Oldsum
Encyclopedia
Oldsum is a municipality on the island of Föhr
, in the district of Nordfriesland
, in Schleswig-Holstein
, Germany
.
farmhouses. Oldsum's landmark is an ancient thatched windmill whose antecessor presumably dates back to the year 1700, burned down 200 years later, was rebuilt and subsequently was in use until 1954. Since 1972 the mill is exclusively used as a dwelling house. Oldsum is situated approximately two kilometers from the western shore of the island, the northern coastline is just a little closer. Oldsum adjoins to Süderende
to the south, Dunsum
to the southwest and Alkersum
and Midlum
to the east.
village. One of the most successful whalers, Matthias Petersen
(born 1632) lived there. In his lifetime he was able to catch 373 whales, his tomb can still be visited in the graveyard of the St. Laurentii church in Süderende.
As a part of Westerland Föhr, Oldsum belonged to the Royal Enclaves of Denmark
and thus was a direct part of the Danish crown while Osterland Föhr belonged to the duchy of Schleswig
. Only when Denmark lost Schleswig to Prussia
in the Second Schleswig War, Oldsum became a part of Schleswig-Holstein.
Föhr
Föhr is one of the North Frisian Islands on the German coast of the North Sea. It is part of the Nordfriesland district in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein. Föhr is the second-largest North Sea island of Germany....
, in the district of Nordfriesland
Nordfriesland
Nordfriesland, English "Northern Friesland" or "North Frisia", is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It includes almost all of traditional North Frisia along with adjacent areas to the east and south and is bounded by the districts of Schleswig-Flensburg and Dithmarschen, the North Sea and...
, in Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Geography
The municipality of Oldsum consists of the three hamlets of Oldsum, Klintum (Fering: Klantem) and Toftum (Fering: Taftem) which are extended for some two kilometers along a main road. The population count about 600. The view of the place is marked by well-preserved thatchedThatching
Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge , rushes, or heather, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. It is a very old roofing method and has been used in both tropical and temperate climates...
farmhouses. Oldsum's landmark is an ancient thatched windmill whose antecessor presumably dates back to the year 1700, burned down 200 years later, was rebuilt and subsequently was in use until 1954. Since 1972 the mill is exclusively used as a dwelling house. Oldsum is situated approximately two kilometers from the western shore of the island, the northern coastline is just a little closer. Oldsum adjoins to Süderende
Süderende
Süderende is a municipality on the island of Föhr in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.-History:The place used to belong to Oldsum, being its southern edge...
to the south, Dunsum
Dunsum
Dunsum is a municipality located on the western shore of Föhr in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is composed of the districts of Greater and Lesser Dunsum.-Geography and traffic:...
to the southwest and Alkersum
Alkersum
Alkersum is a municipality in the Nordfriesland district, in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany.-Politics:Since the communal elections of 2008, the Alkersumer Wählergemeinschaft holds all nine seats in the municipality council....
and Midlum
Midlum
Midlum is the name of various settlements.In Germany:-*Midlum, Schleswig-Holstein*Midlum, Lower SaxonyIn the Netherlands:-*Midlum, Friesland...
to the east.
History
The place was first recorded in 1462 as Uluersum. During the 17th century, Oldsum was an important whalingHistory of whaling
The history of whaling is very extensive, stretching back for millennia. This article discusses the history of whaling up to the commencement of the International Whaling Commission moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986....
village. One of the most successful whalers, Matthias Petersen
Matthias Petersen
Matthias Petersen was a sea captain and whaler from Oldsum on the North Frisian island of Föhr...
(born 1632) lived there. In his lifetime he was able to catch 373 whales, his tomb can still be visited in the graveyard of the St. Laurentii church in Süderende.
As a part of Westerland Föhr, Oldsum belonged to the Royal Enclaves of Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and thus was a direct part of the Danish crown while Osterland Föhr belonged to the duchy of Schleswig
Schleswig
Schleswig or South Jutland is a region covering the area about 60 km north and 70 km south of the border between Germany and Denmark; the territory has been divided between the two countries since 1920, with Northern Schleswig in Denmark and Southern Schleswig in Germany...
. Only when Denmark lost Schleswig to Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
in the Second Schleswig War, Oldsum became a part of Schleswig-Holstein.
Politics
Since the communal elections of 2008, the Oldsumer Wählergemeinschaft holds eight seats out of nine in the municipality's council. The ninth seat is held by an independent contestant.Economy
With the rise of tourism, agriculture began to play an ever lesser role. Today there are only a few farmsteads scattered across the village. Some farms were evacuated out of the town in the 1950s and 60's and are now situated outside the village proper but still in the municipality's area. Oldsum underwent a transformation from a farmers' to an artists' village, numerous studios and galleries can now be found there. Other important economical factors are a rising number of crafts enterprises as well as retailing.Notable people
- Matthias PetersenMatthias PetersenMatthias Petersen was a sea captain and whaler from Oldsum on the North Frisian island of Föhr...
, 17th century whaling captain, called "Lucky" - Hinrich BrarenHinrich BrarenHinrich Braren , later known as Hinrich Brarens, was a Danish sea captain, pilot inspector and nautical examiner...
, 19th century nautical examiner who wrote the first nautical textbook in German language - Oluf BrarenOluf BrarenOluf Braren was a painter of naïve art from the north Frisian island of Föhr. Some of his works show a strong affinity to his Frisian homeland....
, 18th century painter - Friede SpringerFriede SpringerFriede Springer is a German publisher and widow of Axel Springer....
, widow of Axel SpringerAxel SpringerAxel Springer , was a German journalist and the founder and owner of the Axel Springer AG publishing company.-Early life:...
and major shareholder of Axel Springer AGAxel Springer AGAxel Springer AG is one of the largest multimedia companies in Europe, with more than 11,500 employees and with annual revenues of about €2.9 billion. The Company is active in a total of 36 countries, including Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Russia and Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland...