(99.5%) of Büsum's tourists are Germans. One of the landmarks of the town is Büsum Lighthouse. Built in 1912/13 from 55 tons of cast iron plates, it was originally painted black until it received its characteristic red and white daymark in 1952. It has been operated automatically since 1976 and is managed by the Water and Shipping Authority Tönning. From the harbor of Büsum, tourists can take trips to sea, either for pleasure or fishing, as nature trips along the Wadden Sea National Parks, or to the island Helgoland. Energy Büsum is the end point of the NordLink sea cable which transmits up to 1400 MW between Norway and Germany. The line continues with 54 km of underground cables to the transformers in Wilster. Population Until the 20th century, Dithmarschen had been a rather secluded spot on the map with little influx from the outside world. This changed drastically during World War II, when it became home to evacuees from Hamburg and other bombed cities in Schleswig-Holstein as well as war refugees from the east. The constant stream of newcomers nearly doubled the population, with many of the refugees living in barracks for years. It took nearly a decade before life in Büsum and other towns returned to normal. In the 1970s and 1980s, Büsum received an influx of foreign workers, mainly from Turkey, to work at the local shipyard until it closed in 1986. In the summer monthas, the inhabitants of Büsum are vastly outnumbered by tourists staying in the town for a few days or a few weeks. Language The traditional language spoken in Büsum is Dithmarscher Platt, a variant of Low German. The old dialect is still in use, especially among the fishermen and the older generation of longtime residents. Commonly used phrases include: "Moin, moin!" ("Hello!") and "Kiek mol wedder in!" ("Komm mal wieder vorbei!") Dithmarscher Platt was also the language used by the poet Klaus Groth in his poem Ol Büsum (Old Büsum) published in 1853 in the book Quickborn. The dark and melancholic poem describes the flood that claimed the old island and how sometimes at low tide the rooftops of the old settlement could still be seen and the bells from the tower of the sunken church could be heard. Religion Büsum originally was part of the Catholic bishopric of Hamburg and Bremen, but turned to Protestantism during the reformation in Dithmarschen in