Team Nordfraschlönj at EUROPEADA

The official women's team representing The team „Nordfrasche“will be participating at the Europeada for the first time. But they participated with a women's team among 16 other all-men teams at the first EUROPEADA in 2008 when there hasn't been a distinction between men and women teams.

The North Frisians

The team „Nordfrasche“ is representing the language minority of the North Frisians at the EUROPEADA. Around the year 700 the Frisians reached the isles of Sylt, Amrun and Föhr, coming from the North Sea. In 110 they began expanding their settlement zone notably, during the 14th and 15th century the Frisians settled the border of the Schleswig Geest. A crucial incision of the North Frisian history was the „second big drowning” in October 1634. After a storm surge, which destroyed the isle and the beach, thousands of inhabitants lost their lives. Mid-seventieth century the territory went through an economic boom due to whale hunt and commercial shipping, when North Frisians signed on Dutch, Hamburg and Copenhagen ships to earn their money. The cities of Tönning and Husum evolved into commercial centres. After World War I a referendum was held out in order to decide about the territory affiliation of the Northern and middle parts of Schleswig. The Northern part of the Tondern district decided in favour of Denmark, the Southern part remained part of Schleswig Holstein, as well as the small Northern part of the Husum district. As part of the district reform in Schleswig-Holstein, which took place the 26th April 1970, the three districts Eiderstedt, Husum and Südtondern were joined to the new “district of North Friesland” with main office in Husum. Even nowadays the North Frisians are living above this district on the isle of Helgoland. The Frisian language, which is spoken by ca. 10.000 people, is their most important identifying feature. Due to Article 5 of the Schleswig-Holstein state constitution, the Frisian ethnic group is appreciating the right of protection and funding. Since 2004 the Frisian law has strengthened their rights in public life and also the confession of being an own ethnic group. The poet Theodor Storm is descending from the North Frisian people; he became famous through its novel “The Dykemaster”.