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The Burchardi flood (also known as the second Grote Mandrenke) was a storm tide that struck the North Sea coast of North Frisia, Dithmarschen (in modern-day Germany) and southwest Jutland (in modern-day Denmark) on the night between 11 and 12 October 1634. Overrunning dikes, it shattered the coastline and caused thousands of deaths (8,000 to 15,000 people drowned) and catastrophic material damage. Much of the island of Strand washed away, forming the islands Nordstrand, Pellworm and several .
The Burchardi flood was merely the last in a series of floods that hit the coastline of Schleswig-Holstein in that period. In 1625, great ice-floats had already caused major damage to the Levee.Zitscher, Fritz-Ferdinand. "Der Einfluß der Sturmfluten auf die historische Entwicklung des nordfriesischen Lebensraumes", p. 169. In Reinhardt, Die erschreckliche Wasser-Fluth 1634 Several storm floods are reported by the chronicles during the years prior to 1634; the fact that the dikes did not hold even during summer provides evidence for their insufficient maintenance.
Leeghwater and his son fled over the dike towards a manor which was situated on higher terrain while the water had almost reached the top of the dike. At the time there were 38 persons in that manor, 20 of whom were refugees from lower lands. He continues:cited after Riecken, p. 11 ff.: "Der Wind drehte sich ein wenig nach Nordwesten und wehte platt gegen das Herrenhaus, so hart und steif, wie ich's in meinem Leben nicht gesehen habe. An einer starken Tür, die an der Westseite stand, sprangen die Riegel aus dem Pfosten von den Meereswogen, so daß das Wasser das Feuer auslöschte und so hoch auf den Flur kam, daß es über meine Kniestiefel hinweglief, ungefähr 13 Fuß höher als das Maifeld des alten Landes … Am Nordende des Herrenhauses, welches dicht am Seetief stand, spülte die Erde unter dem Haus weg … Infolgedessen barst das Haus, die Diele und der Boden auseinander … Es schien nicht anders als solle das Herrenhaus mit allen, die darin waren, vom Deich abspülen. Des Morgens … da waren alle Zelte und Hütten weggespült, die auf dem ganzen Werk waren, sechs- oder siebenunddreißig an der Zahl, mit allen Menschen, die darin waren. … Große Seeschiffe waren auf dem hohen Deich stehengeblieben, wie ich selber gesehen habe. Mehrere Schiffe standen in Husum auf der hohen Straße. Ich bin auch den Strand allda geritten, da hab ich wunderliche Dinge gesehen, viele verschiedene tote Tiere, Balken von Häusern, zertrümmerte Wagen und eine ganze Menge Holz, Heu, Stroh und Stoppeln. Auch habe ich dabei so manche Menschen gesehen, die ertrunken waren."
The witness Peter Sax from Koldenbüttel described the scenario as follows:cited after Riecken, p. 35 ff.: ...um sechs Uhr am abend fing Gott der Herr aus dem Osten mit Wind und Regen zu wettern, um sieben wendete er den Wind nach dem Südwesten und ließ ihn so stark wehen, daß fast kein Menschen gehen oder stehen konnte, um acht und neun waren alle Deiche schon zerschlagen … Gott der Herr ließ donnern, regnen, hageln, blitzen und den Wind so kräftig wehen, daß die Grundfeste der Erde sich bewegten … um zehn Uhr war alles geschehen.
In combination with half a Tide, the wind was pushing the water against the coastline with such a force that the first dike broke in the Stintebüll parish on Strand island at 10 p.m. About two hours past midnight the water had reached its peak level. Contemporary reports write of a water level on the mainland of ca. above mean high tide, which is only slightly below the all-time highest flood level that was recorded at Husum during the 1976 flood with above mean high tide.
The water rose so high that not only were the dikes destroyed but also houses in the shallow marshlands and even those on artificial dwelling hills were flooded. Some houses collapsed while others were set on fire due to unattended fireplaces.
On Strand alone at least 6,123 people (or 2/3 of the entire population of the island) and 50,000 livestock lost their lives due to 44 dike breaches. The water destroyed 1,300 houses and 30 mills. All 21 churches on Strand were heavily damaged, 17 of which were completely destroyed. Almost the entire new harvest was lost. And the island of Strand was torn apart, forming the smaller islands Nordstrand and Pellworm and the halligen Südfall and Nordstrandischmoor. The Nübbel and Nieland halligen were submerged in the sea.
