Schleswig-Holstein

I

Introduction

Schleswig-Holstein, state in northern Germany, bounded on the north by Denmark, on the east by the Baltic Sea and Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, on the south by Hamburg and Lower Saxony, and on the west by the North Sea. The state has an area of 15,769 sq km (6,088 sq mi).

II

Physical Geography

Schleswig-Holstein contains the southern half of the Jutland Peninsula, which is part of the north German plain, and also includes several islands: Amrum, Föhr, Helgoland, Nordstrand, Pellworm, and Sylt belong to the North Frisian Islands in the North Sea, and Fehrman lies in the Baltic Sea. The state’s southern border is formed by the lower course of the Elbe; other prominent rivers include the Eider, which marks a historic border between the duchies of Schleswig in the north and Holstein to the south, as well as the Stör and the Trave. Among the state’s many lakes the most notable are the Plön, Ratzenburg, and Selent lakes, as well as Westen and Witten; part of Lake Schaal, an important biosphere reserve (mainly in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania), also belongs to Schleswig-Holstein. Important canals and waterways include the Nord-Ostsee Kanal and a canal connecting the Elbe with the city of Lübeck. There are numerous natural harbours both on the mainland and on the islands.

The western part of Schleswig-Holstein includes the North Sea shore and parts of the Binnenland (Inlands), with characteristic hills and lakes, cliffs and fiords, fertile soils by the sea and poor soils inland. This coast is cut by numerous long, narrow inlets. The centre of the peninsula, the Binnenland, is a sandy upland. To the east, much land is treeless and covered with marshes and moors and, by the Baltic Sea, by tidal flats (see Coastal Features). The low, harbourless coast is mainly reclaimed marsh. Inland there is a region called Holstein Switzerland, with almost 200 lakes, and to the south is situated the duchy of Lauenburg.

Between Denmark and the mouth of the Elbe lies the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park, established in 1985 and encompassing 441,000 hectares (1,089,711 acres); it encloses the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea Biosphere Reserve, founded in 1990 and covering some 285,000 hectares (704,235 acres) of sand dunes, marshland, lagoons, and beaches. The state has five nature parks, including the Holstein Switzerland and the Lauenburg Lakes, as well as Aukrug in the north, the Hüttener Hills in the centre, and Lake Westen to the east. In addition, in 2000 there were 283 areas of outstanding natural beauty, covering more than 2,500 sq km (965 sq mi), and 177 other conservation areas, encompassing more than 2,000 sq km (772 sq mi), as well as 156 protected landscapes and 1,162 sites of special scientific interest.

III

Population

Schleswig-Holstein has a population of 2,823,000 (2004 estimate), with a population density (2004 estimate) of 179 persons per sq km (464 persons per sq mi). Kiel is the capital and largest city, with 233,300 inhabitants (2005 estimate). Lübeck (population, 2005 estimate, 211,900), Flensburg (2005, 86,080), Neumünster (2005, 78,072), and Schleswig (2005 estimate, 24,200) are the other main cities.

Schleswig-Holstein is highly urbanized. It experienced a sharp increase in population after World War II, with the influx of refugees and evacuees from other territories in Germany and abroad. In the late 20th century many people were emigrating to neighbouring states, notably to Hamburg, mostly in search of suitable employment. In the north of the state there is a small Danish minority of about 6,000 people, with its own schools and newspapers. Other minorities include migrants from Turkey (more than 40,000 people in 2000), the former Yugoslavia (more than 10,000 people), and Poland (almost 9,000 people). The Plattdeutsch (Low German, or Low Saxon) dialect is spoken in the region.

IV

Education and Culture

The Christian Albrecht University in Kiel was founded in 1665. There is also a university in Flensburg and a Medical University and Academy of Music in Lübeck, as well as several colleges of higher education and teacher-training colleges. The State Museum and State Archives are situated in Schleswig. Among Schleswig-Holstein’s notable museums are the Museum for Art and Cultural History and the Ethnographic Collection in Lübeck; the Maritime Museum in Kiel; the Museumsberg complex in Flensburg; the Provincial Museum of Archaeology in Gottorf; the Molfsee Open-Air Museum; and the Haithabu Museum of the Viking Settlement. The Institute of World Economies in Kiel is one of the oldest and most outstanding of its kind worldwide. The Hanseatic city of Lübeck was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

Numerous festivals and celebrations take place in Schleswig-Holstein throughout the year, most notably Kiel Weeks (an annual regatta that takes place each June), the Rum Regatta in Flensburg, and a music festival in Lübeck. The historic Salt Route between Lüneburg and Lübeck crosses the state. Mölln, in the south-east, was the town of the semi-legendary jester Till Eulenspiegel. People born in, or associated with, the state include composer and organist Dietrich Buxtehude; historian Theodor Mommsen; writers Friedrich Hebbel, Theodor Storm, Heinrich Mann, Thomas Mann, and Günter Grass; and scientists Max Planck, Hans Geiger, and Kurt Alder.