Terschelling

From Free net encyclopedia

Terschelling (Frisian: Skylge) is a municipality and an island in the northern Netherlands, one of the West Frisian Islands. The island is known for being the only Wadden island where cranberries grow. In 1840, a barrel of cranberries (that sailors would eat to prevent scurvy) washed ashore on the island's coast, and the cranberries, finding the environment favourable, established themselves on the island. Nowadays, the cranberry fields cover 0.48 km². The cranberries are mainly sold to tourists and used by the island's restaurants.

The main source of income on Terschelling is tourism. Furthermore, there is some agriculture. A large part of the island is a nature reserve.

Terschelling is well-known for the yearly Oerol-festival during which theatre-performances are played throughout the island, making use of its landscape and nature.

Travel
You can travel to Terschelling by ferry from the Frisian town Harlingen.

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History

The island in its current shape was formed in te Middle Ages from a sandy area called "De Schelling" in the west and the original island Wexalia in the east. The name Wexalia, Wuxalia or Wecsile is the medieval name of eastern Terschelling. However this name disappeared at the end of the Middle Ages. The last appearance of the name Wexalia is in a treaty between Folkerus Reijner Popma, then ruler of Terschelling, with king Edward IV of England in 1482.

The oldest traces of civilisation on Terschelling date from around 850, when a small wooden church was built on a hill near Seerijp or Striep. This hill was later used as a burial ground and is known as the ”Strieperkerkhof”.

Historically tensions existed between the inhabitants of West-Terschelling, with its strong orientation towards the sea, and the more agriculturally oriented inhabitants of East-Terschelling. In 1612 this led to the division of the island in two independent political entities, West-Terschelling and East-Terschelling. Only after the French occupation at the start of the 19th century was Terschelling united as one entity again.

In 1666 West-Terschelling was ransacked by the English. The English fleet originally planned to attack the Dutch merchant fleet which was moored before the coast of Vlieland, the next island to the west. When the Dutch vessels retreated towards Terschelling, the English followed, destroyed 150 Dutch vessels, and landed in the harbour of West-Terschelling. The town was burnt to the ground by the English on this occasion which would become known as "Holmes's bonfire" after the English admiral Holmes. The next year, in 1667, the Dutch under command of De Ruyter planned a retaliatory expedition, sailed up the Thames river and dealt the English navy a heavy blow at the Raid on the Medway (aka the battle of Chatham), in effect ending the Second Anglo-Dutch War.

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