Tønder (; german: Tondern ) is a town in the
Region of Southern Denmark
The Region of Southern Denmark ( da, Region Syddanmark, ; german: Region Süddänemark, ; frr, Regiuun Syddanmark) is an administrative region of Denmark established on Monday 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform, which ab ...
. With a population of 7,505 (as of 1 January 2022), it is the main town and the administrative seat of the
Tønder Municipality
Tønder ( German: ''Tondern'', North Frisian: ''Tuner'') is a municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in Region of Southern Denmark on the Jutland peninsula in south Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 1,278 km2, and has a total populat ...
.
History
The first mention of Tønder might have been in the mid-12th century, when the Arab geographer
Muhammad al-Idrisi
Abu Abdullah Muhammad al-Idrisi al-Qurtubi al-Hasani as-Sabti, or simply al-Idrisi ( ar, أبو عبد الله محمد الإدريسي القرطبي الحسني السبتي; la, Dreses; 1100 – 1165), was a Muslim geographer, cartograp ...
mentioned the landmark ''Tu(r)ndira'', which might have been a reference to either Tønder, or the nearby town of
Møgeltønder
Møgeltønder () is a small town in Denmark, located in Møgeltønder Parish and Tønder Municipality in the southwestern corner of the Danish peninsula of Jutland 5 kilometres north of the Danish-German border and 4 kilometres west of Tønder ...
.
Tønder was granted port privileges by the
Hanseatic League in 1243, making it Denmark's oldest privileged market town. In 1532 it was hit by severe floods, with water levels reaching 1.8 m in St Laurent's church, 5.3 m above
sea level. In the 1550s, Tønder's port lost direct access to the sea due to
dykes being built to the west of town at the direction of Duke
Hans the Elder of Schleswig-Holstein-Haderslev, the son of
Frederick I of Denmark
Frederick I ( Danish and ; ; ; 7 October 1471 – 10 April 1533) was King of Denmark and Norway. He was the last Roman Catholic monarch to reign over Denmark and Norway, when subsequent monarchs embraced Lutheranism after the Protestant Refor ...
.
The town centre is dominated by houses from the late 17th and early 18th century, when the town experienced rapid growth as a result of its
lace
Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is divided into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted ...
industry. Prior to 1864, Tønder was situated in the
Duchy of Schleswig
The Duchy of Schleswig ( da, Hertugdømmet Slesvig; german: Herzogtum Schleswig; nds, Hartogdom Sleswig; frr, Härtochduum Slaswik) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km ( ...
, so its history is intertwined with the contentious
history of Schleswig-Holstein. In the 1920s, when the
Schleswig Plebiscite
The Schleswig plebiscites were two plebiscites, organized according to section XII, articles 100 to 115 of the Treaty of Versailles of 28 June 1919, in order to determine the future border between Denmark and Germany through the former Duchy of ...
incorporated
Northern Schleswig
South Jutland County (Danish: ''Sønderjyllands Amt'') is a former county (Danish: '' amt'') on the south-central portion of the Jutland Peninsula in southern Denmark.
The county was formed on 1 April 1970, comprising the former counties of Aabe ...
into Denmark, 76.5% of Tønder's inhabitants voted to remain part of Germany and 23.5% voted to join Denmark.
During
World War I, a
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, p ...
base was operated in Tønder by the
Imperial German Navy. The base was attacked by the British on 19 July 1918, in what is known as the
Tondern raid. Seven
Sopwith Camels
The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the be ...
from the aircraft carrier bombed the base, hitting two of the three
airship hangar
Airship hangars (also known as airship sheds) are large specialized buildings that are used for sheltering airships during construction, maintenance and storage. Rigid airships always needed to be based in airship hangars because weathering was a s ...
s. The Zeppelins ''L.54'' and ''L.60'' inside one hangar were destroyed and a balloon inside the other was damaged. After this, Tønder was abandoned as an active airship base, and was used only as an emergency landing site. A wartime aircraft hangar survives, as do some of the ancillary buildings, but only the foundations remain of the large airship hangars. The site now houses a museum, named the Zeppelin and Garrison Museum Tønder.
After the First World War, Tønder was detached from Germany, in spite of the majority of its population casting a pro-German vote in the
Schleswig Plebiscites
The Schleswig plebiscites were two plebiscites, organized according to section XII, articles 100 to 115 of the Treaty of Versailles of 28 June 1919, in order to determine the future border between Denmark and Germany through the former Duchy of ...
- as Tønder was included in Zone I, which as a whole had a strong pro-Danish majority. In the years that followed, German political parties enjoyed a majority in the city council, and until 1945, the city was officially bilingual.
After the end of the
German occupation of Denmark
At the outset of World War II in September 1939, Denmark declared itself neutral. For most of the war, the country was a protectorate and then an occupied territory of Germany. The decision to occupy Denmark was taken in Berlin on 17 Decemb ...
, the political influence of the German population dwindled considerably. In spite of the improvement in cross-border traffic, the location of the town continued to hamper industrial growth through the late 20th century, although some companies did set up businesses. Tourism has grown in importance. In 1989, Tønder Seminarium, the oldest teacher training college in Scandinavia, established in 1788, was closed.
Attractions
Every August, the
Tønder Festival
Tønder Festival is an annual folk music festival in Tønder, Denmark. It is held on the last weekend of August. It was founded in 1974. The first festival took place in 1975.
The festival is one of the most prominent festivals for traditional and ...
offers visitors a wide variety of traditional and modern folk music. The Scouts of Tønder are twinned with
Hemyock
Hemyock () is a village and civil parish in Devon, England. It is about 8 miles north-west of Honiton and south of the Somerset town of Wellington. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 1,519. Hemyock is part of the electoral ward ...
