Flensburg is an independent town (kreisfreie Stadt) in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.
Flensburg is the centre of the region of Southern Schleswig. After Kiel and Lubeck it is the third largest town in Schleswig-Holstein. The nearest larger towns are Kiel (86 kilometres (53 miles) south) and Odense in Denmark (92 km (57 mi) northeast). Flensburg’s city centre lies about 7 km (4 mi) from the Danish border.
In Germany, Flensburg is known for : the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (roughly: National Driver and Vehicle Register) with its Verkehrssunderkartei (literally: “traffic sinner card file”)
its beer Flensburger Pilsener, also called “Flens”
the centre of the Danish national minority in Germany
the greeting Moin Moin
the large erotic mail-order companies Beate Uhse and Orion
its handball team SG Flensburg-Handewitt
the Naval Academy at Murwik with its sail training ship Gorch Fock
Access : Coordinates : 54.781944, 9.436667 / By car : Most people arrive here by car. Flensburg is situated at the border of Germany and Denmark, beside the motorway Bundesautobahn 7 number. (Tabliczka E45. in Denmark) leading to Hamburg in the south and to Kolding and further north in Denmark.
By bus or train : Flensburg station. There are bus and train connections both from Denmark and Hamburg. Search Bahn.de for public connections in Germany, and DSB for Denmark.
By plane : The nearest airports are Hamburg (HAM IATA) about 150 km (93 mi) away offering a wide array of flights to domestic and international destinations and Sonderborg (SGD IATA, in Denmark 50 km (31 mi) away flights from Copenhagen only). Hamburg airport is served by the Hamburg S-Bahn and from Hamburg main station direct RE and Intercity trains leave for Flensburg with a travel time a bit under 2 hours. From Sonderborg airport take a taxi to the rail station and then DSB train.
Highlights :
- Flensburg offers a nice shopping district with old houses and gardens as well as a variety of museums and churches. The harbour is the hosting place for sailing regatta and events.
- Museums
Museumsberg Flensburg: a museum on a hill in the center of Flensburg exhibiting local history artefacts and art by not only local artists. On Fridays entry is for free, otherwise varying between €4.00 and €0.50. It is closed Mondays, otherwise it is open from 10-4 (November to March) or 10-5 (May to October).
Naturwissenschaftliches Museum und Eiszeit-Haus (Science Museum and Ice Age House): located on the museum hill next to the other museum; same opening times entry is free.
Phanomenta: an interactive science museum, where you can try experiments on you own, especially interesting for families and children and anybody interested in science. Prices vary from €9.50 for adults to €7.00 for youth and €2.00 for children. Opening times on weekdays are 9-5 (October to May) and 10-6 (July to September) and 11-6 on weekends.
Museumswerft (Shipyard museum): this museum shows and builds old ships and boats and offers courses for children, teenagers and adults. Free entry, open from 8-5 (weekdays) and 10-5 (weekends). Tours are available when booked in advance. It is located directly on the harbour.
Wehrgeschichtliche Ausbildungszentrum: a naval museum in the famous Naval Academy Murwik. On the edge of it ended the Third Reich. The naval museum is open on Tuesdays from 2 o’clock p.m. to 7 o’clock p.m. Entry is free but visitors must show their identity cards. - Churches : The following churches have an interesting architecture and are located in the old centre of Flensburg. Click http://www.flensburg-online.de/kirchen/index.html for an (almost) complete list of churches in Flensburg.
St. Nikolai (Lutheran).
2 St. Marien (Lutheran). St. Mary’s Church (Flensburg)
3 St. Johannis (Lutheran).
St. Marien, schmerzhafte Mutter (Roman Catholic).
4 Helligandskirken (Church of the Holy Spirit, Danish church, Lutheran). Helligandskirken (Flensborg)
Other important Churches are the Lutheran Church St. Jurgen which is an typical photo subject. The Church is goood to see from the harbour on the eastern shore. An Garrison Church, with the name Christuschurch, is located in the borough Murwik (Muerwik). The Christuschurch owns a beautiful triumphal cross from the 16th century. - Architecture
One of the oldest buildings in the city is the building of the “Nikolai-Apotheke” at the “Sudermarkt”, an old marketplace. The building was built in the 15th century. The architecture inside as well as outside is very much worth visiting.
The Naval Academy Murwik is a castle for the German Navy which was built in 1910 by the German Emperor Wilhelm II. Pattern for it was the Marienburg, the Castle of the Teutonic Order, which lays today in the polish town Malbork.
The Sportschool in the borough Murwik was built in 1936/37. In May 1945 it was the seat of the Flensburg Government. The government was formed after the suicide of Adolf Hitler. Head was Grand Admiral Karl Donitz.
Activities : Tours around the city can be booked at the tourist information center in the old town center. A nice way to enjoy the maritime atmosphere of Flensburg is to take a tour on one of the 5 different ferries.
Go next : Glucksburg Castle ( Glucksburg ). Beautiful old white castle. / Kiel / Lubeck / Hamburg / Schleswig
