Wooden beach huts

In St. Peter-Ording, the stilt houses are as much a part of the town as the sand is to the sea and the fresh breeze is to the North Sea—and have been for more than 100 years. The seven-meter-high wooden houses on stilts are not only a true landmark of the town but also unique along the German coast. There are stilt houses along all of our beach sections.

Stilt Houses on Land

Stilt House Restaurants

Stilt houses on the beach

4000

piles washed up on the beach

From the poison shack to today's stilt house

A Long Journey

In 1911, the first stilt house, the “Giftbude,” opened its doors in St. Peter-Ording. The name is derived from a low german expression. It refers to the North German custom of always having “een gifft”—that is, typically drinking a shot of schnapps—after taking a dip in the North Sea waves. Social gatherings and lively celebrations quickly took hold at the first Giftbude.

At Böhl Beach

Stairs from the multipurpose building on the beach

At Ording Beach

On Südstrand

Stilt House Toilets in Böhl on the Beach

At Böhl Beach

Stilt Houses – Beach Patrol with Beach Chairs in Front

On the beach in the "Bad" neighborhood

Salt marshes and stilt houses on the Südstrand

On Südstrand

At Ording Beach

On Südstrand

At the Bad Beach section

Historical photograph of a stilt-house settlement with beachgoers

Historical photograph of the Bad beach section

Historical photograph of the "Bad" beach area with swimmers

Witnesses of the Times

Our wooden beach huts

Not every stilt house could withstand the relentless and sometimes rough North Sea waves. Storm surges and high tides repeatedly took their toll on the larch-wood beach huts. The storm surge of 1935 brought down the first stilt house, the “Giftbude” on Ording Beach. Nearly 40 years later, a new stilt house was built on the same site.

True to the saying, “You’re always wiser in hindsight,” these painful experiences taught builders to adjust the thickness and height of the stilt houses so that the structures could withstand the forces of storm surges and ice drifts. In addition to the piles driven into the ground, diagonal piles were installed. These contribute to stability and help ward off ice floes.

Stilt House Restaurants

Six

There are six stilt house restaurants in SPO that serve up delicious snacks, meals, and refreshments for their guests. Here, with the best views of the North Sea and the beach, you can dine and, when the weather is nice, enjoy the North Sea air and beautiful sunsets on the terraces.

LOTTI on Südstrand

Salt & Silver at Böhl Beach

Pile-Dwelling Restaurant on Ording Beach

Herring Gull at Ording Beach

54° North Beach Bar at Ording Beach

Noah's Ark at the Bad Beach Section

Stilt House – Multipurpose Building in Ording

Practical

Multipurpose Stilt House

In addition to offering refreshments and snacks, the stilt houses now also provide beachgoers with greater comfort and safety on the beach. Additional stilt houses have been built—for lifeguard stations, beach chair rentals, changing rooms, and restrooms. In the multipurpose stilt house at Ording Beach, you’ll also find an information point run by the Wadden Sea Conservation Station.

stilt house

Erlebnis-Hus

The First Stilt House on Land

Since June 2023, there has also been a stilt house behind the dike. The Erlebnis-Hus is located on the Erlebnis-Promenade in the local district "Bad" and is our family-friendly stilt house in St. Peter-Ording. There, you can look forward to a Spiele-Hus, a 47-meter-long slide, an information center, an outdoor playground, and many viewing platforms.

Erlebnis-Hus

An Overview of Our Stilt Houses

Nice and woody