Water as Leverage - Wadden Sea Region

Water as Leverage for Climate Adaptation: Wadden Sea Region
Fanø
Context
The Northernmost
Wadden Island
Fanø is the northernmost island of
the Wadden Sea, just off the coast
of Esbjerg, and Denmark’s second
smallest municipality.
The island has three main towns.
The most northern urban center,
the port town of Nordby, is the
gateway to the mainland. Here, the
ferry to and from Esbjerg arrives.
Secondly, the sommerhusområde
or summerhouse town of Rindby
is the main touristic area in the
middle of the island, with newer
houses built against the dunes.
The third village, Sønderho, lies
at the southern tip of the island. It
is considered the most beautiful
village of Denmark and has a
long-standing maritime history,
which it has in common with
Nordby. Both towns are dotted
with its typical brick-and-straw
thatched roofed vernacular
architecture, all following the
east-west orientation, since it is
the most dominant wind direction.
Sometimes people speak of a
fourth village: the beach town of
Fanø Vesterhavsbad.
A large amount of nature
surrounds the urban centers of
the island. On the western side,
there is a large compacted sand
beach — even accessible by car —
followed by dunes. Overall, nature
consists predominantly of heath,
with some small trees that never
grow tall due to the North Sea’s
western winds. Around 80 % of
Fanø is protected by Natura2000
while more than half of its area is
protected by Danish nature law
(Naturbeskyttelsesloven §3) to
preserve certain types of nature.
Most of the Southern part of the
island (1.400 hectare) is preserved
through maintenance of the
landscape. However, some parts
of nature are reclaimed for other
purposes, like golf terrains and
summer houses. Scattered on the
island, different bunkers from the
second World War can be found.
The island is only connected by
the mainland by means of a ferry
to Esbjerg, which is currently
going back and forth 3 times an
hour during the day, taking 12
minutes to reach the other side.
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Fanø