Rantum

Rantum
Former municipality now Ortsteil of Gemeinde Sylt
Rantum
Location of Rantum within the Nordfriesland district
Coordinates: 54°51′N 8°18′E / 54.850°N 8.300°E / 54.850; 8.300Coordinates: 54°51′N 8°18′E / 54.850°N 8.300°E / 54.850; 8.300
Country	Germany
State	Schleswig-Holstein
District	Nordfriesland
Town	Gemeinde Sylt
Government
• Mayor	Nikolas Häckel "Gemeinde Sylt"
Area
• Total	9.39 km2 (3.63 sq mi)
Elevation	3 m (10 ft)
Population (2007-12-31)
• Total	561
• Density	60/km2 (150/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	25980
Dialling codes	0 46 51
Vehicle registration	NF
Website	www.gemeinde-sylt.de

Rantum (Sölring Frisian: Raantem) is a village and a former municipality on the island of Sylt in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Since 1 January 2009, it has been an Ortsteil (part) of the municipality Sylt.

The name is frequently associated with the marine goddess Rán (Rantum = Rán's place).

It is, however, more likely that the name derives from the old spelling of Raantem, i.e. "settlement at the edge".

Rantum today is located at the narrowest part of the island with a width of only 600 metres.

East of the village are the Rantum-Inge, an ample area of salt marshes and the Wadden Sea. To the west, beyond the dunes, the beach faces the open North Sea.

The small village of Rantum has a colourful history. The settlement was destroyed on multiple occasions by storm surges or was buried by sand drift.

The oldest record of the name is found in a nautical chart from 1142, which is today displayed in Copenhagen. On the chart, the Rantum church Westerseekirche is noted as a daymark. It was called St. Peter. Since at the time only major churches would be consecrated to St. Peter, it is likely that Rantum was an influential town around 1100. There is, however, no proof for this thesis.

As Rantum was repeatedly destroyed by storm surges between 1362 and 1634 and had to be rebuilt in a different location each time, historical records are only preserved from the 17th century on.

Well into the 18th century, Rantum was a stronghold of wreckers who looted ships for a living.

In 1801, the people of Rantum had to move the village due to encroachment by the dunes. In 1825, the new village was destroyed by a flood. The location of the village kept moving eastward over time.