Husum, Germany

 

Husum (North Frisian Hüsem) is the district town of the district of North Friesland in Schleswig-Holstein. The city is known literarily as the gray city by the sea. The urban area of Husum extends on both sides of the Husumer Mühlenau. This crosses the two harbor basins within the urban area and flows into the Wadden Sea depth of the Hever. The city is also located at the transition from the Schleswig Geest to the Eiderstedter Marsch region, which begins to the southwest. In the adjoining outer area to the north, the Porrenkoog (originally: Nordhusumer Koog) and in 1848 the Dockkoog were diked to secure the Husum urban area. The Husumer Mühlenau flows past both bows to the south in the North Frisian Wadden Sea area. The northwestern district of Schobüll is in turn on the Geestrücken, which is advancing here to the northwest.

 

Destinations

Museums

The core of the museum landscape in Husum is formed by the museums jointly managed in the North Frisia Museum Association: the North Frisian Museum. Nissenhaus Husum in the Ludwig Nissen House, the Ostenfeld farmhouse and the museum in the castle in front of Husum. The offering is complemented by the Theodor Storm House in the Wasserzeile and the North Frisia Shipping Museum. Smaller exhibitions can be found in the Pole-Poppenspäler Museum and in the Husum Christmas House.

The North Sea Museum Husum documents finds from the mudflats, provides information on coastal protection, everyday life on the Halligen and the culture of life of the North Frisians. The visitor will also find documentation about the lost settlement of Rungholt.

The Theodor Storm House presents the poet's rooms and his works, some of which have been preserved in their original form, as an exhibition. It was Theodor Storm's home between 1866 and 1880, where he wrote several novellas.

The North Frisia Shipping Museum shows ships and models from the Middle Ages to today and provides insights into life with and on the sea. The main attraction is the wreck of a 17th century Frisian cargo sailing ship. This was uncovered in the mudflats in front of the municipality of Uelvesbüll in 1994, then preserved in a sugar solution for two years and then put into the exhibition. The buoy ship Hildegard from 1907 lies on a historic slipway at the inland port.

The Pole Poppenspäler Museum focuses on puppet theater. It is based in the castle in front of Husum and is run by the Pole-Poppenpäler-Förderkreis e. V., which also organizes the International Puppet Theater Festival Pole-Poppenspäler-Tage Husum, which takes place every September.

The Husum Christmas House features a Christmas museum (Alix Paulsen collection) and a historical shop from 1890 in a Wilhelminian-era cultural monument.

Until 2013, the small museum showed pictures by the painter Helene Dauter, who was born in Gilge, East Prussia in 1920 and died in Greater North Sea in 1996.

 

Buildings

Architectural sights in Husum include the castle in front of Husum with its gatehouse, the market square with St. Mary's Church, the Asmussen-Woldsen monument and the old town hall, the inland harbor and the Wasserzeile alley. This ensemble is complemented by the Husum water tower, built in 1902.

The castle in front of Husum was built by Duke Adolf of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf between 1577 and 1582. In the 17th century it served primarily as the widow's residence of the ducal family. It was redesigned in 1750/51.

On the market square there is the Asmussen-Woldsen monument designed by Adolf Brütt in the form of a fountain, which is named after two of the city's benefactors, August Friedrich Woldsen and his cousin Anna Catharina Asmussen. The monument is popularly known as the “Tine fountain”. It is decorated with a bronze sculpture depicting a young fisherman's wife with a headscarf, wooden shoes and an oar in her right hand. The “Tine Fountain” is considered a landmark of the city of Husum.

St. Mary's Church is located on the eastern edge of the market square. It was completed in its current form in 1833. The designs come from the architect and Danish state architect Christian Frederik Hansen.

