Sønderborg

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title: "Sønderborg" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["sønderborg", "municipal-seats-of-the-region-of-southern-denmark", "municipal-seats-of-denmark", "cities-and-towns-in-the-region-of-southern-denmark", "port-cities-and-towns-of-the-baltic-sea", "sønderborg-municipality"] topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sønderborg" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

FieldValue
nameSønderborg
native_namede
image_skylineHarbour of Sønderborg.jpg
image_captionHarbour
image_shieldCoat of arms of Sønderborg.svg
pushpin_mapDenmark#Denmark Region of Southern Denmark
pushpin_label_position
pushpin_map_captionLocation in Denmark
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_nameDenmark
subdivision_type1Region
subdivision_name1Southern Denmark (Syddanmark)
subdivision_type2Municipality
subdivision_name2Sønderborg
leader_titleMayor
leader_nameEric Lauritzen
leader_title1
established_titleFounded
established_date1256
established_title2
established_title3
area_magnitude
unit_prefMetric
area_urban_km213.4
population_as_of2025
population_footnotes
population_urban28333
population_density_urban_km2auto
population_blank1_titleGender
population_blank114099 males and 14234 females
population_blank2_titleMunicipality
population_blank274096
population_demonymSønderborgenser Sønderborger
timezoneCentral Europe Time
utc_offset+1
utc_offset_DST+2
coordinates
elevation_footnotes
elevation_m17
postal_code_typePostal code
postal_codeDK-6400 Sønderborg
area_code(+45) 88
websitewww.sonderborg.dk/
::

| name = Sønderborg | native_name = de | image_skyline = Harbour of Sønderborg.jpg | imagesize = | image_caption = Harbour | image_flag = | flag_size = | image_seal = | seal_size = | image_shield = Coat of arms of Sønderborg.svg | shield_size = | city_logo = | citylogo_size = | image_map1 = | mapsize1 = | map_caption1 = | image_dot_map = | dot_mapsize = | dot_map_caption = | dot_x = | dot_y = | pushpin_map = Denmark#Denmark Region of Southern Denmark | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_map_caption = Location in Denmark | pushpin_mapsize = | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = Denmark | subdivision_type1 = Region | subdivision_name1 = Southern Denmark (Syddanmark) | subdivision_type2 = Municipality | subdivision_name2 = Sønderborg | government_footnotes = | government_type = | leader_title = Mayor | leader_name = Eric Lauritzen | leader_title1 = | leader_title2 = | leader_name2 = | established_title = Founded | established_date = 1256 | established_title2 = | established_date2 = | established_title3 = | established_date3 = | area_magnitude = | unit_pref = Metric | area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = | area_land_km2 = | area_water_km2 = | area_total_sq_mi = | area_land_sq_mi = | area_water_sq_mi = | area_water_percent = | area_urban_km2 = 13.4 | area_urban_sq_mi = | area_metro_km2 = | area_metro_sq_mi = | area_blank1_title = | area_blank1_km2 = | area_blank1_sq_mi = | population_as_of = 2025 | population_footnotes = | population_note = | population_total = | population_density_km2 = | population_density_sq_mi = | population_metro = | population_density_metro_km2 = | population_density_metro_sq_mi = | population_urban = 28333 | population_density_urban_km2 = auto | population_density_urban_sq_mi = | population_blank1_title = Gender | population_blank1 = 14099 males and 14234 females | population_blank2_title = Municipality | population_blank2 = 74096 | population_density_blank1_km2 = | population_density_blank1_sq_mi = | population_demonym = Sønderborgenser Sønderborger | timezone = Central Europe Time | utc_offset = +1 | timezone_DST = | utc_offset_DST = +2 | coordinates = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = 17 | elevation_ft = | postal_code_type = Postal code | postal_code = DK-6400 Sønderborg | area_code = (+45) 88 | blank_name = | blank_info = | blank1_name = | blank1_info = | website = www.sonderborg.dk/ | footnotes =

Sønderborg (; ) is a Danish town in the Region of Southern Denmark. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Sønderborg Municipality (Kommune). The town has a population of 28,333 (1 January 2025), in a municipality of 74,096. In recent times, Sønderborg is a center for trade, tourism, industry, and education in the region of Southern Denmark. The town is the headquarters for several industrial companies. Sønderborg joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities in 2016.

