The town of Tønder is situated in the fenland of South Jutland, north of the Danish-German border.
History
About 1130 the place is mentioned as being "a good harbor". At that time the town had access to the North Sea, thanks to a river (the Vidå) with a good depth of water. In 1243 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.
The Late Gothic Christ Church (Kristkirke) was built of brick in 1591. Note the tower with its octagonal spire, which had formed part of an earlier church. The richly decorated interior boasts an altar table of 1696, a pulpit of 1586 and a font of Belgian marble, as well as 17th and 18th C. tombs of leading merchants of Tønder and their families.
Højer, on the coast northwest of Møgeltønder, has an interesting Romanesque church. After Tønder had been cut off from the sea as the result of the construction of a dike, Hojer developed into a cattle-exporting port.
Near Højer stands a 30m/98ft high windmill of 1857, which now houses a museum and a restaurant (opening times given). Also of interest is the Flood Column near the sluice, on which are marked the water levels reached during all known floods which have occurred here; the last one was on January 3, 1976, when the dike broke its banks and Tønder had to be evacuated.
This annual country fair is one of the biggest in Denmark. The fair runs for three days in mid-August and includes a fireworks display, a horse fair, an amusement park and a flea market.
Møgeltønder, a few miles west of Tønder, is a very old town, with thatched brick houses and cobbled streets. The church has one of the oldest organs in the country.
Slotsgade in Mogeltonder leads to Schackenborg Manor; originally Baroque, the buildings in their present form date from the 19th C. In 1660 the house was bought by Marshal Hans Schack and since then has been privately owned.
Southwest of Møgeltønder lies the frontier village of Rudbøl; since 1920 the Danish-German border has run right through the middle of the village. In Sebüll, on the German side, is the Nolde Museum. Nolde, actually Emil Hansen, was born near Bylderup-Bov in Nolde in 1867; he died in 1956.
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Logumkloster - Logum Abbey, Denmark
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Hojer, Denmark
Møgeltønder - Schackenborg, Mogeltonder