The inland port with the adjacent ship bridge is a former shipyard port. It almost reaches the market square. Today it is mainly developed for tourism. The western end of the harbor is formed by the folding road and railway bridges that cross here. The restaurant ship Nordertor[29], built in 1936, has been located in the inland port since 1978 and is therefore the oldest floating restaurant ship in Germany. There are also a number of leisure boats there, including the traditional sailing ship Brittantje, built in 1914, a steel flat-bottomed vessel originally built in the Netherlands for the IJsselmeer fishing. The former buoy layer Hildegard has been located on the former slipway of the shipyard that was there until 1978 since 2002. The new town hall was built on the site of the shipyard itself in 1988/1989. In 2010, the state of Schleswig-Holstein leased the inland port from the Husumer Hafen e.V. interest group. V. (IGHH) to make it the starting point for traditional and museum ships. In the inland port of Husum there is a post with high water marks, which “only” show how high the water would theoretically have been if there were no lock and dike.

The Theodor-Storm-Haus is located parallel to Hafenstrasse and in the extension of the ship bridge in the water row, characterized by its proximity to the inland harbor and its small fishing houses.

The Husum water tower was used for the central water supply for many years. It was technically decommissioned in 1961, but still serves as a viewing tower.

 

Parks

The largest park in the city is the castle park around the castle in front of Husum. The Husum Castle Park was included as a garden monument in the list of the Schleswig-Holstein monument book in 1994. Every spring, the Husum crocus blossom - the blossom of around five million crocuses - is an attraction known far beyond the city limits. The Duchess Garden has also been located on the castle island in front of the eastern and western facades of the castle since 2008.

 

Sports

The Husum Winter Marathon takes place every year in February or March. Founded in 1972, it is one of the oldest marathon events in Germany. Another athletics event takes place every year during the port days in August: the port day run.

For equestrian fans, the white horse tournament is held every year in the Schobüll district. It is organized by the local riding and vaulting club every year on the weekend after Ascension Day.

The most successful football club is the Husum Sports Association, which was formed from Frisia Husum and the Husum Football Club from 1918. She played in the fourth division league in the early 2000s. She is currently playing in the fifth-class Oberliga Schleswig-Holstein (season 2019/20).

The Husum bowlers were represented in the first Bundesliga for some time.

With around 1,900 members, TSV Husum 1875 is the largest sports club in the city and, in addition to recreational and health sports, offers performance-oriented groups. There is also LAV Husum, which focuses on endurance sports and athletics.

The Golf Club Husumer Bucht e. With its 18-hole course, V. has one of the most difficult courses in Germany.

Wheelchair sports (wheelchair dance, wheelchair table tennis and wheelchair basketball) are available at the RSC (wheelchair sports club) Husum.

In addition to other sports clubs, there is also a diving club in Husum, the Tauch-Sport-Club Heuler Husum.

 

Regular events

The most important annual folk festival is the Husum Harbor Days. As part of the city festival, which has been organized by the Husum Advertising Association since the early 1980s, various activities are offered. These include the so-called harbor day run, the construction of a Ferris wheel ride on the market square and a craft market in the castle courtyard. Other popular activities include the annual tug of war across the outer harbor, the so-called Open Ship based on the motto Mok almost in Husum! and since 2013 a cabaret festival.

Every year at Easter, many thousands of motorcyclists meet in Husum for a motorcycle service to celebrate Easter together and start the new motorcycle season.

In October, visitors are invited to the Husum Crab Days. In addition, the Crocus Blossom Festival (for the Husum crocus blossoms in March/April) with the presentation of the newly elected Crocus Blossom Queen is also important. All of these events are organized by an event company. At the North Frisian farmers' market, which is usually held every two years, visitors are introduced to agricultural production. The district farmers' association and the Husum advertising association are cooperating as organizers. The Honky Tonk pub festival takes place in Husum every year.

Other regular events also take place, such as the Husum fish market, the harbor flea market, the Husum Matjestage, rarities of piano music, song art in the castle in front of Husum, the Husum Culture Night and the Husum Film Days. The European Minority Film Festival takes place in Husum every two years. The Theodor Schäfer vocational training center also hosts annual concerts from the Schleswig-Holstein music festival JazzBaltica. The Pole-Poppenspäler Days Husum are a festival of artists from the field of puppet theater; they take place recurrently in late summer.

