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HELIGOLAND (Ger. Helgoland)

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Originally appearing in Volume V13, Page 223 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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HELIGOLAND (Ger. Helgoland) , an See also:island of See also:Germany, in the See also:North See also:Sea, lying off the mouths of the See also:Elbe and the See also:Weser, 28 M. from the nearest point in the mainland. Pop. (roots) 2307. From 1807 to 1890 a See also:British See also:possession, it was ceded in 1890 to Germany, and since 1892 has formed See also:part of the Prussian See also:province of See also:Schleswig-See also:Holstein. It consists of two islets, the smaller, the Dunen-Insel, a See also:quarter of a mile E. of the See also:main, or See also:Rock Island, connected until 1720, when it was severed by a violent irruption of the sea, with the other by a See also:neck of See also:land, and the main, or Rock Island. The latter is nearly triangular in shape and is surrounded by steep red cliffs, the only See also:beach being the sandy See also:spit near the See also:south-See also:east point, where the landing-See also:stage is situated. The rocks composing the cliffs are worn into caves, and around the island are many fantastic See also:arches and columns. The impression made by the red cliffs, fringed by a See also:white beach and supporting the See also:green Oberland, is commonly believed to have suggested the See also:national See also:colours, red, white and green, or, as the old Frisian See also:rhyme goes: " Gron is dat Land, See also:Rood is de See also:Kant, Witt is de See also:Sand, Dat is de Flagg vun't hillige Land." The See also:lower See also:town of Unterland, on the spit, and the upper town, or Oberland, situated on the cliff above, are connected by a wooden See also:stair and a lift. There is a powerful lighthouse, and since its cession by See also:Great See also:Britain to Germany, the main island has been strongly fortified, the old See also:English batteries being replaced by armoured turrets mounting guns of heavy calibre. Inside the Dunen-Insel the largest See also:ships can ride safely at See also:anchor, and take in See also:coal and other supplies. The greatest length of the main island, which slopes somewhat from See also:west to east, is just a mile, and the greatest breadth less than a third of a mile, its See also:average height 198 ft., and the highest point, crowned by the See also:church, with a conspicuous See also:spire, 216 ft.

The Dunen-Insel is a sand-See also:

bank protected by groines. It is only about 200 ft. above the sea at its highest point, but the drifting sands make the height rather variable. The sea-bathing See also:establishment is situated here; a shelving beach of white sand presenting excellent facilities for bathing. Most of the houses are built of See also:brick, but some are of See also:wood. There are a See also:theatre, a Kurhaus, and a number of hotels and restaurants. In 1892 a biological See also:institute, with a marine museum and See also:aquarium (Igloo) attached, was opened. During the summer some 20,000 See also:people visit the island for sea-bathing. See also:German is the See also:official See also:language, though among, themselves the natives speak a See also:dialect of Frisian, barely intelligible to the other islands of the See also:group. There is See also:regular communication with See also:Bremen and See also:Hamburg. The winters are stormy. May and the See also:early part of See also:June are wet and foggy, so that few visitors arrive before the See also:middle of the latter See also:month. z For illustrations of the ccrnu see the See also:altar of See also:Julius See also:Victor ex Collegio, reproduced in See also:Bartoli, Pict.

See also:

Ant. p. 76; Bellori, Pict. antiq. See also:crypt. rom. p. 76, pl. viii. ; in Daremberg and Saglio, Did. See also:des antiq. grecques et romaines, under " See also:Cornu," the See also:buccina and cornu have not been distinguished. subject; and it formed the See also:model of the Persiles y Sigismunda of Cervantes. According to the ecclesiastical historian See also:Socrates (Hist. See also:eccles. v. 22), the author of the Aethiopica was a certain See also:Heliodorus, See also:bishop of Tricca in See also:Thessaly. It is supposed that the See also:work was written in his early years before he became a See also:Christian, and that, when confronted with the alternative of disowning it or resigning his bishopric, he preferred resignation. But it is now generally agreed that the real author was a sophist of the 3rd See also:century A.D. The best See also:editions are: A. Coraes (1804), G. A.

Hirschig (1856); see also M. Oeftering, H. and See also:

seine Bedeutung See also:fur See also:die Literatur, with full See also:bibliographies (1901); J. C. See also:Dunlop, See also:History of See also:Prose Fiction (1888); and especially E. Rohde, Der griechische See also:Roman (1900). There are See also:translations in almost all See also:European See also:languages: in English, in See also:Bohn's Classical Library and the " Tudor " See also:series (v., 1895, containing the old See also:translation by T. Underdowne, 1587, with introduction by C. Whibley) ; in See also:French by See also:Amyot and Zevort. The generally accepted derivation of Heligoland (or Helgoland) from Heiligeland, i.e. " See also:Holy Land," seems doubtful. According to See also:northern See also:mythology, Forseti, a son of See also:Balder and Nanna, the See also:god of See also:justice, had a See also:temple on the island, which was subsequently destroyed by St Ludger. This See also:legend may have given rise to the derivation " Holy Land." The more probable See also:etymology, however, is that of Hallaglun, or Halligland, i.e.

" land of See also:

banks, which See also:cover and uncover." Here See also:Hertha, according to tradition, had her great temple, and hither came from the mainland the Angles to See also:worship at her See also:shrine. Here also lived See also:King Radbod, a See also:pagan, and on this isle St See also:Willibrord in the 7th century first preached See also:Christianity; and for its owner-See also:ship, before and after that date, many sea-rovers have fought. Finally it became a See also:fief of the See also:dukes of Schleswig-Holstein, though often hypothecated for loans advanced to these princes by the See also:free See also:city of Hamburg. The island was a Danish possession in 1807, when the English seized and held it until it was formally ceded to them in 1814. In the picturesque old church there are still traces of a painted Dannebrog. In 1890 the island was ceded to Germany, and in 1892 it was incorporated with See also:Prussia, when it was provided that natives See also:born before the See also:year 188o should be allowed to elect either for British or German See also:nationality, and until 1901 no additional import duties were imposed.

End of Article: HELIGOLAND (Ger. Helgoland)

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