Baltrum

At 650 hectares, Baltrum is the smallest of the East Frisian islands. Only around a tenth of the area is used by the 640 inhabitants. The municipality has no street names, the houses are simply numbered, but it does have three villages. The largest of the three is the western village, framed by the beach promenade, with most of the stores and restaurants, the town hall, the spa facilities and all three churches. The roar of the surf is omnipresent here at high tide. The East Village is sheltered between the dunes and the Heller and impresses with its tranquillity, its flower-filled gardens and its proximity to the mudflats and salt marshes. Some of the original islanders' houses can still be found in the small Old East Village. Here you can get an impression of the island's eventful history. Time, peace, fresh air, pedestrians, bicycles, horse-drawn carriages, children playing and no cars characterize island life on Baltrum. The clocks run differently here, nobody is in a hurry.