 

Husumer Speicher Cultural Center

The Husumer Speicher is also a cultural center with regular and independently organized events in the city. Artists from Fettes Brot to John Abercrombie have performed here. The nationally known punk band Turbostaat originally comes from Husum and had their first rehearsal room in Speicher.

 

Film backdrop

Since the 1930s, Husum has repeatedly been chosen as a location for filming. Well-known productions included the 1934 version of Der Schimmelreiter (directed by Hans Deppe and Curt Oertel), the production Befreite Hands by Hans Schweikart from 1939 and the drama Nora by Harald Braun from 1944.

In the 1950s, Emil and the Detectives by Robert A. Stemmle as well as All Roads Lead Home again by Hans Deppe and I Will Carry You by Veit Harlan were filmed in Husum. Productions since the turn of the millennium have been Class Reunions - Murder Case Among Friends by Diethard Küster from 2001, Murder by the Sea by Matti Geschonneck (2004) and The Dead from the Deich, also by Matti Geschonneck in 2005. Die Pferdeinsel by Jens Broecker also comes from the same year . In 2009, Husum filmed 2 Just in Case – A Song for the Murderer.

In addition, exterior shots were often shot in Husum for various television series, for example for the ARD series Gegen den Wind and Die Strandclique in the 1990s as well as the hospital series Herzschlag - Das Ärzteteam Nord (1999 to 2003). In the 1980s, the television series Helga and the Northern Lights with Helga Feddersen, Gerda Gmelin and F. J. Fürbringer was filmed here. In 1985, part of the television series The Riddle of the Sandbank was produced in the buildings of what was then the Husum shipyard in the inner harbor. From June 2011, the exterior shots were filmed in Husum for the ARD evening crime series Heiter bis deadly: Nordisch herb with Loretta Stern and Frank Vockroth in the leading roles.

 

Fire department

There is a volunteer fire department in Husum with two locations. The volunteers are supported by three full-time equipment attendants.

 

Geography

Geographical location

The urban area of Husum extends on both sides of the Husumer Mühlenau. It flows through the urban area from east to west and flows into the Wadden Sea deep of the Hever. In the outer area to the north, the Porrenkoog (originally: Nordhusumer Koog) was diked in 1495 and the Dockkoog in 1848 to secure the Husum urban area. The Husumer Mühlenau flows past both Kögen to the south in the North Frisian Wadden Sea area. The Husumer Mühlenau is separated from the North Sea by a sea lock, so that the tidal water can only flow to a limited extent into the city area.

The city lies at the transition between the Bredstedt-Husumer Geest natural areas and the Eiderstedter Marsch landscape area that begins to the southwest. The Schobüll district to the northwest is located on the geest ridge that advances to the northwest.

 

Climate

The average annual sunshine duration is 2317.7 hours. The sunniest month is June with 308.23 hours. January has the fewest hours of sunshine with 78.51 hours.

The mean annual temperature is 9.5 °C. The warmest month on average is July at 17.6 °C, the coldest is January at 2.0 °C.

 

History

Beginnings of settlement

There were settlements from prehistory and early history on the area of today's city. In various archaeological work - e.g. B. during the draining of the Osthusum mill pond in 1866 and 1867, the construction of the railway bridge over the harbor in 1885 and the new lock for shipping in 1902 - corresponding finds from the Stone Age came to light.

While the neighboring town of Mildstedt was the center of this area in the past, the importance of the place changed after the Second Marcellus Flood: The storm surge known as the “Grote Mandränke” destroyed large parts of the coast. The country was torn apart, islands and the town of Rungholt sank, and entire areas were permanently submerged. As a result, Husum became a port city from then on. The people of Husum, who now had direct access to the sea, set up a market place. Goods could be delivered directly by ship from distant places, and a thriving market soon developed.

 

Urbanization

It was supposed to be the beginning of the rise of today's North Frisian district town. As early as 1372, Husum's population had increased significantly and by 1398 it had expanded so much that two villages emerged, which were called Osterhusum and Westerhusum until 1431.

