Gendarmstien

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gendarmstien
Section of the Gendarme Path in the Kollunder Forest (November 2006)
Section of the Gendarme Path in the Kollunder Forest (November 2006)
map
Map of the hiking trail
Data
length 74 kilometersdep1
location South Jutland , Denmark
Starting point Padborg
54 ° 49 '1.9 "  N , 9 ° 21' 49.4"  E
Target point Høruphav
54 ° 54 '25.8 "  N , 9 ° 53' 14.4"  E
Type trail
particularities Course directly on the German-Danish border and on the Flensburg Fjord

The Gendarmstien ( German : Gendarmenpfad ) is an approximately 74 km long, partly unpaved hiking trail and a former path used to monitor the German- Danish border in the Sønderjylland-Schleswig region . The path runs from Padborg (northwest of Flensburg ) to Høruphav (on Höruper Haff, east of Sønderborg ), mostly along the Flensburg Fjord . Part of the route belongs to the European long-distance hiking trail E6 .

The Gendarmstien is one of the few hiking trails in Denmark that runs in close proximity to the coast, which is why it is one of the most scenic in Denmark. Historical monuments, different landscapes and viewpoints can be found along the route. On the German side of the fjord, the path has been supplemented by the Fördesteig since 2015 .

history

The Gendarmstien was named after the Danish border gendarmerie (Grænsegendarmeriet) , a corps founded in 1839 , which initially patrolled as Det Holstenske Grænsegendarmerie along the Elbe north of Hamburg. Only deployed on the Eider for a short time in 1864 , after the German-Danish War the area of ​​operation shifted to the Kongeå and after the referendum in Schleswig in 1920, which resulted in northern Schleswig being united with Denmark, to the Scheidebek (Skelbækken) and the north bank the Flensburg Fjord. There the gendarmerie guarded the national border day and night from 1920 to 1958 and controlled shipping between Denmark and Germany. The Danish border policemen used the Gendarmstien for patrols, which they covered in sections on foot. In some sections there were already paths, in others new paths were laid, some of which led over private land. In 1959, the Danish police took over border surveillance, which they now carried out mainly off-road with motor vehicles.

In 1988 the Sønderjyllands Amt realized that the old path was a tourist attraction. Together with state authorities and the municipalities, the office began to mark the old route with signs and put up information boards. A blue gendarme is depicted on the signs, reminding of the blue uniform.

Landmarks

280 boundary stones have defined the national border between Denmark and Germany since 1920. These have been numbered to precisely determine the location. The first 49 of these boundary stones are on Gendarmstien. The letter D shown on the stones stood for Denmark, DR, P for the German Empire , Prussia . The date 15-06-1920 is also shown on the first and last stone , which is intended to commemorate the Danish reunification .

Earth telephone

At the border crossing point Rønsdam in the municipality of Bov, you can make cross-border contact using an earth telephone. One connection is in Denmark, the other in Germany.

Route

Marking on the Gendarmstien
Boundary stone between Denmark and Germany. The upper groove marks the actual limit.

The Gendarmstien is divided into five daily stages (from west to east):

  • Mountain stage (from Padborg to Sønderhav)
  • Brick stage (from Sønderhav to Brunsnæs)
  • Crow stage (from Brunsnæs to Gammelmark)
  • Strand stage (from Gammelmark to Høruphav)
  • Mill stage (from Høruphav to Skovby)

In the course of the Gendarmstien 28 resting places are available for recreation. The hiking trail leads in the direction from west to east past the following communities, settlements and sights:

In the Aabenraa municipality
In Sønderborg Municipality

Additional route conveyor path

Since 2015, it has also been possible to hike the Fördesteig on the German side of the Flensburg Fjord . The slightly shorter route compared to the Gendarmstien has a length of 70 kilometers. This newly signposted coastal hiking trail has never been used by border guards, but leads past significant cultural monuments such as the Nordertor , the Mürwik Naval School (Red Castle by the Sea) or the Glücksburg Castle . Starting from east to west, the hiking trail begins north of Kappeln at the Falshöft lighthouse . It continues over the Geltinger Birk , Habernis, Langballigau , Bockholm , Holnis on to Glücksburg and Flensburg - Mürwik . From there, the hiker can get to the port of Flensburg via Sonwik and the Volkspark . Next, the tip of the harbor is circled, with which the other bank of the fjord is reached. In the last section of the route, it goes in the direction of Wassersleben / Schusterkate border crossing, where the Gendarmenstien runs again.

literature

  • Jesper Asmussen: Gendarmstien from Padborg to Kettingskov . 1st edition. Lindhardt og Ringhof Forlag, Copenhagen 2014, ISBN 978-87-11-35342-4 (Danish).

Web links

Commons : Gendarmstien  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Juliane Kahlke: Tourism: Fördesteig follows the Gendarmstien. In: Flensburger Tageblatt . March 20, 2015, accessed December 20, 2016 .
  2. ↑ Jesper Asmussen: Gendarmstien from Padborg to Kettingskov . 2014, Grænsegendarmeriet, p. 10-11 .
  3. ↑ eberhard-gutberlett.de: GRENZSTEINE DEUTSCHLAND / DENMARK (from 1920) , accessed on June 7, 2017
  4. ↑ Jesper Asmussen: Gendarmstien from Padborg to Kettingskov . 2014, Grænsesten, p. 26 .
  5. ↑ Aabenraa & Græselandet, Ferienmagazin (Danish, German, English), 2017, p. 5, publisher VisitAabenraa
  6. ↑ Gendarmstien: Mountain Stage: From Padborg to Sønderhav , accessed on December 23, 2018
  7. ↑ Gendarmstien: Brick Stage: From Sønderhav to Brunsnæs , accessed on December 23, 2018
  8. ↑ Gendarmstien: Krähe Stage: From Brunsnæs to Gammelmark , accessed on December 23, 2018
  9. ↑ Gendarmstien: Strand Stage: From Gammelmark to Høruphav , accessed on December 23, 2018
  10. ↑ Gendarmstien: Mill stage from Høruphav to Skovby , accessed on December 23, 2018
  11. ↑ Hans Ludwig Knöll-Fuglsang: Fördesteig. (PDF) A hike from the Danish border to Falshöft (approx. 70 km). In: Hiking guide Fördesteig. NABU Flensburg and NABU Ostangeln, accessed on December 20, 2016 .