Behrendorf: A Geest Village with a Tradition of Equestrian Sports

Behrendorf is a typical Geest village with a predominantly agricultural character. The village has a strong reputation for Holsteiner horse breeding. Low German is still widely used as an everyday language in Behrendorf. Agriculture, horse breeding, and the language heard in daily life give the village a variety of cultural and rural facets. For travelers interested in horses or regional everyday culture, this offers a tangible way to connect with the village’s identity.

Horse Breeding, Riding Club, and Competitions

The Obere Arlau Riding and Driving Club holds dressage competitions in Behrendorf. Annual highlights on the club’s calendar include the Nospa Dressur Classics in April and a major show-jumping competition in August. The program also includes competitions for young people and young horses. As specific event dates may change, check the dates before planning your trip.

The riding club has a large 20 × 60-meter indoor arena. It has an ebb-and-flow footing and spectator stands. The smaller arena is used for lunging, free exercise, and loose jumping for horses. The outdoor riding arena can also be used for training year-round. A full course is set up on the sand show-jumping track each summer.

North Frisia as a Regional Setting

North Frisia offers nature experiences among dikes, inland dunes, moors, and forests. These include walks, cycling tours through the marshland, and visits to small nature reserves. The region has 441 kilometers of coastline. The five North Frisian islands include Sylt, Föhr, and Amrum. North Frisia also encompasses ten Halligen, distinctive landscape formations within Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park. The North Frisian Wadden Sea is a nature reserve and part of Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park. North Frisia is also culturally diverse: among Schleswig-Holstein’s districts, it has the highest density of museums and the largest number of registered cultural monuments.

Cycling routes also offer a tangible way to explore the region: routes in North Frisia are designed as loops, allowing travelers to choose their own start and finish points. On signposted sections, route symbols on signs mark the way; on unmarked stretches, directional arrows provide guidance. The Beltringharder Route starts in Lüttmoorsiel and is 27 kilometers long. The Stollberg-Koog Tour is a 35-kilometer cycling route in North Frisia; it starts in Reußenköge at the Amsinck House.

North Frisia’s nature education offerings include the Schlüttsiel Information Center, with an exhibition and guided tours of the Wadden Sea and nature conservation almost every day. In suitable weather, a guided tour on the sea dike follows. National Park information centers in North Frisia also offer exhibitions and events about the national parks and the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site. Check current tour dates before visiting and bear the weather requirement for the dike tour in mind.

Discover more destinations: Ostenfeld, Husum, Klixbüll, Horstedt, Galmsbüll, Oster-Ohrstedt, Wittbek, Wisch.

Back to the regional travel overview: North Frisia.