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Which animal carries the island's name, how do you say it, and what happens in its dunes at high tide? Ten questions about the biggest Dutch Wadden island.
Ferry passenger 0–4 · Island cyclist 5–8 · True Texelaar 9–10
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The Texel sheep is a strong, muscular breed with a white face. It started on the island and is now kept in about 35 countries around the world.
Photo: rs-foto, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
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The crossing from Den Helder, across a deep tidal channel called the Marsdiep, takes only about 20 minutes. Harlingen is a Frisian port with ferries to other Wadden islands.
Photo: Michielverbeek, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
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The name is Frisian. Over time the x-sound in Dutch words changed to an s-sound, so Texel is said 'Tessel', just as the Dutch word for fox is 'vos'.
Photo: Cycletours Holidays, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
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Den Burg lies right in the middle of the island. Its name comes from a castle that was built there to defend against the Vikings.
Photo: Aeno, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.
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Seals have been cared for on Texel since 1952: Ecomare takes in sick young seals and pups that lost their mother. When they weigh about 30 kilos, they are set free in the Wadden Sea again.
Photo: Kaasverhuur, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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At high tide sea water flows into De Slufter, turning it into a salt marsh full of special plants and birds. Other islands now use the word 'slufter' for similar valleys, all named after this one.
Photo: Unknown author Unknown author (NOAA), Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.
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Eierland means 'egg land'. Gull eggs gathered on what was then a separate island were sent to Amsterdam. A dyke joined it to Texel in 1630.
Photo: Hans Erren, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.
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The lighthouse was built in 1864 on top of a 20-metre-high dune. Over the years its red paint faded to pink, so in 1977 it got a bright red coating.
Photo: Yornik Heyl, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
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In 1907 islanders were unhappy with the old ferry and started their own. Today the shares are still held by about 3,100 people, most of them living on Texel.
Photo: Vermerris at Dutch Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.
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Helium is the hardest element to freeze: it only becomes solid when it is very cold and squeezed hard. Keesom managed it in 1926.
Photo: Unknown photographer, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.
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