF;color:#000000;border-left-width:medium"|11.2<br />
|-
!Mean daily daylight hours
|style="background:#E2E200;color:#000000;"|8.0
|style="background:#F0F011;color:#000000;"|10.0
|style="background:#FFFF33;color:#000000;"|12.0
|style="background:#FFFF55;color:#000000;"|14.0
|style="background:#FFFF77;color:#000000;"|16.0
|style="background:#FFFF88;color:#000000;"|17.0
|style="background:#FFFF77;color:#000000;"|16.0
|style="background:#FFFF66;color:#000000;"|15.0
|style="background:#FFFF44;color:#000000;"|13.0
|style="background:#F7F722;color:#000000;"|11.0
|style="background:#E9E900;color:#000000;"|9.0
|style="background:#E2E200;color:#000000;"|8.0
|style="background:#FFFF3A;color:#000000;border-left-width:medium"|12.4
|-
!Average [[Ultraviolet index]]
|style="background:#289500;color:#000000;"|0
|style="background:#289500;color:#000000;"|1
|style="background:#289500;color:#000000;"|2
|style="background:#f7e400;color:#000000;"|4
|style="background:#f7e400;color:#000000;"|5
|style="background:#f85900;color:#000000;"|6
|style="background:#f85900;color:#000000;"|7
|style="background:#f7e400;color:#000000;"|6
|style="background:#f7e400;color:#000000;"|4
|style="background:#289500;color:#000000;"|2
|style="background:#289500;color:#000000;"|1
|style="background:#289500;color:#000000;"|0
|style="background:#f7e400;color:#000000;border-left-width:medium"|3
|-
!Colspan=14 style="background:#f8f9fa;font-weight:normal;font-size:95%;"|Source: Weather Atlas<ref name="Weather Atlas">{{cite web |url=https://www.weather-atlas.com/en/germany/sylt-climate |title=Sylt, Germany – Monthly weather forecast and Climate data |publisher=Weather Atlas |access-date=25 January 2019 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
|}

{{notelist}}

==Settlements==
[[File:2002-07 Sylt - Westerland (panorama).jpg|thumb|view from a hotel room in [[Westerland, Germany|Westerland]]]]
[[File:Rotes Kliff Sylt (24237231827).jpg|thumb|The red cliff next to [[Kampen (Sylt)|Kampen]], Sylt]]
Sylt is divided into two administrative bodies: the ''[[Amt (administrative division)|Amt]]'' [[Landschaft Sylt]] administers all municipalities on the island, save for the ''[[Sylt (municipality)|Gemeinde Sylt]]'', which was established in 2009 from the formerly independent municipalities of [[Westerland, Germany|Westerland]], [[Rantum]] and [[Sylt-Ost]]. As of December 2007, Sylt had 21,190 inhabitants, 9,072 of whom living in Westerland.<ref>{{cite web |title=Orte, Städte, Gemeinden im Landkreis Nordfriesland |url=http://www.daeb.de/schleswig-holstein/nordsee/nordfriesland.php |publisher=Deutschland auf einen Blick |language=de |access-date=29 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080930175248/http://www.daeb.de/schleswig-holstein/nordsee/nordfriesland.php |archive-date=30 September 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> These numbers do not include owners of summer residences.

A referendum held in May 2008 resulted in a merger of the [[Sylt-Ost]] municipality with the town of Westerland on 1 January 2009.<ref>{{cite news |work=[[Sylter Rundschau]] |url=http://www.shz.de/nachrichten/lokales/sylter-rundschau/artikeldetails/article/789/westerland-und-sylt-ost-fusionieren-1.html |title=Westerland und Sylt-Ost fusionieren |date=26 May 2008 |publisher=[[Schleswig-Holsteinischer Zeitungsverlag]] |language=de |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216145308/http://www.shz.de/nachrichten/lokales/sylter-rundschau/artikeldetails/article/789/westerland-und-sylt-ost-fusionieren-1.html |archive-date=16 February 2012}}</ref> Various interest groups hope to merge every island municipality into one governing body.<ref>{{cite news |work=[[Sylter Rundschau]] |url=http://www.shz.de/nachrichten/lokales/sylter-rundschau/artikeldetails/article/789/der-fahrplan-zur-teilfusion-so-geht-es-jetzt-weiter.html |title=Der Fahrplan zur Teilfusion: So geht es jetzt weiter |date=27 May 2008 |publisher=[[Schleswig-Holsteinischer Zeitungsverlag]] |language=de |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216145331/http://www.shz.de/nachrichten/lokales/sylter-rundschau/artikeldetails/article/789/der-fahrplan-zur-teilfusion-so-geht-es-jetzt-weiter.html |archive-date=16 February 2012}}</ref>

