In the middle of the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park lie the remains of numerous settlements destroyed by storm surges. One of them is the trading settlement of Rungholt, which was submerged in 1362 during the so-called ‘1st Great Mandrenke’.

On May 5, 2026, a memorial ceremony was held at the site of the remains of what is assumed to be Rungholt’s main church – rediscovered in 2023 – as a joint initiative of the Archdiocese of Hamburg and the DFG Research Group FOR 5837 | TORF . In addition to representatives of the Archdiocese of Hamburg and several researchers involved in TORF, Schleswig-Holstein’s Minister for the Environment, Tobias Goldschmidt, also attended the ceremony.

Well known for its legendary demise, Rungholt remains to this day a prominent example of the lasting effects of massive human intervention in the North German coastal region. Traces of medieval settlements have long been known from the mudflats around Hallig Südfall. For the past 10 years, these have been the focus of interdisciplinary research, which is now being continued and expanded to other areas of the North Frisian Wadden Sea as part of the DFG-funded TORF research group.

Goldschmidt, whose area of responsibility also includes coastal and nature conservation in Schleswig-Holstein, used the event to learn about the results achieved so far as well as future approaches to the large-scale restoration of the lost cultural landscape, which remains preserved to this day within the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park.

Already during the carriage ride through the mudflats, the group presented current research findings, that reveal not only the preserved settlement remains around Hallig Südfall but also the massive human interventions in the medieval coastal landscape.

At the site of the medieval church – where the marked-out outline clearly revealed its once-impressive size – a memorial service was then held to honor those who lost their lives during the storm surge of 1362.

Organized by the Archdiocese of Hamburg, Brothers Johannes and Elias from the Nütschau Monastery led the memorial service. The participants laid flowers in the mudflats and, accompanied by incense and singing, walked along the reconstructed foundation walls of the church.

The prayer service was followed by a brief address by the minister, in which Goldschmidt emphasized the importance of the Wadden Sea as both a natural and cultural landscape.

“I never really grasped the fascination with Rungholt – until today,” he said. “Now that we are standing, so to speak, in the middle of the church, it becomes tangible. I was particularly impressed by the size of the old church. It shows how many people once lived and worked here. Researchers make these centuries-old ways of life visible and imaginable. Today, we experience a breathtaking natural landscape here. That 1362 storm surge and its victims serve as a reminder that we must plan, live, and build in harmony with nature, not against it.”

As the tide came in, the group finally set off on their return journey to Nordstrand, continuing their discussion along the way about the historical and current opportunities and challenges facing the North Frisian Wadden Sea region.