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Flensburg

Coordinates:54°46′55″N09°26′12″E/ 54.78194°N 9.43667°E/54.78194; 9.43667
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For other uses, seeFlensburg (disambiguation).
Flensburg
Flensborg(Danish,Low Saxon)
Flensborre(South Jutlandic)
Flansborj(North Frisian)
Independent town
Flensburg Harbour in 2012
Flensburg Harbour in 2012
Flag of Flensburg
Flag
Coat of arms of Flensburg
Coat of arms
Location of Flensburg
Map
Flensburg is located in Germany
Flensburg
Flensburg
Flensburg is located in Schleswig-Holstein
Flensburg
Flensburg
Coordinates:54°46′55″N09°26′12″E/ 54.78194°N 9.43667°E/54.78194; 9.43667
CountryGermany
StateSchleswig-Holstein
DistrictUrban district
Subdivisions13Stadtbezirke
Government
•Lord mayorFabian Geyer (Ind.)
Area
• Total56.38 km2(21.77 sq mi)
Elevation
12 m (39 ft)
Population
(2022-12-31)[1]
• Total92,550
• Density1,600/km2(4,300/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00(CET)
• Summer (DST)UTC+02:00(CEST)
Postal codes
24901–24944
Dialling codes0461
Vehicle registrationFL
Websiteflensburg.de

Flensburg(German:[ˈflɛnsbʊʁk]ⓘ;DanishandLow Saxon:Flensborg;South Jutlandic:Flensborre;North Frisian:Flansborj) is anindependent townin the far north of theGermanstate ofSchleswig-Holstein.AfterKielandLübeck,it is the third-largest town in Schleswig-Holstein.

Flensburg's city centre lies about 7 km (4 mi) from theDanishborder.

Known for[edit]

In Germany, Flensburg is known for:

Geography[edit]

Harbour of Flensburg, western shore, with the church "Sankt Marien" (Saint Mary)

Flensburg is in the north of theGerman stateSchleswig-Holstein,very close to the German-Danish border. AfterGlücksburgandWesterland,it is Germany's northernmost town. Flensburg lies at the innermost tip of theFlensburg Firth,an inlet of theBaltic Sea.Flensburg's eastern shore is part of theAngelnpeninsula.

Neighbouring municipalities[edit]

Clockwise from the northeast, beginning at the German shore of the Flensburg Firth, the following communities inSchleswig-Flensburgdistrict andDenmark'sSouthern Denmark Regionall border Flensburg:

Glücksburg(Amt-free town),Wees(Amt Langballig),Maasbüll,Hürup,TastrupandFreienwill(all in Amt Hürup),Jarplund-Weding,Handewitt(Amt Handewitt),Harrislee(Amt-free community) andAabenraa Municipalityon the Danish shore of the Flensburg Firth.

Constituent communities[edit]

The town of Flensburg is divided into 13 communities, which are further divided into 38 statistical areas. Constituent communities have a two-digit number and the statistical areas a three-digit number.

Communities and neighbouring municipalities of Flensburg

The communities with their statistical areas:

  • 01 Altstadt(Old Town) Lies somewhat down towards the sea rather than right downtown.
    • 011 St. Nikolai (Danish:Skt. Nikolaj)
    • 012 St. Marien
    • 013 Nordertor (Danish:Nørreport)
  • 02 Neustadt(Danish:Nystaden)
    • 021 Duburg (Danish:Duborg)
    • 022 Neustadt Nord
  • 03 Nordstadt(Danish:Nordstaden)
    • 031 Kreuz (Danish:Kors)
    • 032 Galwik (Danish:Galvig)
    • 033 Klues (Danish:Klus)
  • 04 Westliche Höhe
    • 041 Stadtpark (Danish:Byparken)
    • 042 Marienhölzung (Danish:Frueskov)
    • 043 St. Gertrud
    • 044 Friedhof
  • 05 Friesischer Berg(Danish:Friserbjerg)
    • 051 Exe (Danish:ExeorEksercerløkke)
    • 052 Museumsberg
    • 053 Friedenshügel (Danish:Fredshøj)
  • 06 Weiche(Danish:Sporskifte)
    • 061 Sophienhof (Danish:Sophiegård)
    • 062 Schäferhaus (Danish:Skæferhus)
  • 07 Südstadt
    • 071 Martinsberg (Danish:Martinsbjerg)
    • 072 Rude (Danish:Ryde)
    • 073 Peelwatt (Danish:Pælevad)
  • 08 Sandberg(Danish:Sandbjerg)
    • 081 Achter de Möhl (Danish:Fiskergaarden)
    • 082 Adelbylund
    • 083 Sünderup (Danish:Synderup)
  • 09 Jürgensby(Danish:Jørgensby)
    • 091 St. Johannis (Danish:Sankt Hans)
    • 092 St. Jürgen (Danish:Sankt Jørgen)
    • 093 Jürgensgaard (Danish:Jørgensgaard)
    • 094 Sender Flensburg-Jürgensby
  • 10 Fruerlund
    • 101 Blasberg (Danish:Blæsbjerg)
    • 102 Bohlberg (Danish:Bolsbjerg)
    • 103 Fruerlund Hof
  • 11 Mürwik(Danish:Mørvig)
    • 111 Stützpunkt
    • 112 Osbek (Danish:Osbæk)
    • 113 Wasserloos (Danish:Vandløs)
    • 114 Friedheim
    • 115 Solitüde (Danish:Solitude)
  • 12 Engelsby
    • 121 Engelsby Süd
    • 122 Vogelsang (Danish:Fuglsang)
  • 13 Tarup
    • 130 Tarup