, in Devon, England, and make exchange trips between the countries every few years.
Marriage
As Tønder is the first town over the border in Denmark from Germany, the town has been a particularly popular place to
elope since the 1960s. This is especially true for couples of mixed-nationalities, particularly between
Europeans citizens and non-European citizens. This is due in part to Denmark's liberal marriage laws, compared to those in nearby
Germany which requires a minimum of three months' administration and the ceremony has to be in
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
. However, in Denmark it can be done in just around a week, with fewer documents required and the vows can be done in languages other than
the national language. In 2007, over 2,500 marriages were done at Tønder town hall by non-resident couples compared to just 150 local couples.
Notable people from Tønder
Public Service, Science & Business
*
Oluf Gerhard Tychsen
Oluf (Olaus) Gerhard Tychsen (14 December 1734, Tønder, then Schleswig, now Denmark – 30 December 1815, Rostock, then Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now Germany) was a German Orientalist and Hebrew scholar. He is known today as one of the founding fa ...
(1734–1815) a German Orientalist and Hebrew scholar, a founding father of
Islamic numismatics
*
Johan Christian Fabricius (1745–1808) a Danish zoologist, specialising in "Insecta",
arthropods
Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a Segmentation (biology), segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and Arth ...
: insects, arachnids and crustaceans.
*
Georg Zoëga (1755 in Daler–1809) a scientist, archaeologist, numismatist and anthropologist
*
Nicolai Andresen (1781–1861) a Norwegian merchant, banker and member of
Stortinget
*
Peter Andreas Hansen
Peter Andreas Hansen (born 8 December 1795, Tønder, Schleswig, Denmark; died 28 March 1874, Gotha, Thuringia, Germany) was a Danish-born German astronomer.
Biography
The son of a goldsmith, Hansen learned the trade of a watchmaker at Flensburg, ...
(1795 in Tønder–1874) a Danish-born German astronomer
*
Julius Bahnsen
Julius Friedrich August Bahnsen (30 March 1830 – 7 December 1881) was a German philosopher. Bahnsen is usually considered the originator of characterology and a real-dialectical method of philosophical reflection which he laid down in his tw ...
(1830–1881) a German philosopher, originator of
characterology
*
Gustav Adolf Neuber
Gustav Adolf Neuber (24 June 1850 – 13 April 1932) was a German surgeon born in Tondern (today- Tønder.
He studied medicine in several universities, receiving his doctorate in 1875 at the University of Giessen. Later he worked as an assistant ...
(1850–1932) a German surgeon
*
Bernhard M. Jacobsen (1862–1936) emigrated 1876, became a U.S. Representative from
Iowa
* Captain
Max Valentiner
Captain Christian August Max Ahlmann Valentiner (15 December 1883 – 19 July 1949) was a German U-boat commander during World War I. He was the third highest-scoring U-boat commander of the war, and was awarded the Pour le Mérite for his achiev ...
(1883–1949) a German U-boat commander during World War I
*
Poul Schlüter
Poul Holmskov Schlüter (; 3 April 1929 – 27 May 2021) was a Danish politician who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 1982 to 1993. He was the first member of the Conservative People's Party to become Prime Minister, as well as the first ...
(1929–2021) a Danish politician, Prime Minister of Denmark 1982–1993
*
Jan Beyer Schmidt-Sørensen (born 1958) a Danish economist and former Director of Business Development at
Aarhus Municipality
Aarhus Municipality ( da, Aarhus Kommune), known as Århus Municipality ( da, Århus Kommune) until 2011, is a municipality in Central Denmark Region, on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in central Denmark.
The municipality covers an area ...
The Arts
*
Heinrich Wilhelm von Gerstenberg
Heinrich Wilhelm von Gerstenberg (3 January 1737 – 1 November 1823) was a German poet and critic.
Gerstenberg was born in Tønder, Denmark. After attending school in Husum and at the Christianeum Hamburg, and studying law at the University o ...
(1737–1823) a German poet
and critic.
*
Conrad Christian Bøhndel (1779 in Hostrup–1847) a Danish painter and lithographer
*
Siegfried Saloman (1816 in Tønder–1899) a Danish violinist and composer
*
Geskel Saloman
Geskel Saloman (1 April 1821 in Tønder – July 5, 1902 in Båstad) was a Danish–Swedish portrait and genre painter. Soloman was one of the Bedřich Smetana's closest friends and painter of one of the three existing portraits of the foun ...
(1821–1902) a Danish–Swedish portrait and genre painter
*
Hans Wegner
Hans Jørgensen Wegner (April 2, 1914 - January 26, 2007) was a Danish furniture designer. His work, along with a concerted effort from several of his manufacturers, contributed to the international popularity of mid-century Danish design. His sty ...
(1914–2017) Danish furniture designer
Sport
*
Henning Munk Jensen (born 1947) a Danish former association football player, played 392 games for
AaB and 62 matches for
Denmark 1966-1978, 24 of these as team captain
*
Jakob Michelsen
Jakob Saldern Stein Michelsen (born 30 September 1980) is a Danish football manager. He is currently the manager of Norwegian Eliteserien club HamKam.
Jakob Michelsen was selected coach of the year in Denmark in 2015. He was the coach behind the ...
(born 1980) a Danish unattached football manager.
See also
*
Concerning the Friary in Tønder
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tonder
Municipal seats of the Region of Southern Denmark
Municipal seats of Denmark
Cities and towns in the Region of Southern Denmark
Tønder Municipality