a lot of land to the North Sea. There is evidence of Viking settlements. Süderhöft/Bohl gave up its independence after the flood of 1553. The churches of St. Peter and Ording joined parishes in 1867. It was not until 1967 that they were merged into St. Peter-Ording. In 1970, the community became part of the district of North Friesland; it previously belonged to the district of Eiderstedt. Because of the constant loss of sand, no harbour could be built and St. Peter-Ording never established a fishing industry. Even agriculture was not always successful, due to the salinity of the soil from flooding and silting. Scavengers, termed Hitzlöper used to comb the strand looking for flotsam. Valuable items were often hidden in order to avoid paying duty. The wandering dunes created ongoing problems for the residents. Thus, Ording twice had to abandon its church after the parishioners had had to shovel their way to church over decades. The planting of permanent vegetation started 1860, at the direction of the Danish king, who reign over the area until 1864; Denmark's border was the nearby Eider River. In 1867 St. Peter became part of Prussia. St. Peter-Ording's importance as a beach resort dates from 1877, when the first hotel was built. In 1913 the first sanatorium was built. In 1953 a strong iodine spring was found and more curative facilities were built. In 1958 the state recognized St.Peter-Ording as a North Sea spa and sulphur spring. The first of the characteristic stilt houses on the beach was built in 1911 and called itself "Giftbude" because, in the local dialect, "es dort wat gift" - "there's something available there", which, to insiders, meant Cognac. Transportation to St. Peter-Ording was gradually improved. In 1926 the first pier was built on Ording beach, in 1932, the Husum–Bad St. Peter-Ording railway was extended from Garding. Improved road access has been made possible by the construction of the Eidersperrwerk, a sea barrier on the Eider River. St. Peter-Ording was used in several film and television productions, including "Jan Delay - Somehow, Someday, Somewhere," "Against the Wind" and "Now or Never". See also Eiderstedt peninsula References External links Seaside resorts in Germany Populated coastal places in Germany (North Sea) Nordfriesland