History[edit]

Middle Ages[edit]

The town charter of Flensburg (1284)
TheNordertor,a town gate, in winter

Flensburg was founded at the latest by 1200 at the innermost end of theFlensburg FirthbyDanishsettlers, who were soon joined by German merchants. In 1284, its town rights were confirmed and the town quickly became one of the most important in theDuchy of Schleswig.UnlikeHolstein,Schleswig did not belong to the GermanHoly Roman Empire.Therefore, Flensburg was not a member of theHanseatic League,but did maintain contacts with it.

Historians presume that there were several reasons this spot was chosen for settlement:

  • Shelter from heavy winds
  • A trade route between Holstein and NorthJutland(namely theHærvejenorOchsenweg,a series of roads between Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Jutland, possibly dating from theBronze Age)
  • The Angelnway: a trade route betweenNorth FrisiaandAngeln
  • A goodherringfishery

Herrings, especiallykippered,brought about the blossoming of the town's trade in theMiddle Ages.They were sent inland and to almost everyEuropeancountry.

On 28 October 1412, QueenMargaret I of Denmarkdied of theplagueaboard a ship in Flensburg Harbour.

From time to time plagues such as bubonic plague, caused mainly by rat fleas (Xenopsylla cheopis,a parasite found onbrown rats), "red"dysenteryand other scourges killed much of Flensburg's population.Leperswere strictly isolated at the St.-Jürgen-Hospital (Helligåndshospital,built before 1290), far outside the town's gates, where St. Jürgen Church is now. About 1500,syphilisalso appeared. The church hospital "Zum Heiligen Geist" ( "To the Holy Ghost" ) stood in Große Straße, now Flensburg'spedestrian precinct.

A Flensburger's everyday life was very hard, and the old roads and paths were bad. The main streets were neither paved nor lit at night. When the streets became really bad, citizens made the dung-filled streets passable with wooden pathways. Only the few upper-class houses had windows. In 1485, a great fire struck Flensburg.Storm tidesalso beset the town occasionally. Every household in the town keptlivestockin the house and the yard. Townsfolk furthermore had their own cowherds and a swineherd.

Early modern times[edit]

After the fall of theHanseatic Leaguein the 16th century, Flensburg was said to be one of the most important trading towns in theScandinavianarea. Flensburg merchants were active as far away as theMediterranean,Greenland,and theCaribbean.The most important commodities, after herring, weresugarandwhale oil,the latter fromwhalingoff Greenland. But theThirty Years' Warput an end to this boom time. The town was becomingProtestantand thereby ever more German culturally and linguistically, while the neighbouring countryside remained decidedly Danish.

In the 18th century, thanks to therumtrade, Flensburg had yet another boom.Cane sugarwas imported from theDanish West Indies(now theUS Virgin Islands) and refined in Flensburg. Only in the 19th century, as a result of industrialization, was the town at last outstripped by the competition from cities such asCopenhagenandHamburg.[3]

The rum produced in Flensburg was then reintegrated intoWest Indiantrade routes, which as of 1864 moved away from the Danish West Indies to theBritish colony of Jamaicainstead. It was imported from there, blended, and sold all over Europe. There is now only one active rum distillery in Flensburg, "A. H. Johannsen".

Flensburg, early 17th century

History as a German town[edit]

Between 1460 and 1864, Flensburg was, after Copenhagen, the Kingdom of Denmark's second-biggest port, but it passed to theKingdom of Prussiaafter theSecond Schleswig Warin 1864. TheBattle of Flensburgwas on February 6, 1864: near the city a smallHungarianmounted regiment chased aDanishinfantry and Dragoon regiment. At the election for the North German Reichstag in 1867, there had still been a Danish majority in Flensburg, and it continued until around 1880. However, thereafter, the majority shifted partly due to immigration of workers from other parts of Germany and because the bureaucracy was largely replaced with Germans from the south. Today, a sizable Danish community remains in the town. Some estimates put the percentage of Flensburgers who belong to it as high as 25%; other estimates put it much lower. TheSSWpolitical party representing the minority usually gains 20–25% of the votes in local elections, but not all its voters are Danes. Before 1864, Danes consisted of the vast majority, which belonged to what is now the minority; even today there are many Danish surnames in the Flensburgtelephone directory(Asmussen, Claussen, Jacobsen, Jensen, Petersen, etc.). However, the upper classes at that time, comprising merchants, bureaucrats, academics, and the clergy, were predominantly German.

