The Danish Wahld (, ) is a
peninsula
A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula.
Etymology
The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...
in
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. It is located between
Eckernförde Bay in the north and
Kiel Fjord in the south. The ''
Amt'' of "
Dänischer Wohld" in the district of
Rendsburg-Eckernförde
Rendsburg-Eckernförde (; ) is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by (from the east and clockwise) the city of Kiel, the district of Plön, the city of Neumünster, the districts of Segeberg, Steinburg, Dithmarschen and S ...
is named after the peninsula, but only encompasses a central part of the region.
The Danish Wahld formed a border forest between German and Danish settlements in the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
with only a few
Jute
Jute ( ) is a long, rough, shiny bast fibre that can be Spinning (textiles), spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus ''Corchorus'', of the mallow family Malvaceae. The primary source of the fiber is ...
settlements. After 1260 the Danish Wahld was pledged by the Danish king to the north German nobility and German colonists settled in the region.
[Hans Wilhelm Haefs: ''Ortsnamen und Ortsgeschichten in Schleswig-Holstein'', 2004] The Danish Wahld was in the Middle Ages part of
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
and after 1200 of the Danish
Duchy of Schleswig
The Duchy of Schleswig (; ; ; ; ; ) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km (45 mi) south of the current border between Germany and Denmark. The territory has been div ...
, where it formed its own goods district. After the
Second Schleswig War
The Second Schleswig War (; or German Danish War), also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War, was the second military conflict over the Schleswig–Holstein question of the nineteenth century. The war began on 1 Februar ...
1864 the region came to
Prussia
Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
.
The southern Danish Wahld is bordered by the
Kiel Canal
The Kiel Canal (, until 1948 called in German the ) is a fresh water canal that links the North Sea () to the Baltic Sea (). It runs through the Germany, German states of Germany, state of Schleswig-Holstein, from Brunsbüttel to the Holtenau di ...
and remnants of the
Eider Canal. It predominantly was composed of the older
Eckernförde district, now within
Rendsburg-Eckernförde
Rendsburg-Eckernförde (; ) is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by (from the east and clockwise) the city of Kiel, the district of Plön, the city of Neumünster, the districts of Segeberg, Steinburg, Dithmarschen and S ...
. The main settlement of the region is
Gettorf. Individual settlements in the southeast, such as
Schilksee
Schilksee () is a town on the Danish Wahld peninsula in the Kieler Förde. In 1959, the town was incorporated into the city of Kiel, therefore today sometimes named as Kiel-Schilksee ().
The town is a popular vacation destination because of its b ...
,
Holtenau, and
Friedrichsort, now are part of the city of
Kiel
Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...
.
References
Regions of Schleswig-Holstein
Peninsulas of Schleswig-Holstein
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