Dr. Thomas Gerdes

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Trischendamm

In July 2026, I went for a Sunday photo walk out along the Trischendamm, a narrow causeway reaching almost two and a half kilometres into the Wadden Sea near Friedrichskoog-Spitze.

The day began under a clear blue sky, but the cloud thickened steadily as the afternoon wore on.

Wadden Sea mudflats at low tide beneath a wide sky filled with towering clouds. Rows of wooden groynes stretch horizontally across the wet tidal flats. Along the left edge runs a dyke with dry grass, where a few people are sitting. Several figures walk across the muddy expanse, one pushing a small cart. Two seagulls fly through the frame, and an offshore structure is faintly visible on the horizon.
Vacationers enjoying the sun on the flats beside the dam.

The Trischendamm was planned as a piece of coastal defence. It was built in 1935/36 to block off a dangerous tidal channel that was threatening Friedrichskoog, much of which lies below sea level. At around 2.4 kilometres long, it was originally intended to run much further, all the way out to the island of Trischen some fourteen kilometres offshore.

Today, the dam is a public footpath, generally passable on foot even at high tide, and only becomes unsafe to cross during exceptionally high storm surges. The photos below follow the walk out along it and back.

An old aluminium rowing boat rests on grassy salt marsh, tethered with ropes to a row of low wooden posts stretching across the frame. Beyond the marsh, pale tidal flats stretch to a hazy horizon under an overcast sky.Wadden Sea mudflats at low tide, with muddy brown sand streaked with tidal channels and patches of green marsh grass in the foreground. Rows of wooden groynes stretch across the middle distance. On the horizon, dozens of wind turbines line the coast beneath a sky of scattered clouds and blue patches.Wide salt marsh landscape with lush green and golden grasses, criss-crossed by a winding tidal creek in the foreground. Two seagulls glide across a pale blue sky dotted with soft clouds. The flat horizon stretches uninterrupted into the distance.Expansive tidal flat landscape with calm, silvery water beneath an overcast sky. Rows of dark wooden posts curve away towards the horizon. In the foreground, a small patch of vivid green marsh grass sits amid shallow pools reflecting the pale sky. Scattered footprints trace across the wet sand.Black-and-white photograph of the Wadden Sea, with several parallel rows of weathered wooden posts running diagonally across the reflective water towards the horizon. The contrast between dark posts, pale sand, and clouded sky creates a graphic, almost abstract pattern. Numerous footprints and small puddles mark the foreground.A rocky dyke slopes down towards wide tidal mudflats beneath a soft, pastel-toned overcast sky. A roadside sign reading "Verschmutzte Fahrbahn" (soiled carriageway) stands on a pole beside a paved path, with patches of green marsh grass and distant wooden groynes visible along the shoreline.A minimalist scene atop a grassy dyke against a wide, clear blue sky. A small child on a balance bike rides along the crest on the left, while two women walk hand in hand further along to the right. The golden-green grass fills the lower half of the frame, with only a few wisps of cloud breaking the sky above.A lifeguard's elevated wooden watchtower stands atop a grassy dyke, flanked by fluttering flags including the German flag and a red civic flag. A woman in a red jacket walks along the crest of the dyke nearby, with wooden benches visible further along the path beneath a heavily clouded sky.

What stayed with me most was simply how it feels to stand two kilometres out into the sea on dry ground, even at low tide, with the water gone and the mudflats stretching away on both sides.

Black-and-white photograph of a raised causeway leading straight towards the horizon across the Wadden Sea flats, flanked by rocky embankments and shallow pools. Dramatic crepuscular rays break through heavy clouds above, and the faint silhouette of an offshore platform is visible in the distance.
The dam leading out into the Wadden Sea.

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