On 1 April 1889, Flensburg became anindependent city(kreisfreie Stadt) within theProvince of Schleswig-Holstein,and at the same time still kept its status as seat of the Flensburg district. In 1920, theLeague of Nationsdecided that the matter of the German–Danish border would be settled by a vote. As a result of theplebiscite,and the way the voting zones were laid out, some of Flensburg's northern neighbourhoods were ceded to Denmark, whereas Flensburg as a whole voted by a large margin to stay in Germany.

In return for this pro-German vote, Flensburg was given a large hall, the "Deutsches Haus", which the government endowed as "thanks for German loyalty".

During theSecond World War,the town was left almost unscathed by the air raids that devastated other German cities. But in 1943, 20 children died when a nursery school was bombed, and shortly after the war ended, an explosion at a local munitions storage site claimed many victims.

The Sportschool inMürwik,at theNaval Academy Mürwik,where the seat of the Flensburg Government was located in 1945 (photo 2014)

In 1945, AdmiralKarl Dönitz,who was brieflyPresident(Reichspräsident) ofNazi GermanyafterAdolf Hitlerappointed him his successor and then killed himself, fled to Flensburg with what was left ofhis government.The so-calledFlensburg Government,led by Dönitz, was in power from 1 May, the announcement of Hitler's death, for one week, until German troops surrendered and the town was occupied by Allied troops. The regime was effectively dissolved on 23 May, when theBritish Armyarrested Dönitz and his ministers inMürwikand detained them in theNavy School in Mürwik(German:Marineschule Mürwik). The Berlin Declaration promulgated on 5 June formalized the dissolution. Flensburg was therefore, for a few weeks, the seat of the last Third Reich government.[4]

Since the Second World War[edit]

After the Second World War, the town's population broke the 100,000 mark for a short time, making Flensburg a city (Großstadt) under one traditional definition. The population later sank below that mark.

In the years after the Second World War, South Schleswig, and particularly Flensburg, had a strong pro-Danish movement connected with the idea of the "Eider Politics". Its goal was for the town and all or most of Schleswig, the whole area north of theEider River,to be united with Denmark. After 1945, Flensburg's town council was for years dominated by Danish parties, and the town had a Danish mayor.

The town profited from the planned location of military installations. SinceGerman Reunification,the number of soldiers has dropped to about 8,000. Since Denmark's entry into theEuropean Economic Community(now theEuropean Union), border trade has played an important role in Flensburg's economic life. Some Danish businesses, such asDanfoss,have set up shop just south of the border for tax reasons.

In 1970, the Flensburg district was expanded to include the municipalities in the Amt of Medelby, formerly in the Südtondern district, and in 1974 it was united with the Schleswig district to form the district of Schleswig-Flensburg, whose district seat was the town ofSchleswig.Flensburg thereby lost its function as a district seat but remained an independent (district-free) town.

Amalgamations[edit]

Until the middle of the 19th century, Flensburg's municipal area comprised an area of 2 639 ha. Beginning in 1874, the following communities or rural areas (Gemarkungen) were annexed to the town of Flensburg:

Year Place(s) Area added in ha
1874 Süder- and Norder-St. Jürgen 36
1874 Fischerhof 3
27 July 1875 Duburg 10.5
1877 Hohlwege and Bredeberg 5.5
1 December 1900 Jürgensgaarde 205
1 April 1909 Klues 19
1 April 1910 Twedt, Twedterholz/Fruerlund and Engelsby 1458
1916 part ofKlues Forest(incl. open waters) 146.5
26 April 1970 Adelbylund 132
10 February 1971 demerger of Wassersleben Beach -147.5
22 March 1974 Sünderup and Tarup ?

Population development[edit]

Population figures are for respective municipal areas through time. Until 1870, figures are mostly estimates, and thereafter census results (¹) or official projections from either statistical offices or the town administration itself.

Population development
Year Population figure
1436 3000
1600 6000
1760 6842
1835 12,483
1 December 1875 ¹ 26,474
1 December 1890 ¹ 36,894
1 December 1900 ¹ 48,937
1 December 1910 ¹ 60,922
16 June 1925 ¹ 63,139
16 June 1933 ¹ 66,580
17 May 1939 ¹ 70,871
13 September 1950 ¹ 102,832
6 June 1961 ¹ 98,464
27 May 1970 ¹ 95,400
30 June 1975 93,900
30 June 1980 88,200
30 June 1985 86,900
27 May 1987 ¹ 86,554
30 June 1997 86,100
31 December 2003 85,300
31 December 2012 89,375

¹ Census results

Danish minority[edit]

Oluf Samson Gang in the oldest part of the town with the Danish Library in the background

The Danish minority in Flensburg (Danish:Flensborg) and the surrounding towns runs its own schools, libraries, andLutheranchurches, from which the German majority is not excluded. These two groups' coexistence is considered a sound and healthysymbiosis.A form of mixed Danish–German,Petuh,is used on the ferries.

