Flensburg

Flensburg, city, northwestern Germany, in Schleswig-Holstein, a port on Flensburg Fjord (an arm of the Baltic Sea), at the Danish border. In the city are large shipyards and industries producing processed food (especially sugar and smoked fish), rum, and paper. Points of interest include the Gothic Church of Saint Nicholas (begun late 14th century) and a historical museum.

The city was founded about the 12th century and received municipal rights in 1284. It was subject to a number of invasions from Denmark and Sweden, and in 1848 it became the capital of Danish-controlled Schleswig. The city passed to Prussia in the 1860s, and in a plebiscite following World War I the inhabitants voted for inclusion in Germany. During World War II, Flensburg was an important naval base and suffered much damage from Allied bombing. Population (2005 estimate) 85,800.