Dr. Carl-Haeberlin Friesen-Museum

With a focus on natural and cultural history, the Dr.-Carl-Haeberlin-Friesenmuseum Wyk auf Föhr shapes the cultural profile of the island town of Wyk auf Föhr. The institution brings together natural history and ethnological holdings with a particular emphasis on Nordfriesland and the island of Föhr.

The museum was founded in 1908 at the initiative of the physician Carl Haeberlin, who in the preceding years had consolidated collections and incorporated the Föhrer Naturwissenschaftlich-kulturhistorischen Verein, founded in 1902. The initial material consisted of existing exhibits from Utersum and support from the society. Over the decades the collection grew so much that structural extensions became necessary; changes in sponsorship and further renovations accompanied this development. As early as 1927 the museum was given the founder’s name; inside, an oil painting in a prominent position commemorates his work. The centenary was observed in 2008.

The museum complex draws on traditional island building types; characteristic entranceways are emphasized by covered jawbone frames. On the grounds since 1927 stands the Haus Olesen, a farmhouse from 1617 relocated from Alkersum, which illustrates the living and working conditions of that time. Later a library connection (1967/68) and the Midlumer Scheune (2000) were added, where traditional farming methods, grain processing and agricultural implements are displayed. Since 1981 responsibility for the buildings and collections has rested with the district of Nordfriesland; their care is entrusted to the Stiftung Nordfriesland.

The exhibitions combine geological finds and fossils with archaeological objects from the Stone Age to the regional layer, holdings on the fauna and flora of the Wadden Sea, as well as exhibits on fishing and hunting. Cultural history is represented by portrayals of the spa town of Wyk, furnished craft workshops, maritime objects including ship models and a reconstructed captain’s cabin, and folklife topics such as traditional costume, customs, domestic interior design and Pesel. In addition, the museum documents dike construction and storm floods, the emigration of residents of Föhr to the USA, as well as everyday culture, schooling and church.