The beginning of the 15th century was characterized by the increasing importance of the city's port. This resulted from a dispute between Denmark and the Hanseatic League. At that time, when the warships of the Hanseatic League repeatedly closed the Sound to all merchant ships that did not come from Hanseatic cities, the Danish king ordered that goods should be landed in Husum and from there transported overland to Flensburg.

The place name Husum was first mentioned in 1409. It is derived from the root word Hus, which means houses or settlement, and the suffix -um from the Nordic “an der Au”.

In 1421 Husum received justice as a spot. Through the contract of St. Luke's Day in 1448, the Mildstedt parish was separated. With the inauguration of the first church in 1507, the separation was complete. At that time, Husum grew to a good 3,000 inhabitants and developed into an important port and market place in North Frisia.

From around 1440 there was a leprosy in Husum, which was known as St. Jürgen Hospital and was originally located in the northeast of the city, and from 1571 in Osterende. The successor to the leprosy was the “Gasthaus zum Ritter St. Jürgen”, which is now a retirement home.

 

Early modern age

In 1465, Christian I gave Husum the privilege of employing a town bailiff and holding its own court, as well as permission to fortify the town with a wooden palisade. As early as 1472, the people of Husum wanted to obtain city rights and took part in the unsuccessful uprising against King Christian I, which was initiated by his brother, Count Gerhard VII, Count of Oldenburg. King Christian had the place taken in 1472. Through the intercession of the bailiff von Ahlefeld and the stabler Tede Feddersen, the destruction of the town was averted, but a harsh pillaging, the withdrawal of all privileges, the execution of around 70 citizens including the leaders and the expulsion of other citizens from the land practically destroyed the town Blossom. A harsh punitive tax was imposed, which was only abolished in 1878.

From 1512 to 1521, the Walsrode carver Hans Brüggemann had his workshop in Husum and from here he made the Bordesholm Altar and the angel of the lost tabernacle for the old Husum St. Mary's Church. Driven out by the Reformation, which was becoming increasingly widespread in the north, Brüggemann returned to his native town of Walsrode in 1523.

In 1522, when the first Schleswig-Holstein thaler, the Husum thaler, was minted, the Reformation came to the city with the Protestant sermons of the preacher Hermann Tast, who had been employed at St. Mary's Church since 1514. She officially adopted the Lutheran faith in 1527. As one of the oldest Latin schools, the Husum School of Scholars was founded in the same year, today's Hermann Tast School.

Duke Adolf of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf, who ruled the Gottorf parts of the Duchy of Schleswig from 1544, had the castle in front of Husum built as a residence on the west coast on the site of an abandoned monastery from 1577 onwards.

On April 20, 1603, the town was granted city rights by Duke Johann Adolf.

The founding of the neighboring city of Friedrichstadt in 1621 had a negative impact on Husum's economic development. In 1634 the Burchardi flood destroyed the island of Alt-Nordstrand, which had become rich through agriculture. Husum itself was not hit very hard, but many farmers in the area who had regularly come to the market lost their lives, and many survivors lost their entire property. The economic boom was over for the time being.

In the Danish state as a whole
The theater is attached to the pente de l'acropole, with an ending or a déclivité s'infléchit. At 200 meters from the main road, the city dominates and is overlooking the plain, with a south-south-east orientation. Le mur occidental du theater (l'analemma) épouse le contour du mur d'enceinte. One at the forefront of the point of tangence, a contrast to the wall and the edge of the theater. The similitude d'appareil architectural permet d'estimer que le theater et l'enceinte sont des constructions contemporaines.

Les travaux entrepris en 1914, puis de 1921 à 1924 dégagent l'orchestra et les entrées latérales (parodoi). The détérioration des gradins (κοῖλον / koilon) is the telle qu'on ne peut reconstituer leur aspect à l'époque hellénistique. The original orchestra has a circular space of 10.8 meters wide and open, measuring 25.65 meters above sea level and 24.17 meters above sea level.