On the Eiderstedt peninsula, 2,107 people and 12,802 livestock drowned and 664 houses were destroyed by the flood according to Heimreich's chronicle. Heimreich counts 383 dead in Dithmarschen. 168 people died, 1,360 livestock were lost, and 102 houses "drifted away" died in Busen parish (today's Büsum) and the areas along the mouth of the river Eider. Numerous people were killed in the coastal marshlands and victims were recorded even in settlements in the back-country like Bargum, Breklum, Almdorf or Bohmstedt. Even in Hamburg dikes broke in the Hammerbrook and Wilhelmsburg quarters. In Lower-Saxony, the dike of Jork broke at a length of 900 m.
The ambitious project by the Dukes of Gottorp to shut off the bay of Dagebüll, today's Bökingharde, with one single, large dike, which had been progressing after ten years of hard work, was now finally destroyed by the flood. Fagebüll and Fahretoft (which were still halligen back then) suffered great losses of land and lives. The church of Ockholm was destroyed and the sea dike had to be relocated landwards.
In southwestern Jutland, the Danish town of Ribe (a historically very important location and the main and largest town in that region) was entirely flooded and all dikes were penetrated. The Ribe Cathedral, which is located at a high point in the town that is above normal sea level, was flooded by of water. Although southwestern Jutland has experienced several severe floods, this is the highest ever recorded (also exceeding the historical Saint Marcellus's flood and the modern Cyclone Anatol flood) and today it is marked as the top point on a flood pillar in Ribe. Markings after the flood can also still be seen on the cathedral's walls. Limited data is available on the number of fatalities, but in Nørre Farup parish (just north of Ribe) about half the population drowned and there were records of people drowning as far as inland as Seem, normally located from the sea.
M. Löbedanz, the preacher of Gaikebüll, describes the situation on Nordstrand after the flood:
In cultural terms, the Strand Frisian of the North Frisian language was lost. The number of victims who spoke the idiom was too high and moreover many islanders moved their homes to the mainland or the higher hallig Nordstrandischmoor – against the order of Duke Frederick III.
By 1637 dikes on Pellworm were restored for 1,800 of land. On Nordstrand however, the remaining farmers lived on dwelling hills like the hallig people and were hardly able to cultivate their fields. Despite several orders by the Duke, they failed in restoring the dikes. According to the Nordstrand dike law, those who could not secure land against the sea with dikes forfeit it. Finally the Duke enforced the Frisian law of De nich will dieken, de mutt wieken (Low German:"Who does not want to build a dike, shall lose ground"), Confiscation the locals and attracted foreign settlers with a charter that promised land and considerable privileges to investors in dikes, like the sovereignty of policing and justice. One such investor was the Dutch entrepreneur Quirinus Indervelden who managed to create the first new polder in 1654 with Dutch money and expert workers from Brabant. Other polders followed in 1657 and 1663. This Dutch settlement is still present today in form of an Old Catholic churchhouse. The Old Catholic Dutchmen had been allowed to practise their religion in Lutheranism Denmark and to erect their own church. Until 1870 the preacher there used to hold the sermon in Dutch.
In the course of further land reclamation, both islands Pellworm and Nordstrand today have a total area of ca. 9,000 hectares which is one third of old Strand island. Between the islands, the Norderhever tidal channel was formed which has gained up to 30 m of depth during the last 370 years. It has frequently been a threat to the geological foundations of Pellworm.
Long-term effects
The Burchardi flood had especially severe consequences for Strand island where large parts of the land were lying below sea level. For weeks and months after the flood the water did not run off. Due to tidal currents the size of the dike breaches increased and several dike lines were eventually completely washed into the sea. This meant that a lot of arable land which had still been worked on directly after the flood had to be abandoned in later times because it could not be kept against the intruding sea. Saline sea water frequently submerged the fields of Strand so that they could no longer be used for agriculture.
Contemporary reaction
The people of the time could only imagine such a flood as a divine punishment from God. The evangelical enthusiast and poet Anna Ovena Hoyer interpreted the Burchardi Flood as the beginning of the apocalypse.
(1984). 9783880422575, Husum Druck- und Verlagsgesellschaft. ISBN 9783880422575
(1991). 9783529061851, Wachholtz. ISBN 9783529061851
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