POINT OF INTEREST

Nordertor

Am Nordertor/Norderstraße 151, 24931 Flensburg

Built in around 1595, Nordertor developed into a vivid symbol of Flensburg with the nearly 40,000 women and men that were entitled to vote in the city in the multifaceted plebiscite battle.

Built in around 1595 and embellished with the city’s coat of arms and the Danish royal coat of arms, Nordertor was used by both sides as a popular propaganda motif during the plebiscite on the German-Danish border in 1920. To persuade the citizens of Flensburg to make the “right” choice, the two sides adopted it as a symbol for Flensburg on posters with national, patriotic slogans and depicting emergency money. The Danish and German flags and colours together with economic and social topics featured frequently in leaflets, which were used on a massive scale. In addition, special plebiscite newspapers were created and both sides campaigned for their beliefs in patriotic speeches and songs at numerous assemblies and demonstrations. Among the 40,000 entitled to vote in Flensburg, about 10,000 did not live in the city. With a great deal of logistical effort, they were identified and then found their way to Flensburg by rail and ship. Today, the restored Nordertor houses the Hugo-Eckener exhibition and the I.C. Möller-Platz in front of it is used as a venue for public events.