 

In the Danish state

In 1807, the old Gothic St. Mary's Church on the market, built in the early 15th century, was demolished due to its dilapidation. After many expansions, the old church gradually took on the size of a cathedral church with an almost 100 m high tower. The demolition was still considered one of the greatest losses in the architectural history of Schleswig-Holstein in the 20th century. In 1833 the new St. Mary's Church, built in the classicism style according to plans by Christian Frederik Hansen, was inaugurated.

During the German Revolution of 1848/49, as in many parts of Germany, there was a similar action in Husum, Denmark, the “butter war”: the hawker H. Petersen on Krämerstrasse had bought up all the butter available on the market in order to send it to Helgoland . This made it scarce and expensive. The dike workers on the new Dockkoogdeich became angry and attacked the shop, damaging neighboring houses. Only a hastily assembled vigilante group was able to put an end to the activities of the more or less drunk workers and arrest the men. A criminal trial was held against them in the town hall.

In 1854, Husum received a railway connection with the Flensburg–Husum–Tönning railway line.

 

Period of the Prussian province of Schleswig-Holstein

After the German-Danish War, Husum, along with the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, became part of the new Prussian province of Schleswig-Holstein in 1867. The city began to grow again. This was particularly evident in the connection in 1887 to the Marschbahn, whose economic influence created, among other things, one of the largest livestock markets in Northern Europe. For this purpose, the North Station received a large livestock loading facility next to the railway depot, where live cattle were loaded to the slaughterhouses in the south of Schleswig-Holstein and as far as Hamburg. In 1929 Nordhusum and in 1938 Osterhusum and Rödemis were incorporated, all villages of the Mildstedt parish.

In 1904, a new lock with an opening width of 12.0 m was built on the site of the first sea lock, which dates from 1858 and consisted of a flood gate and an ebb gate. It had two flood gates and one ebb gate.

An early burst of innovation in the area of renewable energies, which were not yet known as such, was the construction of a tidal power plant known as a flood power plant by the Hamburg engineer Emil Pein in 1912. A test facility for electricity production was built in the disused fish breeding ponds in the Porrenkoog.

Between 1935 and 1945, Husum was the location of the Wehrmacht. The city had its own military registration office and an air base. In addition to the Schaudahl air base in question, there was the then unfinished Schwesing airfield in the area of the neighboring community of Schwesing, which was intended to function as a mock airfield until the end of the war. Mainly hunting units were stationed at theSchauendahl Air Base. In addition, the Navy had had a barracks in the city since 1940, today's air base barracks, which had functioned as a branch of the Mürwik Naval War School in Flensburg since the end of July 1943. This Husum war school (Marinekriegsschule Husum) trained young officers for the naval artillery, fortress pioneers and the naval intelligence service until the end of the war.

Between September and December 1944, the Husum-Schwesing concentration camp existed about five kilometers northeast of Husum (in the Schwesinger district of Engelsburg); the prisoners were used to build the Frisian Wall.

At the end of the Second World War, Germany was gradually occupied. On May 4, 1945, Hans-Georg von Friedeburg signed the partial surrender of the Wehrmacht for northwest Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands on behalf of the last Reich President Karl Dönitz, who had previously moved to the Mürwik special area with the last Reich government. The ceasefire came into force at eight o'clock on May 5th. On that same day, a British advance party consisting of two soldiers with a radio car arrived in Husum. The two soldiers then negotiated with the North Frisian Sea Commander, Captain Frank Aschmann, the mayor and the district administrator regarding the handover formalities. The following day, the navy barracks on Flensburger Chaussee, today's air base barracks, were handed over to the British for stationing their soldiers.

 

In the post-war period

In 1960, a new lock and a new harbor pumping station were built about 300 m west of the 1904 lock. The new lock now had a passage width of 13.20 m. After the lock and pumping station were replaced in 1973, the old harbor pumping station was dismantled in 1973 and the new sea lock with a passage width of 22 m was built. The shipping channel in the harbor was also moved to the south side. This time the lock received two flood gates and an ebb gate. After the new lock was ready for operation, the new harbor pumping station was installed in the enclosed lock area from 1960.

