Welcome to Husum*Hüsem, where the sea is majority, and the land is minority!

The North Frisians, a small minority without a kin-state, have a long story to tell about their people, about how they ended up and settled in this area, about distant and closer relatives scattered around different parts of Europe.

But most of their stories are going to be about the sea. Long before the concept of majority and minority was introduced in human society, this small group of people already had a similar relationship with this all-powerful, vast and unpredictable force of nature. They learned to live with it, to use it to their advantage and to thrive in this symbiosis of men and nature. And in doing so, they also learned a lot about themselves and each other, about the things that unite them as one and enable their survival.

And then history came along, but what are the hardships of a few centuries compared to the elements? The storms of history have settled, as all storms do, and the North Frisians are still here, in a good position nonetheless, with their rights anchored in the Constitution of Schleswig-Holstein.

In 2024, the Federal Union of European Nationalities celebrates 75 years of existence. For all who know the history of Europe it is an understatement to say that a lot has changed since 1949. Borders changed, wars and conflicts broke out, political systems changed, majorities became minorities, rights were given and, in some cases, taken away. And FUEN, the main advocate of minority rights in Europe, is still needed.

So let this celebration be not only about what we have achieved in 75 years, but also about what still needs to be achieved to guarantee the protection and promotion of minority languages and cultures in Europe, and let’s use the tenacity of the North Frisians as an inspiration for that! Let’s hope for a few sunny days for the minorities of Europe in Husum*Hüsem!