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.

History

Flensburg was founded by 1200 at the latest by Danish settlers at the head of the Flensburg Firth, soon joined by German merchants, and in 1284 its town rights were confirmed, after which it quickly became one of the most important towns of the Duchy of Schleswig. Queen Margaret I of Denmark died of plague aboard a ship in Flensburg harbour on 28 October 1412, and the Holy Spirit hospital, built before 1290, stood far outside the town gates (Wikipedia, Flensburg).

What's there

• 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.

Before you go

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.

Key facts