A striking event for the city and its importance in the area of animal trading was the closure of the livestock market in 1970. By then, the market had become one of the country's most important transshipment points for live livestock. This importance was the result of the excellent pasture fattening of the animals in the marshlands of North Frisia. The administrative building of the then newly formed North Frisia district was subsequently built on the vacant land on the northern outskirts of the city. The remnant of the tradition as a market location was the market hall in the southern part of the area, which existed until a few years ago.

In 2010, remnants of the 1904 lock were removed, increasing the nautical depth in the sea lock from 4.2 m to 4.7 m.

 

Economic structure

Trade and service industries

As the district town, Husum is the economic center of North Frisia. The city is a central center for the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein with corresponding educational and administrative facilities. In the historic city center around the market square with St. Mary's Church and Großstrasse there are numerous companies in the trade and service sector (including the regional headquarters of the Nord-Ostsee Sparkasse, Commerzbank branch and fashion house CJ Schmidt).

One of the largest weekly markets in Schleswig-Holstein is held on the market square every Thursday.

The Husum Shopping Center will in future be located at the former location of the Husum department store (formerly Hertie GmbH, previously Karstadt). The local Hertie branch was closed in 2009, as was the Quelle Technology Center. Temporary use opportunities arose for both properties.

After the Husum department store initially started its business operations at the Hertie location, in the summer of 2016 it decided to re-plan the area comprising several properties between Großstrasse, Schloßgang and -strasse (including the city parking garage at Quickmarkt) in favor of building an inner-city shopping center Prelios Immobilien Management has been closed again.

Outside the city center area, other companies in the trade and service sector have settled in the East industrial area since the 1980s. Today there are branches of various do-it-yourself stores (Hagebaumarkt and OBI), food retailers and other specialist stores. There are also a large number of small and medium-sized companies there, including those in the mechanical engineering sector.

Land trade
At the outer harbor, two agribusiness companies (ATR Landhandel and Hauptgenossenschaft Nord) determine the commercial economic structure with their external locations. The high silo towers of the two companies characterize Husum's silhouette.

 

Renewable energy

As a further mainstay, the wind power industry is of particular importance for the city of Husum. The company Vestas has located its central sales department for Central Europe in Husum. There is also a research and development department located here.

This industry is supplemented by the HUSUM Wind trade fair, which takes place every two years. With almost 25,000 visitors (2008), it is known as the world's largest trade fair for the wind energy industry.

At the beginning of the 21st century, there were plans to develop the port into a base for the construction and maintenance of offshore wind farms. The state government of Schleswig-Holstein withdrew support from the project after a change of government in 2005 and redirected European funding. According to the Schleswig-Holstein newspaper publisher, even the use of the port as a service and maintenance location for offshore wind farms no longer seems to play a priority role for the state government.

The shipping company North Frisian Offshore GmbH is based in Husum and operates several large crew transfer vessels, including the Seewind 1, to transport workers to offshore wind farms.

 

Tourism

Tourism is an important economic factor. At Dockkoog, Husum borders the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park. In 2009 the Wadden Sea was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The majority of restaurants and souvenir shops are located around the inland port. The inland port is increasingly being used by historic ships.

 

Infrastructure

Traffic

Rail transport
Husum train station is a hub for Schleswig-Holstein railway traffic. The railway lines from Jübek and Bad St. Peter-Ording meet the Marschbahn in or near the district town. In the station, the lines provide rail operations coordinated in the Schleswig-Holstein local transport association with an hourly clock at 30 minutes. The current local transport service is carried out on all routes mentioned by the DB Regio company. The hourly service from Husum in the direction of Westerland in the morning and in the opposite direction in the late afternoon is condensed to half-hourly service.

In long-distance traffic, individual intercity trains from DB Fernverkehr also stop in Husum. The Intercitys are connected from Hamburg Dammtor directly to Westerland and are part of lines 26, 27 and 30.

The train station is classified in price category 3 by DB Station&Service.

To the east of the station area is the EWG railway workshop, historically known as the Husum railway depot. This is a subsidiary of the transport company Transdev GmbH. After the Nord-Ostsee-Bahn, also a subsidiary of Transdev, passed on the rail transport services on the Marschbahn to the DB Regio as part of a tender, the car transport trains from the provider RDC Deutschland are primarily serviced here.

