Neuwerk Island - the Green Island in the Elbe estuary

Neuwerk Island is located at the most south-west of the Elbe mouth in the North Sea tidelands, approximately 13 km northwest of Cuxhaven. The island is just 3 square km large.

Politically the island belongs to Hamburg, even though it's located in a distance of more than 100 km from there. Together with its "sister islands" Scharhörn and Nigehörn Neuwerk is establishing to the Hamburg district "Neuwerk" in the "Mitte" region. The entire area establishes the National Park Hamburgisches Wattenmeer.

It's possible to circle the island by foot during approx. one hour. The massive lighthouse from the 14th century is the landmark which is visible already from a distance. It was finished in 1310, and it wasn't just a balefire but also a protection from buccaneers. Finished in 1310, hence the Neuwerk lighthouse is the oldest building of Hamburg. It can be climbed for a fee of 1 Euro (status: 2013). A viewing platform which is located directly above the bonfire offers a beautiful view over the entire island as well as the onshore land. Nowadays there's a little hotel (7 chambers) inside the light house which offers a very special accomodation experience.

Nearby one finds the "graveyard of the nameless". Formerly dead bodies which were washed ashore (usually castaways) were buried here. Nowadays dead bodies which are probably washed ashore are transferred to the continent.

The island is completely diked, but outside the levee there are large plains with salt marshes (the so-called "Outland"). The outland is serving as a hatchery for many kinds of seafowls (oystercatchers, scrays, sandwich terns, black-headed gulls, herring gulls and way more) and in parts during the summer as pasture for cows and horses (Northern outland).

During the summer the island is accessible once a day by ship from the "Alte Liebe" port in Cuxhaven. The island can be reached by ship during high tide only, thus the departure times are variable and depend on the tides. Over the entire year the island is furthermore accessible by so-called "mud flat coaches" as well as by horse or by foot, starting in the Cuxhaven districts Duhnen or Sahlenburg (during low tide).