Tonder, Denmark Tourism

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Tønder was granted a charter by Lübeck, and in the centuries that followed it was alternately under Danish and German jurisdiction. Duke John the Elder had dikes built to protect the town from flooding, but these proved to be a disadvantage to shipping.

Tønder traded with the Netherlands and with North German ports, especially in cattle. In the early 17th C. the people of Tonder and its surroundings began to make lace. After 1813 lace-making declined in importance, but trading in cattle continued to play a role in the town's economy. When new frontiers were drawn in 1920 Tonder lost its extensive hinterland in the south.

Sights

The town boasts some fine old houses dating from the time when lace-making was at its height; these include Digegrevens Gård (Dike Administrator's House) in Vestergade and the Great Pharmacy in Ostergade, with its Baroque sandstone doorway. Opposite stands the "Hop Barrow", an inn the name of which clearly suggests that it was popular with hop-growers.