There is also aDanish Consulate-Generalin Flensburg.[5]

In Denmark, Flensburg seems to be mainly known for its "border shops" where, among other things, spirits, beer and candy are for sale at lower prices than in Denmark. The prices are lower because thevalue-added taxis lower andexcise taxesare either lower (e.g., on alcohol) or do not exist (e.g., on sugar). The border shops may sell canned beer to Scandinavia residents without payingdepositsas long as it is not consumed in Germany.

Significant minority groups
Nationality Population (31.12.2022)
Romania 3,095
Syria 2,930
Denmark 2,455
Afghanistan 1,285
Ukraine 1,120

Politics[edit]

For centuries, two mayors led the town council, one for the north town (St. Marien) and one for the south town (St. Nikolai and St. Johannis). The council members and mayors were chosen by the council itself: retiring officials' successors were named by the remaining councillors in such a way that both halves of the town had as many members. These councillors usually bore the title "Senator".

This "town government" lasted until 1742 when the "northern mayor" was made the "directing mayor" by the Danish King. From this position came what was later known as the First Mayor. The second mayor simply bore the title "mayor" ( "Bürgermeister"). After the town was ceded to Prussia, the townsfolk elected the mayors as of 1870, and the First Mayor was given the titleOberbürgermeister,still the usual title in German towns and cities. During the Third Reich, the town head was appointed by those who held power locally.

In 1945, after the Second World War, a twofold leadership based on a British model was introduced. Heading the town stood foremost theOberbürgermeister,who was chosen by the town council and whose job was as chairman of council and the municipality. Next to him was anOberstadtdirektor( "Higher Town Director" ), who was leader of administration. In 1950, when Schleswig-Holstein brought its new laws for municipalities into force, the titleOberbürgermeisterwas transferred (once again) to this latter official. At first, and for a while, he was chosen by the council. Since that time, the former official has been called theStadtpräsident( "Town President" ), and is likewise chosen by the council after each municipal election. Since 1999, theOberbürgermeisterhas been chosen directly by the voters, as before.

The first directly electedOberbürgermeister,Hermann Stell, died on 4 May 2004 of astroke.On 14 November 2004, the independent candidate suggested by theCDU,Klaus Tscheuschner, was elected to replace Stell with 59% of the vote. In the 2003 municipal election, Hans Hermann Laturnus was electedStadtpräsident.

In the 2008 municipal election, the local list WiF (Wir in Flensburg) was elected the largest group in the Council Assembly of Flensburg, with 10 city councillors out of 43, closely followed by theSouth Schleswig Voter Federation(Südschleswigscher Wählerverband) (9 councillors) and theCDU(9 councillors). Also elected was theSPD(seven councillors), theGreens(3 councillors),the Left(3 councillors) and theFDP(2 councillors).[6]Nevertheless, since the WiF-group was divided into two different caucuses, the SSW-group has been the assembly's largest group.[7]The City President is Christian Dewanger (WiF).[8]

In the 2010 mayoral election,Simon Faber(SSW) was elected Lord Mayor of the town in a runoff election with 54.8% of the vote. He was the first person from the Danish Minority to occupy this office since the end ofWorld War II.[9]

Mayor[edit]

The mayor of Flensburg is Fabian Geyer,[10]who was elected in 2022. He took office on 15 January 2023.

City council[edit]

Results of the 2023 city council election
Results of the 2018 city council election

The Flensburg city council governs the city alongside the mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 14 May 2023, and the results were as follows:

Party Votes % +/- Seats +/-
South Schleswig Voters' Association(SSW) 6,785 24.8 Increase7.2 11 Increase3
Alliance 90/The Greens(Grüne) 6,470 23.6 Increase4.8 10 Increase2
Christian Democratic Union(CDU) 5,248 19.1 Decrease0.2 8 ±0
Social Democratic Party(SPD) 3,703 13.5 Decrease4.7 6 Decrease2
Free Democratic Party(FDP) 1,553 5.7 Decrease2.1 2 Decrease1
The Left(Die Linke) 1,133 4.1 Decrease3.3 2 Decrease1
We in Flensburg (WiF) 670 2.4 Decrease6.1 1 Decrease3
Solidarity City Alliance (BüsoS) 571 2.1 Increase2.1 1 Increase1
Grassroots Democratic Party of Germany(dieBasis) 525 1.9 Increase1.9 1 Increase1
Flensburg Votes! (FLW) 429 1.5 Decrease0.7 1 ±0
Volt Germany(Volt) 328 1.2 Increase1.2 1 Increase1
Valid votes 27,406 99.2
Invalid votes 219 0.8
Total 27,625 100.0 44 Increase1
Electorate/voter turnout 77,296 35.7 Increase0.1
Source:City of Flensburg

