The Spreer-Wrees, a family of four, live all on their own on the Süderoog Hallig, a little island in the Wadden Sea. How do they cope with the isolation?
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00A house, some sheep, and a 360-degree view of the North Sea – that sums up Züderoog
00:06Hallig, a small island off Germany's coast.
00:10This is its entire population – Holger, Nela and their daughters Fenja and Ilvi.
00:15It's a unique life, and not always an easy one.
00:21Züderoog lies about 140 kilometers northwest of Hamburg.
00:26It's one of ten small islands, known as Halligen, undyked and often flooded.
00:31As part of the North Frisian Wadden Sea, it has UNESCO World Heritage status and is also
00:36a bird sanctuary.
00:39The Züderoog Hallig is 60 hectares in size.
00:43It takes a good hour to walk around its edge.
00:48Holger and Nela moved here in 2013.
00:51In spite of the many challenges, they haven't regretted their decision.
00:55The family draws electricity from solar panels and, in winter, a generator.
01:00They get much of their food from their own garden.
01:03The pantry is always well-stocked as there are no shops here.
01:07Life on Züderoog has to be well-organized.
01:12You can't spontaneously go out for a beer with friends, but it's not like we're
01:16in jail either.
01:17You have to plan everything.
01:20They can't leave the island in bad weather.
01:23And in a storm, when the sea almost reaches the house, they take to their shelter.
01:31The shelter is the sturdiest part of the house.
01:35If the other parts of the structure are in danger of high water, that would be the last
01:39part left standing.
01:42Where most people might take their car or public transportation, Holger goes out in
01:47his boat.
01:50The boat is really our only way to properly supply the Halles.
01:54Trips to and from the Halles are made as needed.
01:57And of course factors like the North Sea come into play.
02:00We have to align with the tides, ebb and flow, and the weather has to cooperate as well.
02:07At first glance, it may look as if Fenja and Ilvi have an idyllic, well-protected childhood
02:12on the island.
02:13But their friends, daycare center and school are all far away, on the neighboring island
02:18of Pellwurm.
02:20On weekdays, the girls stay there with their mother in a vacation apartment.
02:24It's tough for the family to split time between here and the neighboring island.
02:31So we decided she would attend classes on Pellwurm, part-time, and whenever possible,
02:36join remotely every other week from home via the internet.
02:44Nela and Holger work for the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.
02:48Among their tasks are coastal protection, keeping up the ranch, and nature conservation.
02:54The family also keeps a herd of sheep on the island.
02:58The sheep are like natural lawn mowers, so the grass does not grow too high here and
03:02the plants can develop accordingly.
03:06Holger has also written a children's book about life on the Halig, entitled Halig Magic
03:11in the Wadden Sea.
03:13His daughters are the story's main characters, but he and Nele put in appearances as well.
03:19It wasn't at all hard for me to write this story or to think it up.
03:22In fact, many of the situations in it are what I've experienced directly or in modified
03:28form.
03:31Life on the Halig has uniquely shaped this family.
03:34It's the only life the kids know, and Holger and Nela have met all the challenges.
03:40You have to think everything through, and each time you do something well and gain more
03:45experience, you become more confident, both in terms of self-confidence and self-esteem.
03:56You don't have neighbors getting on your nerves, right?
04:00No, you're free.
04:05And you have to learn to fend for yourself.
04:08You have a wide view all around, which gives you a different perspective on certain things
04:13than if you were in the middle of it all.
04:16In spite of the hardships, this family wouldn't think of living anywhere but on Sudauk, all
04:21by themselves in the North Frisian Wadden Sea.