=== Settlements along the west coast ===
Six municipalities are situated along the west coast of Sylt. [[List, Schleswig-Holstein|List]] in the very north of the island constitutes Germany's northernmost municipality; it retained a certain independence due to its remote location and its long-time adherence to the kingdom of [[Denmark]]. On its eastern shore, a harbour is located where, in addition to tourist ships, the "Sylt-Express" ferry-boat sails to [[Havneby]] on the Danish island of [[Rømø]]. [[Wenningstedt-Braderup|Wenningstedt]] together with [[Braderup]] and [[Kampen, Germany|Kampen]] used to form the ''Norddörfer'' (Northern Villages) municipality, an early intercommunal association, which partly remains today in form of a school union. While Kampen, mainly in the 1950s and 1960s, was famous in Germany for attracting celebrities, Wenningstedt has been known as a "family resort" for more than 100 years. Since 1855, the prominent black and white [[Kampen Lighthouse]] has been located between Kampen and Wenningstedt; it is the oldest one on the island. East of there, the ''Braderuper Heide'' nature reserve is situated. Right south of Wenningstedt are the town limits of the island's largest town, Westerland.

After the complete destruction of the village Eidum by a storm surge on 1 November 1436, the survivors founded a new village northeast of their old home: Westerland. The name was first recorded in 1462. In 1865, a seaside spa was founded and, 50 years later, Westerland was granted [[town privileges]]. In 1949, it was officially recognised as a health resort. In 2007, the town numbered 9,072 citizens.

South of Westerland, the island extends for about {{convert|15|km|mi|abbr=on}} in the form of a spit, until it is cut by the ''Hörnumtief'' tidal creek that runs through the Wadden Sea mudflats east of Sylt. Here is the location of [[Rantum]]. This village, like no other on Sylt, had to fight sand drift during the past centuries. Many farmsteads and a church had to be abandoned because of shifting dunes moving eastward. Only the planting of [[marram grass]] stopped the dunes and put an end to this threat. To the east, there are a few scattered spots of marshland, but the area is mostly dominated by dunes.

[[Hörnum]] on the island's southern headland is the youngest village. It was founded shortly after 1900, although the uninhabited southern tip of Sylt was said to serve as refuge for pirates and fishermen. The name ''Budersand'' in the area emanates from that custom, marking a great dune where booths ({{langx|de|Buden}}) stood in former times to serve as shelters.<ref>{{cite book |first=Max |last=Pahl |title=Hörnum. Heimat am Horn – Querschnitt und Streifzüge durch Geschichte, Leben und Landschaft des Nordseebades Hörnum auf Sylt |language=de |publisher=Verlagsdruckerei Schallhorn |location=Lunden |year=1983}}</ref> This southern headland, called ''Odde'', is marked by continuous loss of land. Each year great amounts of sand are washed away by storm floods and coastal management has not yet seen sustainable effects in the area, so that further losses have to be expected.

===Sylt-Ost===
{{Main|Sylt-Ost}}

Sylt-Ost (''East Sylt'') is a former municipality which was formed in 1970 out of several small villages on the ''Nössehalbinsel'' of Sylt. The population (as of 2000) was 5,500. The villages included [[Tinnum]], [[Munkmarsch]], [[Archsum]], [[Morsum]] and [[Keitum]]. In 2009, Sylt-Ost merged with Westerland and Rantum to form ''Gemeinde Sylt''.