The result of the election held 6 May 2018 were as follows:

Party Votes % +/- Seats +/-
Christian Democratic Union(CDU) 5,233 19.4 Decrease2.7 8 Decrease2
Alliance 90/The Greens(Grüne) 5,088 18.8 Increase6.3 8 Increase3
Social Democratic Party(SPD) 4,930 18.2 Decrease2.5 8 Decrease1
South Schleswig Voters' Association(SSW) 4,756 17.6 Decrease1.4 8 ±0
We in Flensburg (WiF) 2,320 8.6 Decrease6.4 4 Decrease2
Free Democratic Party(FDP) 2,087 7.7 Increase3.6 3 Increase1
The Left(Die Linke) 2,021 7.5 Increase3.8 3 Increase1
Flensburg Votes! (FLW) 599 2.2 Decrease0.7 1 ±0
Valid votes 27,034 98.9
Invalid votes 288 1.1
Total 27,322 100.0 43 ±0
Electorate/voter turnout 76,827 35.6 Decrease0.3
Source:City of Flensburg

Coat of arms[edit]

Flensburg's coat of arms shows in gold above blue and silver waves rising to the left a six-sided red tower with a blue pointed roof, breaking out of which, one above the other, are thetwo lions of Schleswig and Denmark;above is a red shield with the silver Holsatian nettle leaf on it. The town's flag is blue, overlaid with the coat of arms in colour.

The lions symbolize Schleswig, and the nettle leaf Holstein, thus expressing the town's unity with these two historic lands. The tower recalls Flensburg's old town rights and the old castle that was the town's namesake (Burgmeans "castle" ). The waves refer to the town's position on the Flensburg Fjord.

The coat of arms was granted the town byKing Wilhelm II of Prussiain 1901, and once again in modified, newly approved form on 19 January 1937 by Schleswig-Holstein's High President (Oberpräsident)

Twin towns – sister cities[edit]

See also:List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Flensburg istwinnedwith:[11]

Economy and infrastructure[edit]

Energy[edit]

The town has a well-establishedCombined Heat and Power and District Heating scheme,installed between 1970 and 1980.[12]It is owned by the town.

Transport[edit]

West of Flensburg runs theA 7 Autobahn,leading north to the Danish border, whence it continues asEuropean route E45.Federal Highways (Bundesstraßen)B 200andB 199also pass through the municipal area.

West of the town lies theFlensburg-Schäferhaus airport.

Local transport is provided by severalbuslines,includingAktiv Bus GmbHandAllgemeinen Flensburger Autobus Gesellschaft(AFAG). They all operate on an integrated fare system within the Flensburg transport community (Verkehrsgemeinschaft Flensburg). They also all subscribe to the Schleswig-Holstein tariff system, whereby anyone travelling from anywhere in Schleswig-Holstein orHamburgmay use Flensburg buses free to connect with their final destinations. This works both ways: a rider boarding any bus in Flensburg need only name a destination anywhere in Schleswig-Holstein or Hamburg, pay the fare, and travel to that destination on one ticket.

TheFlensburg stationopened in 1927 south of the Old Town. From there, trains run on themain line to Neumünster,Hamburg,andFredericia,among them someInterCityconnections as well as trains serving the line running toEckernfördeandKiel.Another stop for regional trains to Neumünster is in Flensburg-Weiche. The stretch of line toNiebüllhas been out of service since 1981, efforts to open it again notwithstanding. The secondary line toHusumand lesser lines toKappelnandSatrupno longer exist. Thetramway,which opened in 1881 to horse-drawn trams, was electrified in 1906, and at one point ran four lines, was replaced by buses in 1973.

Media[edit]

NDR-Studio in Flensburg

In Flensburg, theFlensburger Tageblatt,from theSchleswig-Holsteinischer Zeitungsverlag(newspaper publisher) is published daily, as is the bilingual (German and Danish)Flensborg Avis.There are also two weekly advertising flyers,MoinMoin(named for a common regional greeting) andWochenschau(Newsweek) as well as an illustrated town paper (Flensburg Journal), the Flensburg "campus newspaper" and a town magazine (Partout).Norddeutscher Rundfunk(NDR) runs one of its oldest studios near the Deutsches Haus. Flensburg is the site of a number ofradio transmissionfacilities: on theFuchsbergin the community of Engelsby, Norddeutscher Rundfunk runs a transmission facility forVHF,televisionandmedium wave.Acage aerialis mounted on a 215-metre-high (705 ft) guyed, earthed steel-lattice mast. This transmitter is successor to the Flensburg transmitter through which Germany's surrender was announced on 8 May 1945.

