Dannewerk in Schleswig-Flensburg, Sleswick-Holstein, Germany — Central Europe

The Key Section of the Fortifications: The Main Wall

Haithabu und Danewerk

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, September 25, 2018

1. The Key Section of the Fortifications: The Main Wall Marker

Inscription. (English:)
What is the Danevirke? Over 1000 years ago in the Viking Age, Danes, Frisians, Saxons and Slavs came into contact in this border region between Scandinavia and Central Europe. Danish kings began to fortify the Danevirke to secure the southern frontier of their kingdom and protect the trade route between the North Sea and the Baltic. The Danevirke consisted of earthworks, walls, ditches and an offshore defensive structure in the Schlei. The most important trading centre and transport hub was Hedeby.
THE KEY SECTION OF THE FORTIFICATIONS: THE MAIN WALL
You are standing in part of the Danevirke's Main Wall, where the rampart has been removed. The Main Wall is the key part and forms the main line of the fortifications in the system of ramparts, which were repeatedly extended and modified. Various construction phases are recognisable inside the earthwork, such as reinforcement with fieldstones or the brickwork of "Valdemar's Wall".
Danish kings also used the Danevirke as a show of power. Only a large and very well organised workforce could construct such a massive monument. It served as a defence for
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the Danes against territorial claims by Frankish and German rulers. At the same time the Danevirke separated the heathen North from Christian Western Europe. Danish King Harald Bluetooth then established Christianity in his kingdom in ca. 960. This achievement was recorded in the carvings on the large Jelling rune stone.
Danish soldiers once more made use of the Danevirke in the German-Danish war of 1864.
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(Danish:)
Hvad er Dannevirke? For over 1000 år siden, i vikingetiden, mødtes danskere, frisere, saksere og slaver her ved grænseområdet mellem Skandinavien og Centraleuropa. Danske koniger begyndte at bygge Dannevirke som en grænsebefæstning. Således blev rigets grænse mod syd samt handelsvejen mellem Vesterhavet og Østersøen sikret. Dannevirke udgjordes af jordvolde, stenmure, voldgrave samt en søspærring i Slien. Den mest betydeligsfulde handelsby og vigtigste trafikale knudepunkt var Hedeby.
FORSVARSVÆRKETS CENTRALE DEL: HOVEDVOLDEN
Du står her på et sløjfet stykke af Dannevirkes hovedvold. Hovedvolden udgør forsvarsværkets centrale del og hoved forsvarslinjen i voldsystemet, som blev udbygget flere gange. Volden består af forskellige byggefaser, bl.a. en kampestensmur og "Valdemarsmuren" af teglsten.
For de danske konger var Dannevirke også et middel til at demonstrere deres magt. Et så gevaldigt monument kunne
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, September 25, 2018

2. The Key Section of the Fortifications: The Main Wall Marker - wide view
The Main Wall is visible behind the marker, although both the poor lighting and angle make it look smaller than it actually is.
kun opføres af en meget velorganiseret og stor hær. Danske konger forsvarede sig mod frankiske og tyske herskeres territorialkrav. Samtidig afgrænsede Dannevirke det hedenske nord fra det kristne Vesteuropa. Kong Harald Blåtand indførte den kristne tro omkring år 960 i sit rige. Dette kan læses på Jellingstenen.
Volden blev reaktiveret af de danske styrker under den dansk-tyske krig i 1864.
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(German:)
Was ist das Danewerk? Vor über 1000 Jahren, in der Wikingerzeit, trafen hier in der Grenzregion zwischen Skandinavien und Mitteleuropa Dänen, Friesen, Sachsen und Slawen aufeinander. Dänische Könige begannen das Danewerk als Grenzbefestigung auszubauen. So sicherten sie die Südgrenze ihres Reiches und den Handelsweg zwischen Nord- und Ostsee. Das Danewerk bestand aus Erdwällen, Mauern, Gräben und einem Sperrwerk in der Schlei. Wichtigster Handelsort und Verkehrsknotenpunkt war Haithabu.
KERN DER WEHRANLAGE: DER HAUPTWALL
Sie stehen hier in einem abgetragenen Stück des Hauptwalls vom Danewerk. Er ist der Kern und die Hauptbefestigungslinie des immer weiter ausgebauten Wallsystems. Im Inneren dieses Erdwalls sind verschiedene Bauphasen zu erkennen, z. B. eine Befestigung aus Feldsteinen sowie die „Waldemarsmauer" aus Ziegelsteinen.
Dänische Könige nutzten das Danewerk auch als Machtdemonstration. Nur eine sehr gut organisierte,
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, September 25, 2018

3. The Key Section of the Fortifications: The Main Wall and Marker - wide view from behind the marker
The back of the marker is visible here, in the center of the picture, while behind it the wall is visible.
große Truppe konnte ein so gewaltiges Monument bauen. Die Dänen wehrten sich damit gegen Gebietsansprüche fränkischer und deutscher Herrscher. Gleichzeitig grenzte das Danewerk den heidnischen Norden gegen das christliche Westeuropa ab. König Harald Blauzahn führte dann um das Jahr 960 den christlichen Glauben in seinem Reich ein. Diese Tat ließ er in einen der Runensteine von Jelling meißeln.
Im Deutsch-Dänischen Krieg von 1864 reaktivierten dänische Soldaten den Wall noch einmal.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Forts and Castles.

Location. 54° 28.31′ N, 9° 28.593′ E. Marker is in Dannewerk, Schleswig-Holstein (Sleswick-Holstein), in Schleswig-Flensburg. Marker is at the intersection of Margarethenwall and Schaepersweg, on the left when traveling west on Margarethenwall. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Dannewerk SH 24867, Germany. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 2 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The "Kovirke" - New Defences for Hedeby? (approx. 1.1 kilometers away); Bastion 14 and the 1864 War (approx. 1.4 kilometers away).

Also see . . .
1. Danevirke (Wikipedia). "The Danevirke...is a system of Danish fortifications in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. This historically important linear defensive
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, September 25, 2018

4. The Main Wall - closeup
earthwork across the neck of the Cimbrian peninsula was initiated by the Danes in the Nordic Iron Age at some point before 500 AD. It was later expanded multiple times during Denmark's Viking Age. The Danevirke was last used for military purposes in 1864 during the Second War of Schleswig....The Danevirke consists of several walls, trenches and the Schlei Barrier. The walls stretch for 30 km, from the former Viking trade centre of Hedeby near Schleswig on the Baltic Sea coast in the east to the extensive marshlands in the west of the peninsula. One of the walls (named Østervolden), between the Schlei and Eckernförde inlets, defended the Schwansen peninsula." (Submitted on October 3, 2018.)

2. From the Vikings to WWII, the Danevirke Wall Has Seen it All. Ancient Origins website entry (Submitted on May 27, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

Credits. This page was last revised on January 28, 2022. It was originally submitted on October 3, 2018, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 152 times since then and 6 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 3, 2018, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.