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Borkum (Low German: Borkum, Börkum) is an island and a municipality in the Leer District in Lower Saxony, northwestern Germany. It is situated east of Rottumeroog and west of Juist.

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Borkum
Municipality
Borkum from the Borkum Great Light lighthouse
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Borkum within Leer district
Borkum Show map of Germany Borkum Show map of Lower Saxony
Coordinates: 53°35′17″N 06°40′11″E
Country	Germany
State	Lower Saxony
District	Leer
Government
• Mayor (2019–24)	Jürgen Tönjes Akkermann[1] (Ind.)
Area
• Total	30.74 km2 (11.87 sq mi)
Elevation	6 m (20 ft)
Population  (2020-12-31)[2]
• Total	5,002
• Density	160/km2 (420/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	26757
Dialling codes	+49 4922
Vehicle registration	LER
Website	www.stadt-borkum.de

Geography

Borkum is bordered to the west by the Westerems strait (which forms the border with the Netherlands), to the east by the Osterems strait, to the north by the North Sea, and to the south by the Wadden Sea. It is the largest and westernmost of the East Frisian Islands in the North Sea, due north of the Dutch province of Groningen.

The island was formed in 1863 by two previously separate islands which were still separated by a shallow water. The seam between the former eastern and western parts is called Tüskendör ("through in between").

Climate

Borkum is the only East Frisian island that is under the influence of the North Sea all year round thanks to its 30 km (19 mi) distance from the mainland. The maritime climate is influenced by the Gulf Stream and the west wind zone with correspondingly high humidity throughout the year. This ensures varied weather with much sun and wind but also occasional rain and showers. Compared to the mainland, there is a climate with much milder winters and cooler summers without extremely cold or hot days. This is due to the buffering effect of the sea, which warms up slowly in spring and summer, but stores the warm temperatures longer in autumn.[3]

History

Mentioned as Burchana fabaria (island of beans) by both Strabo and Pliny the Elder, Borkum by the time of Charlemagne was part of a larger island called Bant, which consisted of the present day islands of Borkum, Juist, and the western part of Norderney.

In 1484, Bant passed to the Earls of East Frisia, who developed trade, and the island became known as a centre of piracy and whaling. By 1781, violent storms in the 18th century divided Bant into three islands. As whaling decreased, the inhabitants became impoverished, and many left, with the island's population falling from 852 in 1776 to 406 by 1811. The first tourists arrived on the island in 1834, and the local economy improved as a tourist resort.

In Mexico as I saw it, published by Thomas Nelson, Mrs Alec Tweedie, writing in 1911 about a trip of 1900 to Mexico, compares the brick roads of Monterrey with those of Borkum, "the one spot on earth from which Jews are banished". This had to do with the aggressive and successful campaign of German tourists to keep Borkum free from Jewish visitors, as celebrated in the antisemitic "Borkum-Lied".[4]

In 1910, British officers Captain Bernard Frederick Trench and Lieutenant Vivian H. Brandon were imprisoned for espionage for photographing the military installations on the island.

On 19 and 20 December 1934, Wernher von Braun launched "Max" and "Moritz", the two prototypes of the A2-rocket.

In 1944, the island was the site of the massacre of 7 American POWs. After the war, these murders were prosecuted in the Borkum Island war crimes trial.

Transport

The island is partially car-free. Off-season, driving by car is permitted everywhere, otherwise there are car-free zones. The only town on the island is also called Borkum. There is an airfield in the Tüskendör area. Borkum is served by ferries from Emden, Germany and Eemshaven, the Netherlands. The Borkumer Kleinbahn narrow-gauge railway connects the harbour and the town of Borkum.[5]

See also

• List of ferry boats of the East Frisian Islands

References

External links

• "Borkum" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). 1911.
• Official site (in German)
• Borkum-Unterkünfte - Borkum Accommodations (in German)
• Web-Directory with the topic Borkum
• Borkum-Perle - Holiday Home Rental Agency (in German)

Archived 2020-02-23 at the Wayback Machine (in German)

• Web-Directory with the topic Borkum's summer residence Archived 2020-09-26 at the Wayback Machine (in German)

На других языках

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[de] Borkum

Borkum (frs. Boarkum) ist die westlichste und mit knapp 31 Quadratkilometern größte der Ostfriesischen Inseln. Teile der Insel und das angrenzende Watt gehören zum Nationalpark Niedersächsisches Wattenmeer. Die Insel ist gleichzeitig die Fläche der Stadt Borkum, die als staatlich anerkanntes Nordseeheilbad über zahlreiche Kureinrichtungen verfügt.[2]

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- [en] Borkum

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[es] Borkum

Borkum es la más occidental de las islas Frisias orientales. Pertenece al Estado federado alemán de Baja Sajonia y está ubicada en el mar del Norte, en la desembocadura del río Ems.

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[fr] Borkum

Borkum est une île allemande de la mer du Nord, d'environ 31 km2 et 5 132 habitants (au 31 décembre 2012). C'est la plus occidentale des Îles de la Frise-Orientale, à l'ouest de Juist. Son chef-lieu est la ville de Borkum. Elle appartient à l'arrondissement de Leer, dans le Land de Basse-Saxe.

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[it] Borkum

Borkum è la più occidentale e la più estesa – oltre che la seconda per numero di popolazione (dopo Norderney) – delle Isole Frisone Orientali (Ostfriesische Inseln), gruppo di isole tedesche sul Mare del Nord appartenenti al land Bassa Sassonia (Niedersachsen, Germania nord-occidentale). Dal punto di vista amministrativo, l'isola è un comune del circondario di Leer (targa: LER).

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[ru] Боркум

Боркум (нем. Borkum) — остров в Германии, входящий в состав Фризских островов. В административном плане имеет статус города в земле Нижняя Саксония.

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