Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the 16
Bundesländer in
Germany. The
Danish language name is
Slesvig-Holsten, the
Low Saxon language name is
Sleswig-Holsteen. Historically the name refers to a larger region, containing present day Schleswig-Holstein and the
Danish county of
South Jutland (Sønderjyllands Amt in Danish).
Geography
\nSchleswig-Holstein lies on the base of the peninsula Jutland between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea.
The former Duchy of Holstein constitutes the southern part of Schleswig-Holstein, whereas Southern Schleswig constitutes the northern part. The former Duchy of Schleswig, (Sønderjylland in Danish language), has been divided between Denmark and Germany since 1920. Northern Schleswig, today the Danish county of South Jutland, was ceded to Denmark after a referendum following Germany's defeat in World War I.
Schleswig-Holstein borders on Denmark in the North, the North Sea in the West, the Baltic Sea and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in the East, and Lower Saxony and Hamburg in the South. Kiel is the capital of this Bundesland.
The countryside is lowlands with virtually no mountains, the highest elevation being the Bungsberg at only 168 meters. There are many lakes, especially in the eastern part of Holstein called the Holsteinische Schweiz ("Switzerland of Holstein"). A group of islands called the North Frisian Islands is situated off the western coast, and another small islet called Heligoland further out. Just one island lies off the eastern coast: Fehmarn. The longest river - besides of the Elbe is the Eider.
See also List of places in Schleswig-Holstein.
Schleswig-Holstein is divided into eleven Kreise (districts):
Furthermore there are four independent towns, which do not belong to any district:
- Kiel\n# Lübeck\n# Neumünster\n# Flensburg
Languages
\nThe official languages are High German,
Low Saxon,
Danish and
Frisian. Low Saxon - the classic language of the country - is spoken in most parts of the Country, Danish by the Danish minority, Frisian by the North Frisians at the North Sea Coast and the Northern Frisian Islands and a special Frisian Dialect called
Hallun at the Island
Heligoland. High German had been introduced since the 16th century, mainly for official purposes, but it is today the most used language, since it had been forced by the
Prussian government after
1864.
History
\nMain article: History of Schleswig-Holstein
The Duchy of Schleswig was in early medieval times split off from the
Danish kingdom, also
Holstein was later united in a duchy. Through their history they've variably retained independence, belonging to the Danish
Crown and to the
German Reich. For extended periods the King of Denmark was also German Duke of Schleswig and/or Holstein.
National awakening after the
Napoleonic Wars led to a strong popular movement for re-unification with (
Prussia-dominated) Germany, and after a failed rebellion in
1848 and the unsuccessful
First war of Schleswig (
1848-
1851),
Otto von Bismarck succeeded in the
Second war of Schleswig (
1864).
After
World War I, Denmark reacquired part of that territory (
Northern Schleswig) after a referendum in the region.
As a matter of trivia, the term "Holstein" derives from the Old Norse and Old Saxon,
Holseta Land, meaning simply "Woodland". Originally, it referred to the central of the three
saxon tribes north of the
Elbe river,
Tedmarsgoi, Holcetae, and
Sturmarii. The area of the
Holcetae was between the Stör river and
Hamburg, after
christianization their main church was in Schenefeld.
The term
Schleswig takes its name from the city of
Schleswig. The name derives from the
Schlei inlet in the east and
vik meaning inlet or settlement in
Old Saxon and
Old Norse.
The
Kiel Canal crosses Schleswig-Holstein and allows German shipping to cross from the Baltic to the North Sea without leaving German territory. It had a vital role in assisting German commerce and war efforts during the last century.
List of Minister-Presidents of Schleswig-Holstein
- 1945 - 1947: Theodor Steltzer\n# 1947 - 1949: Hermann Lüdemann\n# 1949 - 1950: Bruno Diekmann\n# 1950 - 1951: Walter Bartram\n# 1951 - 1954: Friedrich-Wilhelm Lübke\n# 1954 - 1963: Kai-Uwe von Hassel (CDU)\n# 1963 - 1971: Helmut Lemke\n# 1971 - 1982: Gerhard Stoltenberg (CDU), see List of Honorary Citizens of Schleswig-Holstein\n# 1982 - 1987: Uwe Barschel (CDU)\n# 1987 - 1988: Henning Schwarz (CDU)\n# 1988 - 1993: Björn Engholm (SPD)\n# since 1993: Heide Simonis (SPD)
External links
\n* Official governmental portal\n*
Banknotes from Schleswig-Holstein
\n\n\n\n\n\nnds:Sleswig-Holsteen\n\n
Category:States of Germany