The broadcasting tower on the Fuchsberg is used for the programmes ofNorddeutscher RundfunkandDanmarks Radiowhile the countrywide VHF radio programmes of R.SH, delta radio,DeutschlandfunkandDeutschlandradioair from the Flensburg-Freienwill tower.

Flensburg has no local transmitter of its own because Schleswig-Holstein's state broadcasting laws allow only transmitters that broadcast statewide. From 1993 to 1996, "Radio Flensburg" tried to establish a local Flensburg radio station by using a local transmitter just across the border in Denmark, but it had to be shut down, owing to the Danish transmitter's own financial problems. Since October 2006, Radio Flensburg has broadcast asinternet radio.

The "Offener Kanal" ( "Open Channel" ) shows programmes made by local citizens seven days a week, mostly in the evenings, and can also be seen on cable television.

Public institutions[edit]

Flensburg is home to the following institutions:

  • Handwerkskammer Flensburg (Chamber of Skilled Crafts)
  • IHK Flensburg (Chamber of Trade and Industry)
  • Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (federal government office for road traffic)

Education[edit]

  • University of Flensburghas about 6,000 students as of 2019/20. Founded in 1946 as a pedagogical college, it became a university in 1994. Unlike the much largerUniversity of Kielit is not a full university;theology,medicine,lawand some other programs are not offered here. But it does have the right to confer doctorates.
  • Flensburg University of Applied Sciencesis aFachhochschulewith more than 3,000 students.[13]Its origins lie in a royal steamship machinist school, which was established in 1886. Over time, it developed into a ship's engineers' school. From this grew the "Fachhochschule for Technology", which was converted into the Fachhochschule Flensburg in 1973. At this time the economics program was introduced. In May 2016, the University decided to change its name to Flensburg University of Applied Sciences.[14]
  • Marineschule Mürwik(Naval Academy at Mürwik), the main educational establishment for allGerman Navyofficers.
  • Flensburger Volkshochschule(GermanFolk high school)
  • Voksenundervisningen(Danish)

Also in Flensburg is a complete range of training and professional schools, including a number of Danish ones. Flensburg is home to Schleswig-Holstein's Central State Library, a university library, a town bookshop and the Danish Central Library for South Schleswig, which offers not only intensive courses in Danish, but also, with its "Slesvigsk samling" collection, a vast repository of unique material about the border area's history and culture. Flensburg has an extensive town archive. The Danish minority's archive is housed at the Danish Central Library.

Culture and sightseeing[edit]

TheNaval Academy at Mürwik,a late castle building which is still in use
TheGorch Fockon the port of theNaval Academy at Mürwik

Theatre[edit]

  • Schleswig-HolsteinischesLandestheater(at theStadttheater) and Symphony Orchestra
  • Niederdeutsche Bühne der Stadt Flensburg(Low German Stage of the city of Flensburg)
  • Det Lille Teater(Danish theatre)
  • Theaterwerkstatt Pilkentafel(Theatre Workshop)
  • Orpheus-Theater

Archives and libraries[edit]

  • Town Archive, a very comprehensive collection, at the town hall
  • Dansk Centralbibliotek for Sydslesvig,with archive of the Danish minority and Schleswig book collection
  • Town Library
  • State Central Library andZentrale Hochschulbibliothek(Central College Library)

Museums[edit]

  • Museumsberg– Museum for artistic and cultural history
  • Schifffahrtsmuseum– Museum for shipping and shipbuilding
  • Rummuseum– History of the "Rum Town" of Flensburg.
  • Naturwissenschaftliches Museum– Animal and plant worlds of northern Schleswig-Holstein
  • Museumshafen– Private initiative for maintaining old traditional working boats mainly from the Baltics (Segelschiffe)
  • Museumswerft– Shipbuilding (sail) of bygone centuries. The place also has a children's boatyard.
  • Fischereimuseum– Initiative of the fishery association, lies on the old fishery harbour
  • Phänomenta– For experiencing and understanding nature and technology
  • Salondampfer "Alexandra"– passenger steamer built 1908. TheAlexandraregularly makes small trips in the Flensburg Förde (bay)
  • Klassische Yachten Flensburg– classic yacht harbour. Private initiative to present classic yachts typical of the Baltics.
  • Gerichtshistorische Sammlung– a collection of legal history at the Flensburg State Court
  • Bergmühle– Association for maintaining the historic windmill from 1792
  • Johannesburger Heimatstube– Documents, pictures and writings from East Prussia

Buildings[edit]

The Johanniskirche (Johannischurch)
Nordermarkt; also visible is Große Straße
Harbour of Flensburg at dawn

Flensburg has a well-preserved Old Town with many things to see from centuries past. Characteristic is the row along the waterfront. Three of the four old town cores are along this north–south axis. The building boom in imperial times led to a partial rebuilding of the Old Town, but without destroying its structure, and leading to notable expansion of the town. Virtually unscathed in the Second World War, Flensburg, like other places in Germany, adopted a policy of getting rid of old buildings and rebuilding in the style of the time. Lack of money limited this trend in Flensburg, but before the policy ended in the late 1970s, countless old buildings had been demolished in the north and east Old Town, to be replaced by newer structures. Despite great losses, Flensburg still has a compact, well-preserved Old Town in the valley with good additions to what was built in the founders' time on the surrounding heights.

