Dangast in frosty temperatures in February
- Written by Portal Editor
A cold and strong wind awaits us in Dangast, although the place adorns itself with the confusing title "southernmost North Sea resort", if one associates "southern" with pleasant temperatures.
From a geographic point of view, absolutely correct, but the strong, icy wind of this day is more reminiscent of the Arctic Circle. Once again up north, we wanted to include a short walk along the Jade Bay with the piece of rhubarb cake from the Kurhaus, which is also well-known nationally, in our route. The Kurhaus was built in 1820 as a successor to the first "Conversationshaus" from 1804, which burned down.
How did the rhubarb get into the Kurhaus – an incident
For many years, the Kurhaus in Dangast has been a magical attraction for numerous interest groups, including motorcyclists who come from many directions and like to come to Dangast for a piece of cake with their own whipped cream. In addition, a coffee or even heartier a mug of cocoa. We have known the Kurhaus for many years, not to forget the numerous exhibitions by artists who live on site and in the surrounding area, the nice ambience and the possibility of swimming in the North Sea (at least in summer and at high tide).
The rhubarb cake has been a symbol of the highly frequented culinary delights of the Kurhaus since 1977. Back then, Ulrike Tapken introduced the legendary rhubarb cake, for which the Kurhaus is so well known.
Karl-August Tapken remembers: "It was a coincidence, the great-uncle brought something here, and then in the autumn we had nothing left and in the evening in bed Ulrike grabbed the baking book and looked for something that we had as a substitute, which she could bake now no more rhubarb.
Man, I mean we don't have anything else to do tonight... It's okay, I don't want to exclude myself either, then I'll read through what Johnny Oltmann, the supplier, in Jever, has to offer.
I thought maybe gooseberries or something, and then I read it through like this, and then there was ten kilos of rhubarb down there. I say put away the baking book, Johnny offers rhubarb. I'll call him next morning and say: Johnny, you have rhubarb for sale. No, what do you want with that?
Yes, bake cakes. I haven't heard of that at all, that sour stuff you make cakes from.
Yes, I make cakes from the sour stuff. Yes, I don't care at all. but do you have it in your order record. Yes, I have to write something there too, I don't have such a large assortment. (laughs) He just wrote it in. Yes, how much do you need? Yes, we could still use 20 centners over the winter...
Then he ordered a whole pallet in Belgium or Holland, I don't even know, and we always called them up like that, when we needed them, that's how it happened..."
So that's how the rhubarb cake started in the Kurhaus, now supplemented by other types of cake and of course other dishes that are available for the various events and celebrations. But more on that later.
However, as soon as we entered the Kurhaus, we were surprised to see the large hall bursting at the seams due to a concert: a singing group created a good atmosphere, which we were to meet again a little later at the phallus.
The phallus - 4.6 tons of granite
When Eckart Grenzer erected his 4.6-ton sculpture "Grenzstein" in 1984, all of Germany looked to Dangast.
The reason was the unique shape of the granite work of art, which today is only known as the "phallus".
The Bild newspaper put the line-up on the front page, even the "Tagesthemen" reported on the scandal. Residents let their anger run free in angry letters and self-written abusive poems.
Today, the phallus, which, depending on the weather, is washed "shallowly and tenderly" (Grenzer) or stormy by the sea every twelve hours, is no longer a stumbling block. Grenzer's sculpture belongs to Dangast, like the mud flats, the water and the wind.
Back to the beach
Dangast has a sandy beach about two kilometres long, but this is interrupted by fenced-off private property and only sections of it are open to the public. At high tide you can swim there, at low tide you can explore the mudflats. There are also several large campsites and a seawater swimming pool, the "DanGastQuellbad". The latter is fed from an iodine brine source located 573 meters below sea level. This is about 40 million year old sea water. Adjacent to the spring bath is the "World Natural Heritage Portal" as the gateway to the Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park. The beaches in Dangast are still accessible for free.
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