==History==
Geographically, Sylt was originally part of [[Jutland Peninsula|Jutland]] (today Schleswig-Holstein and mainland [[Denmark]]), with evidence of human habitation going back to 3000 BC at [[Denghoog]]. The first settlements of Frisians appeared during the 8th century and 9th century. In 1386, Sylt was divided between the Duke of Schleswig and the King of Denmark; except for the village of List, Sylt became part of the Duchy of Schleswig in 1435.

During the 17th and 18th century, [[whaling]], fishing and [[oyster]] breeding increased the wealth of the population. At this time, Keitum became the capital of the island, and a place for rich captains to settle down. In the 19th century, tourism began. Westerland replaced Keitum as the capital. During [[World War I]], Sylt became a military outpost. On 25 March 1916, British seaplanes bombed the German<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.firstworldwar.com/ |title=First World War.com Day by day |website=First World War.com |access-date=27 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325140414/http://www.firstworldwar.com/ |archive-date=25 March 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=March 2016}} airship sheds on Sylt. The main connection for tourists was boats from [[Højer]]. Since Højer was ceded to Denmark in 1920, a rail causeway to the mainland was built in 1927, the [[Hindenburgdamm]], named after [[Paul von Hindenburg]]. During [[World War II]], Sylt became a fortress, with concrete bunkers built below the [[dune]]s at the shore, some of which are still visible today. [[Lager Sylt]], the [[concentration camp]] on [[Alderney]] was named after the island. [[Rudolf Höss]] hid on the island after [[Nazi Germany]]'s defeat, but he was later captured and brought to trial in Poland.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/auschwitz/40-45/liberation/ |title=Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State. Auschwitz 1940–1945. Liberation & Revenge |publisher=PBS |access-date=15 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827064159/http://www.pbs.org/auschwitz/40-45/liberation/ |archive-date=27 August 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Robby Naish a-1.jpg|thumb|Windsurf World Cup Sylt in 2006]]
Today, Sylt is mainly a tourist destination, famous for its sandy beaches and healthy climate. The {{convert|40|km|0|abbr=on|adj=mid|-long}} west beach has a number of surf schools and also a nude section. The [[PWA World Tour]] Windsurf World Cup Sylt, established in 1984, is annually held at Westerland's beach front.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pwaworldtour.com/index.php?id=38&tx_pwaevent_pi1%5BshowUid%5D=291&cHash=1fb8687881e6356a95cd1858c9350fc4|title = PWA WORLD WINDSURFING TOUR: Detail}}</ref> Sylt is also popular for second home owners, and many German celebrities who own [[vacation home]]s on "the island".

===The ''Freikörperkultur'' and nude bathing===
{{Main|Freikörperkultur}}
At the beginning of the 20th century, the bathing beaches on Sylt were [[Sex segregation|segregated by sex]] into "ladies' bath" (''Damenbad'') and "men's bath" (''Herrenbad''); one bathed in long bathing dresses of that time period. From the beginning of the 20th century - starting from the Free German Youth camp Klappholttal and the intellectuals and artists in the village of [[Kampen (Sylt)|Kampen]] - a social movement developed that lived a beach life without clothing (part of the German ''[[Freikörperkultur]] - FKK'' and ''[[Lebensreform]]'' movement). The first official nude bathing beach in Germany was opened on Sylt in 1920.<ref name="DW1">{{Cite news|title=Why Germany's nudist culture remains refreshing|url=https://www.dw.com/en/why-germanys-nudist-culture-remains-refreshing/a-43917929|first=Richard|last=Loxton|publisher=[[Deutsche Welle]]|location=Bonn|date=2019|page=|language=en|access-date=2021-07-24|isbn=}}</ref> Nude bathing and sunbathing (also erroneously referred to as "nudist" or "nudism") spread over the entire island. "Sylt" was associated with nude bathing and the ideal environment for supporters of the ''Freikörperkultur (FKK)''. Since the 1960s, there have been designated [[nudist]] beaches (marked ''FKK-Strand'') with names such as "Abyssinia", "Samoa" or "Zanzibar" on the entire west beach. The most famous nudist beach on Sylt became the "[[Groyne]] 16" (''Buhne 16'') in Kampen through regular reports in the tabloid media. Today the boundaries between nude and textile beaches are becoming more and more blurred. While nude beaches have lost some of their popularity, it is no longer unusual or sensational to bathe or sunbathe on "normal" beaches with no clothes on.

