Schlei Bay

Schlei Bay, the longest freshwater inlet in Germany, is both a defining feature of Schleswig’s setting and the site of a distinctive local tradition. Its waters once separated an island of nesting gulls from the old fishing quarter of Holm, where a designated Seagull King alone could gather and sell the birds’ eggs.

Geography and Setting

Schlei Bay extends inland from the sea, which lies almost forty kilometers away. At the water’s edge in the oldest part of Schleswig is Holm, a picturesque fishing settlement of low houses and standard roses. Just offshore, a tiny island in the bay hosts thousands of Black-headed Gulls breeding close together.

The Seagull King and the Island

According to an ancient local custom, the Seagull King was the only person permitted to set foot on the gull island. He alone could cross the water to collect the eggs and sell them. The arrangement tied access to the island, the birds’ nesting grounds, and the town’s livelihood to a single traditional role.

The Egg Trade and Its End

Schleswig was once famous for its gull eggs, which had to be boiled for a long time to kill salmonella. The birds fed largely on waste from the nearby Böklunder sausage factory, and their eggs increasingly acquired a disgusting, meaty taste. That consequence of the gulls’ feeding habits brought the trade to an end: the eggs were eventually prohibited.