Delve: Eider, nature and Delver Koog

Water and nature in Delve

Delve has a marina, a campsite and a bathing area on the Eider. The Delver Koog nature reserve is another attraction. This makes both water and natural landscapes central to planning a trip. Facilities may change; check the latest information before visiting.

The Bargen ferry is a ferry for cyclists and pedestrians across the Eider to Erfde (Bargen). The service has operated since 2001, runs seasonally, and schedules may change. If you are planning a crossing, check the latest timetable in advance.

St. Mary’s: construction and furnishings

St. Mary’s is a late Romanesque fieldstone church built in the early 13th century. Its furnishings include an altar dating from 1652, a bronze baptismal font from the 13th century and a pulpit dating from 1618. There is also a pre-Reformation crucifixion group that is more than 600 years old. Votive ships are part of the church’s furnishings, too; they were donated by Delve’s former seafarers’ guild.

The construction date and the different dates of the furnishings place the architecture and fittings in distinct historical periods. This allows visitors to appreciate both the late Romanesque fieldstone building and individual items within it.

Regional insights into Dithmarschen

In the wider Dithmarschen destination, the Dithmarschen State Museum in Meldorf traces 1,200 years of regional history, from the prosperity of the peasant republic to everyday rural life in the 1960s. Its historical scope therefore spans the region’s early political and economic history through to the recent past.

The Dithmarschen Stone Age Park offers hands-on activities such as flint knapping, archery, making Stone Age jewellery, making fire and baking bread. The activities available may vary depending on the programme. The Stone Age Forest in Albersdorf is next to the Stone Age Park. This approximately 40-hectare, natural outdoor site is permanently free to access and includes nine original archaeological monuments. Check access arrangements again before your visit.

On the Dithmarschen coast, guided mudflat walks led by knowledgeable National Park mudflat guides reveal the diverse life of the Wadden Sea when the mudflats are exposed at low tide. Tides and tour dates vary, so take both into account when planning. From Friedrichskoog, the Wadden Sea Conservation Station looks after the national park in southern Dithmarschen, between Meldorfer Koog and the Elbe estuary. The coastal stretch is 30 kilometres long.

The hiking trails also vary in length and format. The first stage of the North–Baltic Sea Hiking Trail runs through Dithmarschen and is just under 40 kilometres long; the entire long-distance trail comprises five stages and runs from Meldorf to Kiel. Near Lunden, the “Mötjensee and White-Tailed Eagle” route is an easy, 12.79-kilometre circular trail for flatland hiking. These offer two different types of route: a stage of a long-distance trail and a circular walk with a stated length and difficulty level. Check route details before setting out.

For a culinary activity, the KOHLosseum Krautwerkstatt offers demonstrations followed by tastings on Tuesdays to Thursdays at 2, 3 and 4 pm. From 1 November until Easter, only the 2 pm demonstration takes place. Check the dates before visiting. During the Dithmarschen Cabbage Days, events throughout Dithmarschen include a varied programme of farmers’ markets, town festivals, and sporting and cultural events. Dates and individual programme items may change.

Go to the main travel overview: Eider parish municipalities.