== Culture ==
Sylt is a part of the [[Frisian Islands]]. It has its own local dialect, [[Söl'ring]], which is the indigenous speech of Sylt. Söl'ring is a dialect of insular [[North Frisian language|North Frisian]], with elements of [[Danish language|Danish]], [[Dutch language|Dutch]] and [[English language|English]]. The island has a museum called ''Altfriesisches Haus'' (Sölring Museen, Altfriesisches Haus in Keitum).

Today, only a small fraction of the population still speak Söl'ring. A law to promote the language (''Friesisch-Gesetz'') was passed in 2004. The northernmost part of the island, ''Listland'', was traditionally Danish-speaking.

As in many areas in [[Schleswig-Holstein]] on [[New Year's Eve]], groups of children go masked from house to house, reciting poems. This is known as "Rummelpottlaufen", and as a reward, children receive sweets or money.

Sylt also features many Frisian-style houses with [[Thatching|thatched roofs]].

Since the mid-18th century, the vowel in the name of the island has been represented as "y" for unknown reasons, while older spellings are ''Sildt'' and ''Silt'', allegedly derived from Danish ''sild'' "[[herring]]",<ref>{{citation |author=J. Booysen |title=Beschreibung der insel Silt in geographischer, statistischer und historischer Rücksicht |year=1828 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QJ8rAQAAIAAJ |pages=5–6}}</ref> or maybe related to English [[silt]].

Sylt is mentioned in a [[pangram]], a sentence that uses every letter in the German alphabet, including every umlaut (ä, ö, ü) plus the ß: ''Victor jagt zwölf Boxkämpfer quer über den großen Sylter Deich'' ("Victor chases twelve boxers across the Great Levee of Sylt").

=== Sylt in painting ===
Among the first painters who discovered Sylt as a [[theme (narrative)|theme]] were [[Eugen Dücker]] and [[Eugen Bracht]]. [[Franz Korwan]] followed them.
The painter Andreas Dirks was born in [[Tinnum]] on Sylt in 1865. He studied at the Düsseldorf Art Academy and in Weimar, lived in Düsseldorf since 1895, accepted a professorship there in 1916 and at the same time maintained a studio in Westerland.
[[Ulrich Schulte-Wülwer]] described him as "...&nbsp;the strongest artistic talent that the island has produced". [[Carl Arp]] came to Sylt in 1903.
Painters like [[Emil Nolde]], [[Erich Heckel]], [[Anita Rée]] and [[Albert Aereboe]] moved to Sylt. Contemporary artists include the painters and sculptors [[Rainer Fetting]] and [[Ingo Kühl]], who live in Berlin and on Sylt.

<gallery widths=180>
Eugen Felix Prosper Bracht Küste auf Sylt.jpg|[[Eugen Bracht]] ''Küste auf Sylt'' ([[Morsum-Kliff]]), 1897, Oil on canvas {{convert|61.5 × 50.5|cm|in|frac=4|abbr=on}}
Korwan-Winter.jpg|[[Franz Korwan]] ''Winter auf Sylt'', Oil on wood {{convert|24 × 38|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}}, without year
1905 Arp Küstenlandschaft auf Sylt (Morsumkliff) anagoria.JPG|[[Carl Arp]] ''Küstenlandschaft auf Sylt (Morsumkliff)'' 1905, Oil on canvas {{convert|47,5 × 59.5|cm|in|frac=4|abbr=on}}, Museumsberg Flensburg
1910 Hablik Landschaft auf Sylt anagoria.JPG|[[Wenzel Hablik]] ''Landschaft auf Sylt'' 1910, Oil on canvas, Museumsberg Flensburg
Andreas Dirks - Munkmarschener Hafenansicht auf Sylt (1922).jpg|Andreas Dirks ''Munkmarschener Hafenansicht auf Sylt'', 1922, Oil on canvas
Anita Rée Oase in Kampen.jpg|[[Anita Rée]] ''Die Oase in Kampen'', 1932/33, Watercolor {{convert|39 × 49|cm|in|frac=4|abbr=on}}
Ingo Kühl - HAUS AM WATT VIII, Öl auf Leinwand 150 x 200 cm, WV 10-15.jpg|[[Ingo Kühl]] ''Haus am Watt'', 2015, Oil on canvas {{convert|150 × 200|cm|in|frac=4|abbr=on}}
</gallery>

