At the beginning of the 19th century, the idea of coastal resorts - having originated in England - became popular among the German North Sea islands. The first coastal resort was founded 1797 on the island of Norderney. Since 1820, guests have been using Spiekeroog for holidays. A weekly ferry service was established from Neuharlingersiel in 1792 and, since 1842, the service has operated on a daily basis. To improve the comfort of tourists and guests, a 1.7 km long horse-drawn railway was built in 1885 between the village and the western beach. It was extended in 1892 to the newly built harbour in the southwest of the island. This horse-drawn railway was replaced by diesel trains on May, 31st, 1949 which makes it the last horse-drawn railway in Germany.