[3] The island of Büsum was originally beholden to the bishopric of Hamburg and Bremen before Dithmarschen became a confederated peasant's republic.

The people of the comparatively poor island Büsum often resorted to piracy to better their lives, resulting in repeated conflicts.

In 1420, Rackler Kersten and his men from Büsum sailed into the harbor of Hamburg to scuttle and loot Hanseatic trading ships.

During World War II, the shipyard and harbor in Büsum were used by the Kriegsmarine, making it a target for an air raid.

[4] Büsum had an active shipyard which started as a fishing boat repair service in 1902 and was expanded to build increasingly larger ships over the decades.

During the Nazi regime, Büsum was a destination for Kraft durch Freude ("strength through joy") tourists, a recreational program organized by the NSDAP.

Built in 1912/13 from 55 tons of cast iron plates, it was originally painted black until it received its characteristic red and white daymark in 1952.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Büsum received an influx of foreign workers, mainly from Turkey, to work at the local shipyard until it closed in 1986.

In the summer monthas, the inhabitants of Büsum are vastly outnumbered by tourists staying in the town for a few days or a few weeks.

[13] The dark and melancholic poem describes the flood that claimed the old island and how sometimes at low tide the rooftops of the old settlement could still be seen and the bells from the tower of the sunken church could be heard.

Büsum originally was part of the Catholic bishopric of Hamburg and Bremen, but turned to Protestantism during the reformation in Dithmarschen in the Middle Ages.

Büsum's late gothic St. Clemens church, named for Pope Clement I as the patron saint of fishermen, was built between 1434 and 1442.

[16][17] In 1988, the University of Kiel established the Forschungs- und Technologiezentrum Westküste (Research and Technology Center West Coast) in Büsum.

The center focuses on research in the areas of wind energy, marine ecology, algae biotechnology, water and sediment dynamics, changes in coastal morphology and development of prediction models.

[19] The Museum am Meer at the harbor offers insights into Büsum's past and present history in fishing and tourism.

[20] During the first weekend in August, Büsum's fishermen race their boats in the annual Kutterregatta to determine the fastest fishing vessel.

To combine treatment with entertainment, spa guests can accompany a band marching out on the Wadden Sea to the water line during low tide, stopping at regular intervals for dancing and games.