Westerland (Schleswig)

Westerland Weesterlön / Vesterland
Ortsteil of Gemeinde Sylt
Kurpromenade in 2003
Westerland Weesterlön / Vesterland Location of Westerland within the Nordfriesland district
Coordinates: 54°54′36″N 8°18′27″E / 54.91000°N 8.30750°E / 54.91000; 8.30750Coordinates: 54°54′36″N 8°18′27″E / 54.91000°N 8.30750°E / 54.91000; 8.30750
Country	Germany
State	Schleswig-Holstein
District	Nordfriesland
Town	Gemeinde Sylt
Government
• Mayor	Nikolas Häckel (Gemeinde Sylt)
Area
• Total	10.45 km2 (4.03 sq mi)
Elevation	5 m (16 ft)
Population (2007-12-31)
• Total	9,032
• Density	860/km2 (2,200/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	25969–25980
Dialling codes	04651
Vehicle registration	NF
Website	www.gemeinde-sylt.de

Westerland (Danish: Vesterland; Söl'ring North Frisian: Weesterlön’) is a seaside resort and a former municipality located on the German North Sea island of Sylt. Since 1 January 2009, Westerland has been part of the municipality Gemeinde Sylt. Westerland is part of the Nordfriesland district in Schleswig-Holstein. It is the largest resort on the island, the local transportation hub and the centre of Sylt's tourist industry.

Westerland is partly one of the younger settlements on the island of Sylt. After the All Saints' Day Flood of 1436 had destroyed the biggest part of the community of Eidum (except for the area that is today called Enden and the Church), the survivors built a new community to the northeast on a heath. The new settlement was called Hedigen (heath area).

In the 16th. century most of the people on Sylt were involved in the hunting of Herring near Heligoland, Westerland was no exception.

The Old Church of Eidum St. Niels was broken down by the people in 1634 (mainly because of a particularly bad stench in it) and rebuild in 1636 in the heath area, far away from the sea.

Westerlant (probably an old field name used by the people of Tinnum) had its first documentary mention in 1462. In 1636 there were 43 and in 1695 76 taxable houses.

The Village grew heavily during the 17th. and 18th. century because the people experienced a big increase in wealth thanks to Whaling. Before the people had only lived from the sea and what little their fields could provide (they were often destroyed by the wandering dunes or flooding).

In 1855, the local Landvogt decided to turn Westerland into a seaside resort. After 1857, the minor village centred on a church began to grow into a larger resort. That year the first hotel opened - the Dünenhalle. Many others followed, although a number of them have since been torn down to make room for different structures. In 1880, the first solid building was erected on the dunes right at the beach. Electricity was available from 1893. In 1897, a telephone cable to the mainland was laid. In 1888, the Kurhalle was inaugurated, followed in 1903 by the art nouveau hotel Miramar, which still stands on the promenade today.