Flensburg Firth or Flensborg Fjord (; ) is the westernmost

inlet An inlet is a typically long and narrow indentation of a shoreline such as a small arm, cove, bay, sound, fjord, lagoon or marsh, that leads to an enclosed larger body of water such as a lake, estuary, gulf or marginal sea. Overview In ...

of the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

. It forms part of the border between

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

to the south and

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

to the north, on the eastern side of Schleswig Holstein and

Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...

, respectively. Its length is between , depending on where it is considered to begin. It has the largest area of all the fjords of East Jutland, which are a special type of inlet, different from geological

fjord In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...

s.''Sailing Directions (Enroute). Baltic Sea (Southern Part)'' (Annapolis, MD: Lighthouse Press, 12th ed. 2007), p. 82 Two peninsulas,

Broager Broager (; ) is a town with a population of 3,227 (1 January 2025)Holnis on the southern side, divide the inlet into an outer and an inner part. West of them, near the Danish coast, there are two small islands called Okseøerne (meaning ''Ox Isles''). On the Danish side, the outer part of the northern end of the firth is partly closed off by the island of

Als Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and low ...

, with the town of

Sønderborg (; ) is a Denmark, Danish town in the Region of Southern Denmark. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Sønderborg Municipality (Kommune). The town has a population of 28,333 (1 January 2025),Broager Broager (; ) is a town with a population of 3,227 (1 January 2025)Egernsund,

Gråsten Gråsten (; ) is a town with a population of 4,298 (1 January 2025) on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in south Denmark by the Nybøl Nor at an inlet of the Flensburg Fjord. It belongs to the Sønderborg municipality in Region of Souther ...

, Rinkenæs, Sønderhav, and Kollund. In Germany at the Danish border, there is

Harrislee Harrislee () is a municipality in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated on the border with Denmark and directly beside Flensburg Flensburg (; Danish language, Danish and ; ; ) is an independent ci ...

, at the inner end of the inlet the town of

Flensburg Flensburg (; Danish language, Danish and ; ; ) is an independent city, independent town in the far north of the Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. After Kiel and Lübeck, it is the third-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg's ...

, east of it on the southern shore the town of

Glücksburg Glücksburg (; ) is a small town northeast of Flensburg in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is Germany's northernmost town. It is situated on the south side of the Flensburg Fjord, Flensborg Fjord, an inlet ...

and the villages of

Munkbrarup Munkbrarup is a municipality in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to th ...

Langballig Langballig () is a municipality in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated near the Baltic Sea, approx. 13 km east of Flensburg Flensburg (; Danish language, Danish and ; ; ) is an independent ...

Westerholz Westerholz () is a municipality in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea t ...

Quern Quern () is a former municipality in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Since 1 March 2013, it has been part of the municipality of Steinbergkirche Steinbergkirche () is a municipality in the district of ...

Steinbergkirche Steinbergkirche () is a municipality in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated near the Baltic Sea coast, approx. northeast of Schleswig, and east of Flensburg Flensburg (; Danish language, Danis ...

Niesgrau Niesgrau () is a municipality in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North ...

Gelting Gelting is a municipality in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated near the Baltic Sea, approx. 33 km northeast of Schleswig, and 30 km east of Flensburg Flensburg (; Danish language, Dan ...

, and

Nieby Nieby (, ) is a municipality in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to t ...

. The tourist attractions of the Flensburg Firth are the church of Broager, the Ox Isles,

Sønderborg Castle Sønderborg Castle ( German: ''Schloss Sonderburg''; ) is located in the town of Sønderborg, Denmark on the island of Als in South Jutland. It houses a museum focusing on the history and culture of the area. The castle is located in the middle ...

Glücksburg Castle Glücksburg Castle (German: Schloss Glücksburg, Danish language, Danish: ''Lyksborg Slot'') is one of the most significant Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. The castle was the headquarters of the ducal lines of the house of Glücksburg an ...

, the

Naval Academy Mürwik A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations ...

(known as the Red Castle) and the harbour of

References

External links

Map

Google maps satellite image
Fjords of Denmark Förden of Germany

Firth Firth is a word in the English and Scots languages used to denote various coastal waters in the United Kingdom, predominantly within Scotland. In the Northern Isles, it more often refers to a smaller inlet. It is linguistically cognate to Scan ...

Denmark–Germany border International fjords Bays of Schleswig-Holstein {{Denmark-geo-stub