A new Research Unit is studying the medieval way of life in the Wadden Sea region in North Frisia (Schleswig-Holstein) and how human intervention at that time resulted in massive transformation of this coastal landscape. The Research Unit, entitled 'Times of Rise and Failure – TORF', is undertaking seven subprojects in various natural science and humanities disciplines. It will be financed by the German Research Foundation (DFG) over the next four years, as the DFG revealed in a press release.

"The Wadden Sea region in North Frisia as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site is an ecosystem that is globally unique. At the same time, it is the relic of a former cultural landscape that was extensively shaped by humans," explains Dr. Hanna Hadler of the Institute of Geography of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and the spokesperson of TORF. "Large areas drowned during a major storm surge known as the 'First Grote Mandränke' in 1362 and were permanently lost. As the subsequent reclamation of these areas failed, today's tidal flats represent a time capsule that preserves archaeological remains that are of enormous value not only for the cultural heritage of North Frisia, but the entire Wadden Sea region of the North Sea."

TORF brings together researchers in the fields of archaeology, history, geography, geology, geophysics, and microbiology who contribute their expertise to the interdisciplinary team. Participating, in addition to JGU, are Kiel University (CAU), the Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie (LEIZA), the State Archaeology Department Schleswig-Holstein (ALSH) and the Lower Saxony Institute for Historical Coastal Research (NIhK).

Thorough surveys have already resulted in the discovery of the ruins of a major church

TORF takes as its starting point the extensive exploration of some tidal flat areas in North Frisia undertaken over the last ten years. Among other things, this has resulted in the detection of the remains of a large church structure – probably that of the drowned medieval trading center of Rungholt – that is sited some seven kilometers from the coast of the Nordstrand peninsula. During the new project, the intention is to reconstruct the whole medieval coastal landscape of North Frisia. The aim is to better comprehend the human impact associated with settlement, cultivation and land use practices, the effects of extreme events, such as storm floods, and human adaptation strategies against them as well as the region's social, political, ecclesiastical, and economic structures. Hadler concludes: "What we plan to do is reconstruct the complex interactions between humans and their environment in medieval North Frisia and understand the human efforts to secure resources, promote settlement activities and combat land loss here. This will provide us with greater insights into the cultural heritage of the region and will also raise public awareness of the potential risks to the current coastline."