Art on Juist
Art and culture abound on Juist - if you know where to look!
Our artistic tour starts on the east dike. From here you not only have a great view of the sea mark and arriving or departing ferries, but also of the crab on the Ostdeich, which was made by Jo Harbort. The artist is known for his works made of stone, wood, metal and ice. But ice wouldn't last as long on Juist, so the crab was rather made of stone. The crab marks the southernmost point of the island. On the way to the village, you follow the dike and pass a small piece of wood. Is that art already or can it go? That's probably what some people are asking themselves. The wooden pole has been shaped like a hare, so you can enjoy the Easter feeling here at any time of year. The hare is probably expected by very few visitors here and shows once again that if you go through life with your eyes open, you can experience many wonderful surprises.
You head for Strandstraße. Directly at the Kurplatz you will find the Küchenwerkstatt. There's also something to see on the front of the house. "Is that art?", you might ask, but a lot of heart and soul and a lot of creative energy went into this wall decoration(fitting for the 10th anniversary of the kitchen workshop), so it is definitely art!
You continue and stop at the Hotel Pabst. You will soon notice the iron sculpture of three women right at the main entrance of the Juist hotel. But that is not all! Just behind it, a stone head awaits you.
So, now follow the road to the beach that gives it its name. On the way there, stay on the right-hand side of the road and look at the brass figures set up there - the Strandloopers. The sculptures show a person walking towards the sea and disappearing deeper and deeper into the North Sea. A real Juist feeling! Who wouldn't want to run into the waves when the weather is nice? The statues were made by Wolfgang Lamché. The artist has also created another figure on Töwerland, the guardian angel lovingly called "Karate Angel" in front of the Catholic church in Dünenstraße. But back to the Strandloopers. A curious detail: although theft is rare here on Töwerland, one of the Strandlooper figures has gone missing. No sooner had a replacement been installed than the little work of art was found in the dunes by Juist schoolchildren. And another curiosity: the Strandlooper figures apparently also get cold sometimes, because it is not uncommon for the figures to be dressed "illegally". Island artists dress the beach loopers in crocheted bikinis, swimming trunks, hats or scarves. Looks great and gives the Strandlooper figures even more character.
On reaching the end of the beach road, turn left and follow the beach promenade to the first viewing platform. Here, diagonally behind the benches on the parapet, you will find a carving showing a fish. You probably have little works of art like this back home! Look at the message under the fish.
The wild ride continues! You follow the beach promenade towards the water tower, which can be seen from almost everywhere and shows you the way. On the way, you pass the Strandhalle restaurant. Here, too, there is art to discover: On one side of the beach hall you will find a starfish figure and on the other a crab. Barely a cat jump away, the High Dune welcomes you. Situated at the umbrella bar there (appropriately on one of the highest dunes on the island), you will find a large heart with Juist inscription, which is a real photo highlight, especially at sunset.
You will find even more art inside the Haus des Kurgastes. During opening hours you can admire the Juist impressions by Heike Denny. The colourful paintings are exhibited in the reading room, telling the story of the artist's Juist holidays in striking colours and almost hypnotic scenery.
If you walk next to the TöwerVital in the direction of the Altes Warmbad, you will find a chic figure. The Juister swimmer with the chic name Frieda was designed by Christel Lechner and has been decorating the streets of Juist since 2018. Frieda is part of the artist's "Everyday People" series and shows quite clearly how ideals of beauty have changed, because Frieda has a normal, not overly thin figure. If you have never stopped here to take a look at the statue, you should do so as soon as possible!
You are heading for the Old Warmbath. Directly in front of the entrance you will find two great works of art in the open air. The first sight we would like to recommend to you is the Wedding Stele. Since 2019, couples have been immortalising their romantic memories here in the form of small plaques with their names. The stele itself features a whelk and a snail and has already become a landmark in its own right. So art can also be a souvenir of the most beautiful day of your life.
You have no doubt already spotted the second sculpture in front of the Old Warmbad. These are two classic bather women. Karl Ludwig Boké made them. In the case of this bathing woman sculpture, you can clearly see that the bathing women refer to the history of Juist as a North Sea spa. In the past, the guests of Juist went bathing - the bathing woman dressed, but the guest did not, which you can still understand today with the help of this sculpture. A nice reminder of the multi-faceted history that Juist has had.
Let's continue to the Old Warmbad, where you can visit a small but fine exhibition during regular opening hours - the Watercolour Impressions by Xaver Ulbrich. In the wonderful pictures, you can see testimonies of the painter's holiday trips, which really have it all.
And if you still feel like it, take a little diversions to the Hotel Achterdiek (go straight until the end of the street, then left, right and left again until you arrive at the hotel), because in front of the hotel gates, you will find three more or less well-hidden little treasures: a seal, a virgin and a flatfish made of tarnished bronze. And maybe one or two of you will also discover the Frog King.
And those of you who are still able to go on in the direction of the Goldfish Ponds. There you will find pictures on the trees. Klarissa Eilers from Juist has embellished nature there with her art, for branch forks are embellished with small pictures of, for example, owls. The best thing is to go there yourself and enjoy it!