Bus transport
Local public transport within the city and to the neighboring communities of Hattstedt and Mildstedt has been characterized by the HusumBus brand from the Autokraft transport company since 2019. It runs every half hour on weekdays (lines within the city) or hourly (lines to Mildstedt and Hattstedt). All have a common clock node at minute 10 (urban lines in addition to minute 40) at the Husum ZOB stop. There is also a connection here with the regional bus service, which is currently (as of 2019) carried out by Autokraft and the local bus company Rohde Verkehrsbetriebe. The routes advertised by the Nordfriesland district and also newly assigned in summer 2019 run in the direction of Bredstedt/Langenhorn (R120), Flensburg (SchnellBus 150), Nordstrand (R140), Ostenfeld (R145) and Erfde (R149) (change towards Rendsburg at the destination ).

Shipping traffic
Husum has a tidal port where mainly agricultural goods are handled. The transshipment and storage facilities of the two rural trading companies based here dominate the silhouette of the city visible in the surrounding area. The Husum harbor is also home to a small fleet of shrimp boats. The state agency for coastal protection, national parks and marine protection uses the port as a base for coastal protection. There is a marina at the inner end of the outer harbor. Additional berths for pleasure boats can be found in the inland harbor. This has been managed by the Husumer Hafen Interest Group (IGHH) since the summer of 2010. The port is a member of the North Sea SH port cooperation offshore ports. In 2020, goods handled was 229,000 t, in the previous year 2019 it was 242,000 t. In the west of the city is the lock between the North Sea and the outer harbor with the adjacent inland harbor. The dimension of the lock chamber is 56 m long, 24 m wide and 13 m high. The lock was built in 1975 and is operated by the State Office for Coastal Protection, National Park and Marine Protection. The two low tide gates each weigh 45 t, while the high tide gates each weigh 65 t.

Road connections
Husum is located at the intersection of various federal highways. The backbone is the federal highway 5, which runs east around the city in a north-south direction. In this area, the Husum bypass road, which was built at the end of the 1980s, has been developed as a grade-free two-lane motorway. It is crossed by the federal highways B 200 and B 201, which end in the city center. These provide a connection to the cities of Flensburg and Schleswig as well as to the A7. The B 5 continues in a southerly direction to Heide and flows directly into the A 23. In a northerly direction it leads to the state border at Tønder (Denmark).

Bicycle traffic
In 2010, the city of Husum decided on a cycling strategy, according to which the infrastructure for cycling is to be expanded and weak points in the cycle path network are to be remedied.

Husum is connected to several long-distance tourist cycle routes, including: to the North Sea Coast Cycle Path (which runs around the North Sea as EuroVelo Route 12).

air traffic
The nearest commercial airfield is Husum-Schwesing airfield. It is located 3.8 kilometers northeast of the North Frisian district town and emerged from part of the Bundeswehr's Husum air base.

 

Media

The regional newspaper for Husum and the southern area of the Nordfriesland district is the Husumer Nachrichten. It is published by the Schleswig-Holsteinische Zeitungsverlag based in Flensburg. In addition, the daily newspaper Flensborg Avis has its own local editorial office in Husum. In addition, the Nordfriesland Palette was distributed weekly in Husum. The advertising paper was created in Husum in 1973 and belonged to the Flensburg-based Kopp & Thomas Verlag until it was discontinued in 2023. In addition, the Schleswig-Holstein newspaper publisher distributes its advertising paper WochenSchau (edition for North Frisia) weekly in Husum.

Another media organ is the West Coast Open Channel. Local broadcasting is carried out by the Offene Kanal Schleswig-Holstein, a public institution. The radio station broadcasts, among other things, from a studio on the premises of the Hermann Tast School.

Husum is also the headquarters of the Husum publishing group. In addition, the Friesenanzeiger is published by MSM Werbeagentur & Verlag GmbH, which is based here.

