If you were looking for a German stand-in for the US science-fiction film 'Dune', you could probably shoot it here: on the Kniepsand off the North Sea island of Amrum. For almost 15 kilometres a beach stretches out here – or rather, a vast sandbank that looks as if someone had simply picked up the Sahara and set it down on the North Sea coast.
Strictly speaking, Kniepsand is not a classic beach. It is an extensive sandbank in the North Sea that nestles directly against the west coast of the Schleswig-Holstein island of Amrum. Geologically it does not belong to the island, but to the eye it is almost indistinguishable, as it merges almost seamlessly into the dune landscape.
A sandbank that has carved out its own path
Its name comes from Öömrang, the Frisian dialect spoken on Amrum: the word 'kniap' roughly means 'to pinch'. The sandbank was first mentioned in records in the 16th century. At that time it still lay at a right angle to Amrum.
For centuries tides and currents slowly pushed it towards the island. As late as the 1960s a narrow stretch of water still separated Kniepsand from Amrum. Today it is firmly attached to the dunes.