  • Johanniskirche (Flensburg) Johanniskirche (Johannischurch), town's oldest church in the innertown, 12th century
  • Marienkirche (Flensburg) Marienkirche, HighGothic,Baroqueadditions, tower from 1885, well decorated
  • Nikolaikirche (Flensburg) Nikolaikirche, Gothic main church, famous organ design by Hinrich Ringeringk
  • Heiliggeistkirche (Flensburg) Heiliggeistkirche (Danish:Helligåndskirken), former chapel of theHospital zum Heiligen Geist
  • Franziskanerkloster Flensburg Franziskanerkloster, ruins from 1263
  • Nordertor,a gate, and the town's landmark
  • Kompagnietor another gate, built in 1602, shipping company and harbour gate
  • Alt-Flensburger Haus, where the Eckener brothers' parents lived, Norderstraße 8
  • Flensborghus, a former orphanage, today seat of the Danish minority, Norderstraße 76
  • Many merchants' houses running from the main streetsHolm-Große Straße-Norderstraße, the town's greatest architectural attraction
  • Südermarkt 9 (market) with the town's oldest house
  • Nordermarkt (market) with theSchrangen(market hall) and Neptunbrunnen (fountain)
  • Rote Straße with nice craftsmen's houses
  • Jürgenstraße with theGängeviertel( "Warren Neighbourhood",i.e.with very dense building and narrow streets), former suburb.
  • Oluf-Samson-Gang, picturesque lane with little half-timbered houses, Flensburg's historic red light district.
  • Row of warehouses
  • Ship bridge (Schiffbrücke), a longquayon the harbour
  • Scanty ruins of the town wall, at the Nikolaikirche and at the Franciscan friary
  • BergmühleandJohannismühle(mills)
  • Deutsches Haus, gathering and event hall in the town core
  • Flensburg station(Main Railway Station), completed in 1929
  • Town Hall, seventeen-floor cube from 1964, in 1997 totally renovated
  • Altes Gymnasium,built in 1914, Flensburg's oldestGymnasium,founded in 1566 as "Gymnasium trilingue" (Latin, Greek, Hebrew)
  • Duborg Skolen,Flensburg's Danish Gymnasium, as well as other school buildings

Lost buildings[edit]

  • Gertrudenkirche, church in the Ramsharde (former neighbourhood where Neustadt now stands), folded after theReformation,graveyard maintained until 1822
  • Jürgen-Hospital, abandoned after the Reformation, the new St. Jürgen-Kirche stands there today
  • Old Town Hall, 15th century, demolished in 1883
  • Government building, appellate court and house of the estates, from 1850 to 1864 political centre of the Duchy of Schleswig, gave way to a department store in 1964
  • Speicher Johannisstraße 78 (warehouse), bombed in 1945
  • Town fortifications
The MürwikWater towerin the Volkspark
SteamerAlexandra

Others[edit]

  • Flensburg Fjord
  • Old Cemetery,parkland with noteworthy grave markers from the 19th century
  • Christiansenspark,remnant of a very big landscape park
  • Volksparkin the town's east end
  • Marienhölzung(DanishFrueskov), woods in the town's west end

Regular events[edit]

  • May/June:Rumregatta(yearly)
  • May/June:Danske Årsmøder(yearly)
  • June/December:Campusfete(twice yearly)
  • June:Rote-Straße-Fest(yearly)
  • July:Dampf-Rundum(every two years)
  • July/August:Flensburger Hofkultur(yearly summer cultural programme)
  • August:Flensburger Tummelum(Old Town Festival) (every two years)
  • October:Apfelfahrt des Museumshafen(yearly)
  • October: "Flensburg Shortfilmfestival" (yearly)
  • December: Christmas market (yearly)

Notable people[edit]

Beate Uhse, 1971
Isted (Flensburg) Lion

Honorary citizens[edit]

The town of Flensburg has bestowed honorary citizenship upon the following persons, listed chronologically:

Special Resident[edit]

Sons and daughters of the town[edit]

The arts[edit]

Caius Gabriel Cibber
Dieter Thomas Heck

Music[edit]

Hugo Eckener, 1930

Science and religion[edit]

Anna Sophia of Denmark
Marie Kruse
Bärbel Höhn, 2008

Political and public service[edit]

Sport[edit]

Climate[edit]

