Sunken Cities
Rungholt, the Atlantis of the North
Drowned 1362 · tidal flats · Wadden Sea, North Frisia, Germany
Walk at low tideThe prize. A rich medieval trading town under the mudflats
Where. Wadden Sea, North Frisia, Germany
Status. Walk at low tide
Where. Wadden Sea, North Frisia, Germany
Status. Walk at low tide
The account
On the night of January 16, 1362, the Grote Mandrenke, the Great Drowning of Men, tore the North Sea coast apart and took the town of Rungholt whole. For centuries it was half-legend, the drowned bells of the Wadden Sea. Then the tides began returning plough-marks, wells, and pottery; in 2023, geophysics found the church itself, two kilometres out under the mud. At low tide you can walk the flats above a town the sea keeps.
Leads, where the trail points now
- Pin down the most specific last-known position in the record before going; the search centers on Wadden Sea, North Frisia, Germany.
- What you are chasing is A rich medieval trading town under the mudflats. Work the documented record of Rungholt, the Atlantis of the North back to primary sources and separate what is attested from folklore.
- Wadden Sea National Park, guided tidal-flat walks only; finds must be reported, the mudflats are dangerous without a guide.
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