After the First World War, the state border between Germany and Denmark was defined, which is still valid today. After two votes, the result finally came out on March 14, 1920.
In the spring of 1920, waves were raging in the land between the seas:the so-called Schleswig question mobilized large sections of those of German and Danish origin. They live in a colorful mix next to each other and with each other in the northernmost area of what was then the German Reich. The region also once belonged to the Danish crown, the disputes over the state of Schleswig go back to the 19th century. On March 14, 1920, the final decision was made with the second vote.
Referendums as a result of the Treaty of Versailles
The year before, after the end of the First World War, the victorious powers redrawn the map of Europe at the Peace Congress in Versailles. On June 28, 1919, the German delegation signed a treaty separating Alsace-Lorraine and some eastern provinces from the Reich and providing for referendums for other parts of the country. With a great deal of noise and propaganda campaigns, a vote is therefore held in the northernmost tip of Northern Germany.
According to the Treaty of Versailles, Schleswig is to decide on its territorial affiliation in referendums in 1920. On this poster from 1919, the election campaigners campaigned to remain in the German Reich.But:where exactly and how should the right of self-determination of peoples decide? The Versailles Treaty does not name a specifically defined area. After deliberations, two electoral zones are set up in the state of Schleswig, with the northern zone being declared a single voting area and the southern zone being divided into several voting districts. Denmark was able to push through this election method with the allied commission. On the German side, he encountered severe criticism, since it is already clear that the majority of the inhabitants of the cities are in favor of remaining in the German Reich, but that the numerically superior rural population tends towards Denmark.
Zone I:Country for Denmark, cities for Germany
In cities like Flensburg, the majority voted to remain in Germany.On February 10, 1920, voting takes place in the first zone. It extends to the so-called Clausen Line, which runs south of Tønder and north of Flensburg. The mostly German-friendly city on the fjord is excluded, although it is the cultural and economic center of the entire region - so as not to risk losing the elections in the northern zone. In fact, 75 percent support Denmark and 25 percent support Germany. Although the majority of towns and cities voted to remain in the German Reich (77 percent in Tønder), the entire area of northern Schleswig fell to Denmark. Due to the new border demarcation, which marks today's German-Danish border, the growing districts of Tondern and Flensburg have been cut up.
The German historian Johannes Tiedje presented a counter-proposal to the Clausen Line on the day of the vote. According to his proposal, the areas around Tønder and north of Flensburg, which are directly on the dividing line between voting zones I and II and where the majority voted for Germany, should also remain in the Reich. If this so-called Tiedje belt were implemented, the German minority in Denmark would have been smaller, roughly the same size as the current Danish minority in Germany. But the proposal does not fall on fertile ground.
Zone II:clear vote in the south for Germany
On March 14, 1920, voting takes place in the second zone with Glücksburg, Flensburg, Niebüll, Sylt, Föhr and Amrum. In the individual communities, the residents vote for Germany with an average of 80 percent - a clear result. This marked the new state border between Germany and Denmark, which is still valid today.
Northern Schleswig is ceded to Denmark
The protests initially continued, especially on the part of German-minded people in the Tiedje belt. Nevertheless, the demarcation remains:on June 15, 1920, North Schleswig is integrated into the Kingdom of Denmark.
In the 1920s, the German minority in Denmark organized itself under the leadership of Pastor Johannes Schmidt-Wodder, the only German member of parliament in Denmark. Her vision is the return of North Schleswig to Germany. After the Second World War, however, the German ethnic group gives up the wish and declares its loyalty to the Danish state.
Minorities on both sides of the border maintain their culture
Danish and German culture is still alive today in both parts of Schleswig - by the way, the Danes refer to North Schleswig as South Jutland. Since the end of 2018, the German-Danish border region with its minorities has been listed in UNESCO's national register of intangible cultural heritage - on the German and Danish sides. Around 50,000 people are currently attributed to the Danish minority in northern Schleswig-Holstein. The German minority in Denmark is around 15,000 people.