The island originates from the 15th or 16th century. At first the island was used for agriculture by the St. Juliana's Abbey from Rottum. Rottumeroog is now part of the natural reserve Rottum and access to the island is prohibited, save for people with a special permit.
Rottumeroog does not have a solid core and slowly moves in southeastern direction as a result of sea currents. On the north side, land is gradually washed away; on the south side, new land is forming. Rottumeroog had a surface area of 205 ha (510 acres) in 1995 and 265 ha (650 acres) in 2007.[1]
History
Rottum and Bosch, pre-1682 (south at top)The navigational beacon Emder Kaap in 1996
Between 1400 and 1540 CE, the island of Monnikenlangenoog had split into the islands of Bosch and Rottumeroog. Bosch had disappeared in the 18th century, but Rottumeroog still remains today.[2]
The name Rottumeroog means literally 'Island of Rottum',[3] after the village of Rottum on the mainland of Groningen. The Benedictine St. Juliana's Abbey in Rottum used to own two-thirds of the island and used it for their livestock. After the Protestant Reformation the island's rights transferred to the province Groningen before being sold to private persons in the 17th century.
The province bought the island back in 1738 due to back maintenance, eventually the central government took over. Until 1965 the island was inhabited by a vogt and his family; since then the island has been uninhabited.[4]
Several buildings have been built on the island. In the 19th century the navigational beacon Emder Kaap was built. The structure is listed as a national heritage site (rijksmonument) since 1988 and was moved southwards in 1999.[4][5] The vogt had a house as well; this building was demolished in 1998 due to the encroaching North Sea.[1] In February 2014, the bird observation post was removed from the island.[6] Later in 2014 all remaining buildings on the islands, except for the Emder Kaap, were removed due to the changing shape and position of the island.[4]
The future area of the island is uncertain. In 2012, the island broke into two during high tide, giving rise to the claim that the island might disappear in the Emsestuary in the near future.[7]
Together with Rottumerplaat and Zuiderduintjes, the island forms the natural reserve Rottum. The island is generally not maintained, the shape and position are left for nature to change. The island is uninhabited and access is usually prohibited; several excursions to the islands are allowed each year under strict conditions.[1]
