Dangast Kite Festival: Kites over the Beach

  • Written by Portal Editor

Dangast - We've already reported on the spa house and its famous rhubarb cake, as well as the local culturally interesting surroundings with their artistic approach, but once again we wanted to use our time on the coast for a long walk.

We took the familiar parking lot on Sielstraße, also to first stop at the harbour for a quick snack in the form of a fish sandwich.

Despite the late season, the beach was busy; it was obviously too cold for swimming now, so the fishmonger at the Dangast Fish Tower was also busy.

Immediately after our refreshment, we continued past the Phallus, the spa house, and the campsite along the sandy beach to the old town centre of Dangast.

Even from here, the numerous kites could be seen in the sky.

Colourful kites over the Dangast beach

Along the Dangast Quellbad (spring baths), we followed the numerous visitors, all of whom were apparently headed for the kite festival. Despite our advanced age, we briefly visited the playground behind the dike, which, viewed from the dike, appeared to be interestingly designed but, understandably, was barely used that day due to the kite festival and the strong wind. Back on the dike, we continued toward the new campsite, where numerous visitors had already gathered.

From October 3rd to 4th, the sky above Dangast's beach was once again colourful, according to the advertising by the Dangast spa administration. Kite flyers from all over Germany, but of course also from the surrounding Friesland, had arrived with their extraordinary exhibits and had taken over the skies above Dangast's beach with their colourful giant kites.

Over 30 kite enthusiasts had announced their participation in Dangast and had now launched their exhibits. Similar to Bremen, there were large kites up to 20 meters long, as well as stunt kites and box kites. Octopuses, fish, kraken, and other sea creatures could be seen in the sky, as well as owls, the superhero Batman, and other cartoon stars, all in the stiff breeze of the day.

Visitors on October 3rd and 4th even had the opportunity to receive an introduction to stunt kite flying from a professional, perhaps discovering the sport for themselves. Admission to the kite festival in Dangast was free, and there was even a night flying show at dusk.

Autumn storms cannot be ruled out

We ended up staying on the beach longer than planned, but also observed the hustle and bustle at the neighbouring campsite, as there were numerous campers who were apparently planning to take advantage of the last weekend of the season to camp. In the next few days, the campsite in front of the dike will be closed due to the possibility of autumn storms, which was also observed at the campsite in the town of Dangast. Autumn storms in Dangast can be accompanied by high wind speeds and storm surges. The North Sea can become very wild and rough at these times, but also offers spectacular views if you're properly dressed and watching from the dike. It's important to check the weather conditions and possible storm surges before your visit, as these can also lead to coastal protection measures and restrictions, which is why campsites in front of the dike must be closed at these times.

The storm surge of February 16-17, 1962, caused significant damage to the Schleswig-Holstein North Sea coast and is one of Germany's worst natural disasters. The dikes broke, and buildings on the Halligen islands suffered severe damage.

On the night of January 20-21, 1976, another very severe storm surge was forecast. It reached a water level of NN + 4.70 m at the Cuxhaven gauge, which was 3.26 m above mean sea level and the third highest ever recorded.

Rungholt - The sunken town in the North Sea, a settlement destroyed in 1362 by the storm surge known as the "Grote Mandränke." For a long time, Rungholt's sinking was considered a legend. Today, Rungholt is called the "Atlantis of the North," with archaeological finds such as Rungholt Church proving its existence.

Dikes have repeatedly had to be improved and raised, a task significantly contributed to by the melting of the polar ice caps and the resulting rise in sea levels due to human-caused environmental damage, can be noticed in Dangast as well.

Please read as well:

St. Sophia Church (Crkva Sveta Sofija) in the center of Ohrid

Andrea and John at the target of their project - the Olymp

View the embedded image gallery online at:
https://www.alaturka.info/en/germany/saxony-anhalt/7014-dangast-kite-festival/amp?layout=default%2Famp%2Famp%2Famp%2Famp%2Famp%2Famp#sigProId6d295e3bdc