Lecture on Sønderborg's Economic Development 1864-1970

When Sønderborg became German in 1864, it was a thriving provincial town with a flourishing maritime trade. Over the following 30-40 years, the city stagnated while growth accelerated elsewhere in Germany and most Danish provincial towns. Wooden shipbuilding died out, and Sønderborg only partially embraced the industrial era - a fate shared by other towns in present-day South Jutland. In the old duchy, Flensburg was the only city that truly grew.

Toward the end of the German period, Sønderborg received a decisive boost when German authorities decided to build a large naval barracks in the town, which already housed an army barracks. The military became an important growth engine. At the Reunification, two barracks became one, but Sønderborg remained a garrison town - and now industrial growth truly took off.

Historian Carsten Porskrog Rasmussen examines the main features of the town's development over more than 100 years from 1864 to 1970 and explores what drove it.

The lecture is held in collaboration with the Historical Society for Als and Sundeved. Tickets: adults 90 kr., annual pass 72 kr., members of HSAOS free.