Climate data for Leck[a](1991–2020 normals)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 4.1
(39.4) 		4.5
(40.1) 		7.3
(45.1) 		12.5
(54.5) 		16.3
(61.3) 		19.0
(66.2) 		21.5
(70.7) 		21.4
(70.5) 		17.8
(64.0) 		13.0
(55.4) 		8.0
(46.4) 		5.0
(41.0) 		12.5
(54.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) 1.9
(35.4) 		1.9
(35.4) 		3.9
(39.0) 		7.7
(45.9) 		11.6
(52.9) 		14.7
(58.5) 		17.0
(62.6) 		16.8
(62.2) 		13.7
(56.7) 		9.7
(49.5) 		5.6
(42.1) 		2.9
(37.2) 		8.9
(48.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −0.5
(31.1) 		−0.6
(30.9) 		0.5
(32.9) 		3.1
(37.6) 		6.5
(43.7) 		9.8
(49.6) 		12.0
(53.6) 		11.9
(53.4) 		9.5
(49.1) 		6.3
(43.3) 		2.8
(37.0) 		0.3
(32.5) 		5.1
(41.2)
Averageprecipitationmm (inches) 70.0
(2.76) 		50.6
(1.99) 		48.7
(1.92) 		35.1
(1.38) 		48.9
(1.93) 		72.5
(2.85) 		80.1
(3.15) 		92.2
(3.63) 		89.4
(3.52) 		91.5
(3.60) 		77.5
(3.05) 		81.8
(3.22) 		852.7
(33.57)
Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) 20.0 17.0 16.2 12.8 13.1 14.9 15.4 17.8 17.1 18.9 19.4 20.6 200.7
Averagerelative humidity(%) 90.9 88.5 84.7 77.7 76.0 77.3 78.1 80.0 83.7 86.8 90.3 91.6 83.8
Mean monthlysunshine hours 45.1 63.3 120.7 187.8 232.8 219.1 222.0 199.6 143.9 94.8 51.0 37.8 1,611.3
Source:World Meteorological Organization[23]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^Leck is located approximately 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) west of Flensburg.

See also[edit]


Flensburg Skyline

References[edit]

Notes
  1. ^"Bevölkerung der Gemeinden in Schleswig-Holstein 4. Quartal 2022"(XLS)(in German).Statistisches Amt für Hamburg und Schleswig-Holstein.
  2. ^Verkehrssünderkartei in Flensburg: Bundeskabinett beschließt Punktereform,Der Spiegel,12 December 2012
  3. ^FRANK KEIL (2023-11-25)."The Call of Rum".Die Tageszeitung: Taz(in German).Die Tageszeitung.p. 51.Retrieved2024-02-16.
  4. ^Rob Olver (2020-05-22)."Remnants Of Nazi Power: 75 Years Since 'The Flensburg Government'".forces.net.Retrieved2024-03-30.
  5. ^Generalkonsulatet i FlensburgArchived2016-11-21 at theWayback Machine,Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Denmark)
  6. ^"Stadt Flensburg – Kommunalwahl 2008".Flensburg.de.Retrieved2013-03-26.
  7. ^"SSW und CDU wollen den Stadtpräsidenten stürzen".shz.de. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-03-12.Retrieved2013-03-26.
  8. ^"Stadt Flensburg – Stadtpräsident".Flensburg.de.Retrieved2013-03-26.
  9. ^"Dänische Minderheit: Der Verbindungsmann – Inland".FAZ.Retrieved2013-03-26.
  10. ^Flensburg, Stadt."Dr. Fabian Geyer / Flensburg".Startseite / Flensburg(in German).Retrieved11 May2023.
  11. ^"Stadtportrait".flensburg.de(in German). Flensburg.Retrieved2019-11-30.
  12. ^p167.http://setis.ec.europa.eu/publications/jrc-setis-reports/background-report-eu-27-district-heating-and-cooling-potentials
  13. ^"Zahlen & Fakten - Studentenwerk Schleswig-Holstein".studentenwerk.sh(in German).Retrieved2023-11-13.
  14. ^"Fachhochschule Flensburg heißt jetzt Hochschule Flensburg - WELT".DIE WELT(in German). 2016-05-11.Retrieved2023-11-13.
  15. ^"Cibber, Caius Gabriel".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 06 (11th ed.). 1911. pp. 350–351.
  16. ^"Strodtmann, Adolf".New International Encyclopedia.Vol. XVIII. 1905.
  17. ^IMDb Databaseretrieved 23 March 2018
  18. ^"Martensen, Hans Lassen".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 17 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 787.
  19. ^Bain, Robert Nisbet(1911)."Nansen, Hans".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 19 (11th ed.). pp. 163–164.
  20. ^"Christian V.".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 6 (11th ed.). 1911. pp. 277–278.
  21. ^"Waitz, Georg".The American Cyclopædia.1879.
  22. ^"Waitz, Georg".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 28 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 247.
  23. ^"World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020".World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020).National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived fromthe originalon 12 October 2023.Retrieved7 June2024.

External links[edit]

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