Region of Southern Denmark in the context of "Great Belt Fixed Link"

Schleswig-Holstein (/ˈʃlɛswɪɡ ˈhoʊlstaɪn/; German: [ˌʃleːsvɪç ˈhɔlʃtaɪn] ; Danish: Slesvig-Holsten [ˌsle̝ːsvi ˈhʌlˌste̝ˀn]; Low German: Sleswig-Holsteen; North Frisian: Slaswik-Holstiinj; occasionally in English Sleswick-Holsatia) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig. Its capital city is Kiel; other notable cities are Lübeck and Flensburg. It covers an area of 15,763 km (6,086 sq mi), making it the 5th smallest German federal state by area (including the city-states). Historically, the name can also refer to a larger region, containing both present-day Schleswig-Holstein and the former South Jutland County (Northern Schleswig; now part of the Region of Southern Denmark) in Denmark.

Schleswig, known as South Jutland at the time, had been under Danish control since the fifth century. In the 12th century, however, it became a duchy within Denmark due to infighting in the Danish royal house. It bordered Holstein, which was a part of the Holy Roman Empire. Beginning in 1460, the King of Denmark ruled both Schleswig and Holstein as their duke. Schleswig was still part of Denmark, while Holstein remained part of the Holy Roman Empire. In the 19th century, both Danes and Germans believed they had a rightful claim to Schleswig-Holstein. While the population of Holstein and Lauenburg was entirely ethnically German, Schleswig had been predominantly Danish until the late 1700s and early 1800s, when extensive German influence led to the Germanization of South Schleswig. The resulting long-term political and territorial dispute was known as the Schleswig-Holstein Question. In 1848, Denmark tried to formally annex the area. Prussia responded by invading, thus beginning the First Schleswig War, which ended in a victory for Denmark. But in the Second Schleswig War (1864), Prussia and Austria won, and the territory was absorbed into Prussia in 1867. After the German defeat in World War I the Allies required that the question of sovereignty over the territory be submitted to plebiscites (the 1920 Schleswig plebiscites). They resulted in the return of the Danish-speaking North Schleswig to Denmark. The area was subsequently renamed South Jutland, restoring the historical name used before it was changed to Schleswig by Gerhard III of the House of Schauenburg. After World War II, Schleswig-Holstein took in over a million refugees.

South Jutland County (Danish: Sønderjyllands Amt) is a former county (Danish: amt) on the south-central portion of the Jutland Peninsula in southern Denmark.

The county was formed on 1 April 1970, comprising the former counties of Aabenraa (E), Haderslev (N), Sønderborg (SE), and Tønder (SW). The county was abolished effective 1 January 2007, when the Region of Southern Denmark was formed.

Schleswig-Flensburg (German pronunciation: [ˈʃleːsvɪç ˈflɛnsbʊʁk] ; Danish: Slesvig-Flensborg) is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by (from the south and clockwise) the districts of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, Dithmarschen and Nordfriesland, the Region Syddanmark in Denmark, the city of Flensburg and the Baltic Sea.

Northern Jutland (Danish: Nørrejylland) is a historical region in Denmark, defined as Jutland north of the Kongeå (with the region south of the Kongeå called Southern Jutland (Sønderjylland)). As with other historical regions of Denmark, Northern Jutland had its own ting assembly in the Middle Ages, seated in Viborg.

Today, Northern Jutland is covered by the regions of North Jutland and Central Jutland (except for Samsø), and the northern parts of the Region of Southern Denmark.

Fredericia Municipality (Danish: Fredericia Kommune) is a kommune on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in south-central Denmark. It belongs to the Region of Southern Denmark, covers an area of 134.46 km, and has a total population of 52,616 (2025). The Mayor is Steen Wrist, representing the Social Democrats political party.

The municipality's main town and the site of its municipal council is the city of Fredericia.

Kolding (Danish pronunciation: [ˈkʰʌle̝ŋ]) is a Danish seaport city located at the head of Kolding Fjord in the Region of Southern Denmark. It is the seat of Kolding Municipality. It is a transportation, commercial, and manufacturing centre and has numerous industrial companies, principally geared towards shipbuilding. The manufacturing of machinery and textiles and livestock export are other economically significant activities.

With a population of 95,897 (1 January 2025), the Kolding municipality is the eleventh most populous in Denmark. The city itself has a population of 63,645 (1 January 2025) and is the eighth largest city in Denmark.

Vejle (Danish pronunciation: [ˈvɑjlə]) is a city in Denmark, in the southeast of the Jutland Peninsula at the head of Vejle Fjord, where the Vejle River and Grejs River and their valleys converge. It is the site of the councils of Vejle Municipality (kommune) and the Region of Southern Denmark. The city has a population of 62,011 (As of January 1. 2025), making it the ninth largest city in Denmark. Vejle Municipality has a population of 122,433 (as of January 2025), making it the fifth most populous municipality in Denmark. The city is part of the Triangle Region, which includes the neighbouring cities of Kolding and Fredericia. Vejle is located 110 kilometres (68 miles) north of Germany, 70 kilometres (43,5 miles) from Aarhus and 240 kilometres (149 miles) from the capital Copenhagen.

Vejle is most known for its forested hills, Vejle fjord, harbour, shopping, pedestrian mall, windmill and an astonishing architecture near the harbour.

Funen (Danish: Fyn, pronounced [ˈfyˀn]) is the third-largest island of Denmark, after Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy, with an area of 3,099.7 square kilometres (1,196.8 sq mi). It is the 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 469,947 as of 2020. Funen's main city is Odense, which is connected to the sea by a rarely-used canal. The city's shipyard, Odense Steel Shipyard, has been relocated outside Odense proper.

Funen belongs administratively to the Region of Southern Denmark. From 1970 to 2006, the island formed the largest part of Funen County, which also included the islands of Langeland, Ærø, Tåsinge, and a number of smaller islands.

The Bay of Lübeck (German: Lübecker Bucht, German pronunciation) is a basin in the southwestern Baltic Sea, off the shores of the German states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein. It forms the southwestern part of the Bay of Mecklenburg.

The main port is Travemünde, a borough of the city of Lübeck, at the mouth of river Trave. The Elbe–Lübeck Canal connects the Baltic Sea with the Elbe River. The bay is surrounded by the land strips of Ostholstein and Nordwestmecklenburg. Located in the North of the Bay, the Hansa-Park amusement park creates a popular sight for families all around the region and Southern Denmark. The Pötenitzer Wiek Lake splits the states of Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and got historical attention, as it gave East Germany refugees the possibility to flee from East Germany into West Germany.