Denmark–Germany border

Schleswig

The Duchy of Schleswig belonged to Denmark until Denmark’s defeat by Prussia and Austria in 1864, after which it was annexed to Prussia. The Treaty of Versailles in 1919 called for votes in northern and central Schleswig, held in February and March 1920, and in the summer of 1920 North Schleswig was reunited with Denmark.^[2]

The plebiscites divided Schleswig into a Danish north and a German south, generally along existing communal boundaries. An international commission described the line in 1921: through the Flensburg Fjord by a series of straight lines, across the peninsula by streams and property boundaries, and out through the North Frisian Islands. Despite objections over minor points at the time of the vote, the boundary gained universal acceptance.^[1]

“Although objections were voiced at the time of voting over minor points along the line, the boundary has since gained universal acceptance.”^[1]

Minorities on both sides

The vote left a German minority in Denmark and a Danish minority in Germany. Between the wars the German minority wanted the border changed, but after the Second World War it declared its loyalty to Denmark and recognised the 1920 line. In 1955 parallel Copenhagen–Bonn Declarations set out each minority’s rights. Today the German minority of about 10,000 to 15,000 people runs its own schools, funded by both governments.^[2]