 

Public facilities

The largest location of the district's own Nordfriesland Clinic is located in Husum, with the clinic of the same name. This is located directly adjacent to the northeast corner of the castle park on Erichsenweg.

Since January 1, 2008, Husum has been the headquarters of the State Office for Coastal Protection, National Park and Marine Protection (LKN). In the same building, right next to the train station, there is an office of the State Office for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Areas (LLUR).

Husum is the seat of the district administration of the Nordfriesland district, there is a district court as well as an external chamber of the Flensburg Labor Court. Until 2017, the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) operated an interception device for message traffic under the code name Federal Office for Telecommunications Statistics at the town exit in the direction of Schobüll.

The city has long been the location of numerous military installations and units. Today there are two barracks here: the air base barracks on Flensburger Chaussee (seat of the site's oldest) and the Julius Leber barracks on Matthias-Claudius-Straße. In addition, there is the Bundeswehr service center on Industriestrasse as a military property.

Husum is home to three libraries. The Husum West Coast Central Library is now located together with the North Frisian Museum. Nissenhaus Husum in the Ludwig-Nissen-Haus and also houses the city library. There is also the Dansk Bibliotek Husum, a branch of the Danish Central Library in Flensburg. It is located in the Danish cultural center Husumhus on Neustadt, which opened in 1975.

 

Education

In addition to two general secondary schools (Hermann-Tast-Schule and Theodor-Storm-Schule), there is a vocational secondary school in Husum, which is part of the vocational schools of the Nordfriesland district. The general university entrance qualification can be acquired at all three schools. There are also two community schools in Husum: the Husum-Nord Community School and the Ferdinand Tönnies School. The general school offering is supplemented by four primary schools.

Special schools in Husum are:
the Pestalozzi School (for people with learning disabilities)
the Rungholt School (focus on mental development)
Vocational students are taught at the Nordfriesland district vocational school in Husum.

Other German-speaking educational institutions include the Husum Adult Education Center and the Education Center for Tourism and Gastronomy (BTG). The latter is a facility of the Schleswig-Holstein Business Academy.

There is also the Husum Danske Skole, which is run by the Danish School Association for Southern Schleswig. It is a ten-grade community school with Danish as the language of instruction.

The Theodor Schäfer Vocational Training Center (TSBW) is particularly important. It is a vocational training center for disabled trainees from the Diakonie-Hilfswerk Schleswig-Holstein.

Husum is also the seat of the Nordfriesland district music school, which is located in the castle in front of Husum.

 

Associations and associations

Nature conservation associations
Husum is a central location for the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park. The National Park House at the inland harbor houses both the Wadden Sea Conservation Station's office since 2009 and the WWF's Wadden Sea Project Office. In addition, the BUND (North Friesland district group and Husum local group) has its offices in the Husum National Park House.

Music clubs and choirs
In Husum there are music clubs from music schools to brass bands. The largest music club is the Rödemis Marching Band & Youth Wind Orchestra. One of Husum's best-known choirs is the concert choir Theodor Storms Chor. The singing club with the full name Theodor Storms Choir from 1843 e. V. is based in Husum. The Husum singing societies also include the gospel choir Husum Gospel Singers e. V. Other choirs include: The Husum city choir (oratorio choir and church choir at St. Marien), the Husum shanty choir, the mixed choir Husum and the vocal ensemble Kleiner Chor Husum.

sports clubs
There is a wide range of sports clubs in Husum. The largest sports club is TSV Husum. You can read more about this in the sports section above.

Other clubs
The Theodor Storm Society has its headquarters in the Theodor Storm House in the Wasserzeile. The Nautical Association of North Frisia e. V. is based in Husum. The purpose of the association is, among other things, the promotion of all matters in the general interest of merchant shipping, fishing, ports and maritime affairs.

 

Religions

The vast majority of Husum residents belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany. There are also congregations of the Catholic Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Danish Church in South Schleswig and Protestant free churches such as the Free Christian Community of Husum and the congregation of the Coastal Church of the Federation of Free Church Pentecostal Congregations. There is also a New Apostolic Church in Husum, which belongs to the Flensburg church district.