Flensburg

Flensburg sits at the head of a long fjord on the Danish border and was part of Denmark for most of its history. From the eighteenth century its ships carried raw rum from the Danish West Indies, which was blended and bottled in the town; several houses still produce rum blends, and the trade shaped the merchants' quarters. Behind the main shopping street run long narrow courtyards leading from the street to the water, the pattern of merchant plots with warehouses at the back. The town is bilingual in part, with a Danish minority and Danish schools, and the maritime museum covers the shipping history.

What you actually see

• The rum houses - blenders still producing from the old trade.
• The merchant courtyards - long passages from street to waterfront.
• The fjord harbour - a working and sailing harbour at the head of the water.
• The Danish connection - bilingual signage and a Danish-speaking minority.

When to go

May to September; the Rum Regatta brings traditional sailing vessels in May. The harbour is the focus in summer. Winter is dark and quiet this far north.

Honest expectations

The rum trade's colonial context is part of its history and is treated unevenly in the town. The old town is a shopping street. Winter daylight is short.

Nearby

Glücksburg lies east on the fjord; the Danish border is a few kilometres north.