Visiting the National Park
Its exceptional location—over 100 km from Hamburg as the seagull flies—can be explained by its history. In the Middle Ages, Hamburg’s merchants wanted control over the mouth of the Elbe and protection from pirates. Therefore they bought the island of Neuwerk from the dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg and built a defence tower on it. This exclave has persisted until today. The mudflats around Neuwerk have been a national park since 1990. Over 100,000 guests visit the island and the park every year.
Getting there
You can get to Neuwerk on foot, by waders or by ferry. All travel times are based on the tides, as is the case everywhere on the North Sea. Allow two hours for the walk through the mudflats from Cuxhaven-Sahlenburg to Neuwerk, one and a half hours for the wadden car on the same route and 90 minutes for the ferry from Cuxhaven-Alte Liebe to Neuwerk. We have put together all the other info for you here: Hints for the way through the mudflats, contacts to the mudflat car trips and the timetable of the shipping company Cassen Eils, which operates the ferry. Neuwerk is car-free.
Holiday on Neuwerk
Although the island has only about 30 inhabitants and is only 3 km² in size, it offers everything for an all-round successful holiday by the sea. Often it’s even convenient for you to have everything in one hand-wagon rides, restaurant and overnight stay. You can find the details here in our flyer ‘Zu Gast auf Neuwerk’.
The Hamburg Wadden Sea National Park is part of the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site, a unique landscape in the world that changes from land to sea every six hours. The best way to get your bearings is to start with our free brochure ‘Welcome to our National Park‘, which provides all the information about the park, hiking suggestions and maps. In summer, you could swim at the northern tip and in the south in the ‘farmer’s harbour’. There are information boards at a total of 16 locations on the island, and an exciting exhibition about the tidal flats awaits you in the Neuwerk National Park House (information centre). Admission is free.
When you have explored Neuwerk and want to experience the mudflats up close, a hike to Scharhörn is a good idea. The island, which is only ½ km² in size, is a bird paradise and is only inhabited in summer. As it lies in the strictly protected Zone I of the National Park, it may only be entered by appointment and with a guide. Register at the Neuwerk National Park House: Phone.: +49 4721 39 53 49 Email: np-haus@wattenmeer-hamburg.de
In spring, Neuwerk’s population multiplies. Thousands of brent geese and white-fronted geese fall in and gorge themselves on fat and energy for their onward journey to Siberia. The ever-growing natural spectacle attracts more and more guests to Neuwerk, and we have organised the goose weeks for this purpose.
Please note
The purpose of a national park is the comprehensive protection of a natural environment that is unique on a national scale. While cities, villages, shopping centres and roads sprawl into the landscape everywhere—nature is number one here. Only here do you have an unobstructed view, hear birds instead of motors and still see the stars at night. To ensure that this can continue in the future, there are a handful of rules of conduct in every national park that we kindly ask you to observe.
Contact the National Park
Nationalpark-Haus Neuwerk (Info-Zentrum)
Insel Neuwerk 6
D-27499 Hamburg-Insel Neuwerk
Phone: +49 4721 395 349
Fax: +49 4721 396 855
Email: np-haus@wattenmeer-hamburg.de
National Park House stands just over 100 m from the Neuwerk lighthouse, which can already be seen from the mainland. The opening hours depend on the tidal wagon trips and ferry times, which in turn depend on the tides.
Neuwerk National Park Station (Ranger)
Thorsten Köster
Turmwurt
D-27499 Hamburg-Insel Neuwerk
Phone: +49 4721 692 71
Fax: +49 4721 288 60
Email: np-station@wattenmeer-hamburg.de
The National Park Station stands on the foundation walls of the former lighthouse keeper’s house, which had to be demolished in 2008 after more than 100 years due to dilapidation. Opposite the Neuwerk Tower.
