Dyksterhusen Drilling Platform - Sunken sites and new land

However, those seeking relaxation have found a place of for relaxation and a personal energy boost. The drilling platform is located in the middle of the Wadden Sea National Park. A rich variety of birds and flora calls this place home. Among them are both permanent residents who raise their offspring here, as well as migratory birds who come to Dyksterhusen to build up their stamina and engery reserve for the long journey to distant destinations. The variaty reaches from oystercatchers, avocets, greylag geese and lapwings. During winter, songbirds such as the and the beach pipet and mountain linnet romp in this area . 

If you let your gaze wander over the Dollart, you can see the facilities of the Emder harbour on the right and the Dutch town of Delfzijl in the distance on the left. The bay of the Dollart is the result of heavy storm surges that have taken the land over past centuries. The Second Cosmas and Damian Flood of September 1509 was one of the most devastating catastrophes. Many villages and monasteries were submerged in the floods of the Dollart. Places such as Torum, Fletum, Jansum and the Palmar monastery still have a legendary reputation today and live on in old stories. Originally, the Dollart reached much further south - as far as the village of Bunde.  Due to hard work of the villagers reclaimed a lot of land back from the sea. The process of reclamaing land is called "Einpolderung". The area named Landschaftspolder and Kanalpolder still bear witness to this era.