A gentle hilly landscape with colorful flowers in the foreground and an orange house against a dramatically cloudy sky. The image depicts a blue house with a red roof, surrounded by green grass and bushes under a cloudy sky.
Germany

Spiekeroog: The Naked Man and the Sea

Between dunes and sky—this blue wooden house on Spiekeroog blends tradition with modern sustainability.
 Spiekeroog, Germany, July 2022

I experienced Spiekeroog as an island of deep tranquility—surprisingly hilly dunes, vast stretches of nature, and a sky heavy with dramatic clouds.

The island village is small and easy to navigate. Narrow paths wind past old houses that look as if they’ve weathered many winter storms. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to take it all in at my own pace—my ferry back to the mainland leaves in less than an hour. So I leave the village behind and take a quick walk through the rolling landscape before heading back to the pier.

In the middle of the island, a striking pyramid rises from the dunes: St. Peter’s Catholic Church. And on top of a lookout dune, a giant naked man—cast in bronze—gazes out to sea. That’s where I have to go now, too.

Goodbye, Spiekeroog. I’ll be back when I have more time.

Map of Spiekeroog
The image depicts a blue house with a red roof, surrounded by green grass and bushes under a cloudy sky.
A gentle hilly landscape with colorful flowers in the foreground and an orange house against a dramatically cloudy sky.
A storm brews over Spiekeroog’s dunes. The island’s 'Haus Wolfgang' stands alone on the horizon, a silent witness to the shifting North Sea weather.
A striking pyramid-shaped building with sloped walls and a pointed top, surrounded by gentle hills and greenery.
St. Peter’s Church on Spiekeroog, consecrated in 1961, is unlike any other church in the region. Its striking pyramid shape and copper-clad roof stand out among the island’s dunes, a bold architectural statement.
A green hillside with a statue on a plateau and two people nearby, under a cloudy sky.
The 'De Utkieker' sculpture on Spiekeroog, created by artist Hannes Helmke, stands atop a dune, gazing out to sea—a modern sentinel watching over the North Sea.