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Matthias Nanz – a fisherman on the Schlei

FromHolger Rüdel Updated on Reading time: 2 Minutes
Matthias Nanz at sunrise in May on the journey to his fish traps in the Great Latitude of the Schlei. Matthias Nanz is one of the last professional fishermen on the Schlei. Fishing used to be a defining feature of the Schleswig district of Holm, where Matthias Nanz lives.
Matthias Nanz at sunrise in May on the journey to his fish traps in the Great Latitude of the Schlei. Matthias Nanz is one of the last professional fishermen on the Schlei. Fishing used to be a defining feature of the Schleswig district of Holm, where Matthias Nanz lives. © Holger Rüdel

It was already in the Middle Ages Holm, Schleswig's eastern district, a fishing quarter. Around 120 fishermen still lived here around 1900. Now there are less than ten. And in the entire Schlei there are less than twenty, if you take into account the Holmer Fischer colleagues in Arnis and Kappeln. One of humanity's oldest professions is threatening to die out in Schleswig and the Schlei.

The Schleifischer Matthias Nanz vom Holm is one of the last representatives of his guild. I accompanied him on his boat while catching eels in May 2019. The picture was taken after we left the berth in Missunde and headed towards the fishing grounds in the Große Breite at sunrise. 

The photo is the start of a long-term photo report about Matthias Nanz and his four full-time colleagues from Schleswig. The project is titled “A turning point. The fishermen from Holm in Schleswig an der Schlei”.

The image was taken with a Fujifilm X-Pro2 and the Fujinon XF 16mm 1:1,4 R WR lens. 

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