Rungholt

Rungholt is a historic, partly legendary medieval settlement on the North Frisian coast of Schleswig-Holstein that was submerged by storm tides and coastal flooding in the Middle Ages. It is associated in historical tradition with a major storm surge that destroyed many coastal communities.

The site is known from medieval records and later archaeological finds of structures, dykes and artifacts that appear in the Wadden Sea mudflats at low tide. Interest in Rungholt combines documentary history with periodic field discoveries when tidal conditions reveal remnants.

Historical sources link the town’s loss to large storm surges that affected the southern North Sea coast in the 14th century; over ensuing centuries the area has been reshaped by tides and sediment movement. The site is often cited in regional history as an example of medieval coastal disaster and changing shorelines.

Rungholt lies under the tidal flats off the North Frisian coast of Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany, within the Wadden Sea area where mudflats and shifting sands expose occasional remains at low tide.

• Submerged remains: Archaeological finds and historical records place Rungholt as a medieval settlement lost beneath the Wadden Sea after a catastrophic storm in the 14th century, and remains sometimes appear in the intertidal flats.