The grey monks of Klaarkamp
In the Middle Ages Schiermonnikoog was an outlying farm of the Cistercian monastery of Claercamp (Klaarkamp) near Rinsumageest, not far from Dokkum.
- The name: the monks wore grey habits; schier means grey and oog means island, so Schiermonnikoog is the island of the grey monks.
- Dike builders: the monks were known for reclaiming land by building dikes and farming it.
- First mention (1440): the name Schiermonnikoog first appears in a deed of Philip of Burgundy from 1440.
- End of the monastery (1580): when Friesland became Protestant in 1580, the monastery lost its possessions and the island passed to the States of Friesland.
- Monks return (2019): since 2019 monks have lived on the island again, in the former Rijsbergen country house, now Klooster Schiermonnikoog.
An island in private hands
Short of money, Friesland sold the island in 1638, and until 1945 Schiermonnikoog was privately owned.
- The Stachouwer family (1640 to 1859): for more than two centuries the island belonged to the Stachouwer family, who leased the land to the islanders.
- The lady of the island: Catharina Maria Stachouwer, owner of two thirds of the island between 1741 and 1761, called herself the Freule of Schiermonnikoog and regularly clashed with the islanders because of her headstrong manner.
- The counts Von Bernstorff (1893 to 1945): in 1893 the German count Berthold von Bernstorff bought the island for 200,000 guilders and had the pine forests planted; the island then stayed in the family.
- Confiscated (1945): on 27 December 1945 the Dutch state seized the island as enemy property; the last count only received compensation from the German state in 1983.
Westerburen: the village that vanished into the sea
The original village of Westerburen stood where the Westerstrand beach is today, on the west side of the island.
- Slowly eastwards: as early as 1570 the westernmost houses had to be abandoned, and the inhabitants built new homes further east, in Oosterburen and the Molenbuurt.
- A church, a mill and fourteen houses: a 17th-century map still shows a church, a windmill and fourteen houses, but from 1650 the houses were flooded more and more often.
- Swept away by storms: from 1717 heavy storms swept away one house after another, by around 1720 Westerburen was deserted, and on Boxing Day 1760 the last houses disappeared into the sea.
- A new name (1843): the new village, first called Nye Dorp, was officially named Schiermonnikoog in 1843.
Seafaring, nautical school and whaling
Between 1600 and 1850 most islanders lived from fishing and shipping, along with a plot of land for crops and livestock.
- From fishing to merchant shipping: in the 18th century fishing declined, and many men went to sea in merchant and coastal shipping.
- The nautical school (1872 to 1934): in 1872 the island got its own nautical school, where many islanders trained as mates or captains; many of them later moved to the big port cities.
Two lighthouses, lifesavers and the drowned
The sandbanks around Schiermonnikoog were dangerous for shipping, so the island got lighthouses and a lifeboat early on.
- A leading line (1854): in 1853 and 1854 two lighthouses were built that together formed a leading line: ships that saw both lights exactly above each other sailed safely past the sandbanks.
- The Noordertoren: the 36-metre Noordertoren is still in operation and is the symbol of the island.
- The lifeboat: in 1830 Schiermonnikoog got its first lifeboat, a rowing boat, and in 1860 its first boathouse, in the centre of the village so the boat could be launched on both the North Sea and the Wadden Sea.
The Second World War
Schiermonnikoog was occupied on 16 May 1940, and the island stayed in German hands until long after the rest of the Netherlands was liberated.
- Bombings: in 1941 bombs on three houses on the Langestreek killed five people, and in 1943 a bombing raid killed seven, including the mayor and his wife.
- Radar station Schlei: north-east of the village the Germans built the bunker village Schlei with a radar station, and laid a narrow-gauge railway to transport building materials.
- Fleeing Nazis (1945): in April 1945 about 120 SD and SS men from Groningen fled to the island; at the end of May they were lured to the mainland by a ruse and arrested.
- Freed late: only on 11 June 1945 did the last 600 German soldiers leave the island and become Canadian prisoners of war.
From seaside resort to national park
From the end of the 19th century, visitors discovered the peace and nature of Schiermonnikoog.
- The first seaside hotel (1887): a bathing committee was set up in 1866, and in 1887 the first seaside hotel, with 60 rooms, opened with money from Banck; shifting sandbanks caused it to collapse between 1923 and 1925, after which a new hotel was built further inland.
- Guesthouses and holiday homes: many islanders opened a guesthouse, and the first real holiday homes were built from 1920.
- The first national park (1989): on 19 July 1989 Schiermonnikoog National Park was founded, the first national park in the Netherlands in the modern sense.
