‚Vom Gegeneinander zum Miteinander‘?: Zur Deutung der Grenzregion zwischen Dänemark und Deutschland als Raum nationaler Konfrontation

Until the beginning of the 19th century no sharply defined demarcation between Danish on the one hand and German on the other had been possible nor necessary. However, throughout the century the firm belief that Danes and Germans had been fierce enemies from time immemorial in the fight for control over the border region, and specifically over Schleswig, became prevalent. From a Danish perspective, the border between the two parties had always run along the Eider and should continue to do so, whereas the people of Schleswig-Holstein claimed their eternal solidarity and affiliation including the regions further north as far as the course of the Königsau. The close ties in socio-cultural and political terms which had existed between Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein, or else Germany, during medieval and modern times were neglected or ignored. Denmark now sought out and emphasized the closeness to the Scandinavian neighbours instead. The predominant commitment to a vague Nordism, to which the German neighbours had no direct access, became an important part in the concept of the German-Danish border as a kind of protective barrier against the south that continues to have an effect even today, considering the 2016 reintroduced passport controls and the 2019 newly arranged ‘wild boar fence’ along the German-Danish border