==Notable people==
[[File:CorneliusBoyJensen1814-1886.png|thumb|150px|Cornelius Boy Jensen, 1814–1886]]
* [[Dirk Meinerts Hahn]] (born 1804 in Westerland, Sylt – 1860) best known as the captain of the ship ''Zebra'' that he captained to South Australia
* [[Cornelius Jensen]] (1814 in Sylt – 1886) a Danish sea captain for 20 years; arriving in San Francisco in 1848, he became a rancher, a vintner and served as a California politician.
* [[Henriette Hirschfeld-Tiburtius]] (1834 in Sylt – 1911) the first female dentist in Germany
* [[Gustav Jenner]] (1865 in Keitum – 1920) a German composer, conductor and musical scholar and the only formal composition pupil of Johannes Brahms
* [[Hermann von der Lieth-Thomsen]] (1867–1942 in Sylt) a German military aviation pioneer, lived in Sylt from 1928
* [[Margarete Boie]] (1880 – 1946) a German author in the 1920s incorporating the history, landscape and people of Sylt
* [[Anita Rée]] (1885 – 1933) a German-Jewish painter, lived and worked here
*[[Heinz Reinefarth]] (1903 – 1979) a German [[SS]] commander during [[World War II]] and government official in [[West Germany]] after the war. During the [[Warsaw Uprising]] of August 1944 his troops committed numerous [[World War II atrocities in Poland#Warsaw Uprising atrocities|atrocities]]. After the war Reinefarth became the mayor of [[Westerland, Germany|Westerland]] and member of the [[Schleswig-Holstein]] [[Landtag]]
* [[Boy Lornsen]] (1922 in Keitum – 1995) a German sculptor and author of children's literature
* [[Dora Heldt]] (born Bärbel Schmidt, 1961 in Sylt) a German author

==Transport==
[[File:Autozug Sylt.webm|thumb|Sylt Shuttle]]
Sylt is connected to the German mainland by the [[Hindenburgdamm]], a [[causeway]] with a railway line on top. The passenger trains connect [[Westerland (Sylt) station|Westerland (Sylt)]] to [[Niebüll]] or [[Klanxbüll]], and the Deutsche Bahn's "Syltshuttle" as well as RDC's "Autozug Sylt", allow the transfer of cars and trucks between Westerland and Niebüll. There are also [[Roll-on/roll-off|car ferry]] services to the nearby [[Denmark|Danish]] island of [[Rømø]], which offers a road connection to the mainland. [[Sylt Airport]] at Westerland serves the region.

==In other media==
The island was used during the filming of ''[[The Ghost Writer (film)|The Ghost Writer]],'' as an alternate location for [[Martha's Vineyard]], due to the film's director, [[Roman Polanski]] being unable to travel to the United States, due to an outstanding arrest warrant for rape. The ferry between the islands of Sylt and Rømø features prominently in the film.

==See also==
{{Portal|Island|Germany|Denmark}}
<!-- Please keep entries in alphabetical order & add a short description [[WP:SEEALSO]] -->
{{div col|colwidth=20em|small=yes}}
*[[Üüs Söl’ring Lön’]], insular anthem
*[[Heinz Reinefarth]], a Nazi-German military officer. The "Butcher of [[Warsaw]]" became mayor of Westerland after World War II.
*[[St. Niels]]
*[[Uthlande]]
{{div col end}}
<!-- please keep entries in alphabetical order -->

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikivoyage inline}}
*[http://www.sylt-tv.com/ Sylt IPTV]
*[http://www.sylt.de/ Sylt]

{{Frisian Islands}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Sylt| ]]
[[Category:Seaside resorts in Germany]]
[[Category:Geography of Schleswig-Holstein]]
[[Category:Islands of Schleswig-Holstein]]
[[Category:North Frisian Islands]]