© TMS Büsum GmbHNew Year’s bathing in Schleswig-Holstein
In Schleswig-Holstein, the New Year is welcomed with a tradition that is breathtaking in the truest sense of the word. People venture into the ice-cold waters of the North Sea and Baltic Sea for a New Year’s swim
Goosebumps. The water temperature is four degrees, the air is only two degrees warmer. The drizzling rain picks up. Nevertheless, over a thousand half-naked people, dressed only in swimsuits and woolly hats, gather on various beaches on the North and Baltic Seas. They go into the water on command. Slowly and together, cheering and to the applause of many onlookers. New Year’s swimming is the name of the winter swimming event on January 1, which has become a popular tradition in Schleswig-Holstein. No matter how cold and uncomfortable the wind, weather and water, the event attracts more people every year. For them, the cold shock is the best imaginable kick-start to the new year. Because they overcome boundaries. Concentrate meditatively on your breathing. Blood circulation and metabolism are stimulated, and the body releases an abundance of endorphins and dopamine. New energy flows through the veins. What better way to start the New Year? Winterbader finden: auf gar keinen Fall!
There are numerous official bathing spots on the coast, which are secured by lifeguards. Like the Holtenau seaside resort, where around 200 people ventured into the icy waters at the beginning of 2025. In Grömitz, 636 die-hards met, Eckernförde counted more than 70 ice water enthusiasts. The event is often celebrated like a folk festival, with DJs, parties and stalls selling hot drinks, soups and lard sandwiches. Ice bathers can warm up again in mobile saunas.
But who invented New Year’s bathing? That is not entirely clear. Some sources mention Scharbeutz, where the first New Year’s bathing on the Baltic Sea took place in 1947. Others point to the Netherlands, where the Scheveningen Swimming Club introduced the “Nieuwjaarsduik” on New Year’s Day 1960. This developed into a huge wave of success with its own etiquette: orange swimwear, a joint countdown and jumping into the North Sea at exactly 12 noon followed by pea soup for everyone. In Denmark, too, the New Year has long been celebrated with a swim, and even in Tuscany, the easily freezing Italians plunge into the cold Tyrrhenian Sea on January 1st. The boom in ice swimming during the coronavirus pandemic gave New Year’s fun a lasting boost. No wonder, because the social event in the middle of nature has many positive effects on body, mind and soul. If you start the New Year by jumping in at the deep end, nothing can shake you so quickly. Another goosebump phenomenon.