Overview

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Sønderborg_Slot.jpg" caption="Sønderborg Castle"] ::

The town of Sønderborg is home to Sønderborg Castle (Sønderborg Slot), the Royal Danish Army's Sergeant School (until 2013) and Sandbjerg Estate (Sandbjerg Gods). Sønderborg castle is in the centre of the town, and houses a museum focusing on the history and culture of the area. The museum is open all year. Sandbjerg Estate, which had belonged for many years to the Dukes of Sønderborg, and then to the Reventlow family, was donated to Aarhus University in 1954. In addition, Sønderborg has a castle-like barracks built by the German military in 1906, placed centrally by Als Fjord, opposite Alsion (see picture below).

The old part of Sønderborg is located on the island of Als, but some of its western suburbs have spread onto the mainland of Jutland into what had been the interior of the fort of Dybbøl.

History

Prior to the Second Schleswig War of 1864, Sønderborg was situated in the Duchy of Schleswig, a Danish fief, so its history is properly included in the contentious history of Schleswig-Holstein. In the 1920 Schleswig Plebiscite that returned Northern Schleswig to Denmark, 43.8% of the city of Sønderborg's inhabitants voted for the cession to Denmark and 56.2% voted for remaining part of Germany.

Geography

| coordinates1 = | mark1 = Red pog.svg | mark1size = 5 | label1 = | mark2 = Green pog.svg | mark2size = 5 | label2 = Copenhagen | coordinates2 = | mark3 = Green pog.svg | mark3size = 5 | label3 = Aarhus | coordinates3 = | mark4 = Green pog.svg | mark4size = 5 | label4 = Odense | coordinates4 = | mark5 = Green pog.svg | mark5size = 5 | label5 = Aalborg | coordinates5 = | mark6 = Green pog.svg | mark6size = 5 | label6 = Esbjerg | coordinates6 = | caption = Sønderborg (lower left) is on the Als Strait in Denmark, southwest of Copenhagen, north of the German border. The town of Sønderborg lies on both sides of Alssund; the narrow strait between these two sides is called Als Strait (Alssund). Two road bridges connect the city across the strait: the 682 m Als Strait Bridge (Alssundbro), built in 1978–1981; and the 331 m King Christian X's Bridge (Kong Christian Xs Bro), built in 1925–1930.

|location = Sønderborg (2011-2021) |metric first = yes |single line = yes |Jan record high C = 11.7 |Feb record high C = 13.4 |Mar record high C = 19.6 |Apr record high C = 22.8 |May record high C = 26.1 |Jun record high C = 29.8 |Jul record high C = 31.2 |Aug record high C = 31.4 |Sep record high C = 27.0 |Oct record high C = 25.0 |Nov record high C = 17.3 |Dec record high C = 12.5 |year record high C = |Jan high C = 4.5 |Feb high C = 4.3 |Mar high C = 6.6 |Apr high C = 10.6 |May high C = 15.3 |Jun high C = 18.9 |Jul high C = 20.8 |Aug high C = 20.8 |Sep high C = 17.7 |Oct high C = 13.5 |Nov high C = 9.2 |Dec high C = 6.6 |year high C = |Jan mean C = 2.4 |Feb mean C = 2.2 |Mar mean C = 4.1 |Apr mean C = 7.5 |May mean C = 11.8 |Jun mean C = 15.5 |Jul mean C = 17.4 |Aug mean C = 17.6 |Sep mean C = 15.0 |Oct mean C = 11.2 |Nov mean C = 7.2 |Dec mean C = 4.5 |year mean C = |Jan low C = 0.3 |Feb low C = 0.0 |Mar low C = 1.6 |Apr low C = 3.4 |May low C = 8.4 |Jun low C = 12.1 |Jul low C = 14.1 |Aug low C = 14.5 |Sep low C = 12.3 |Oct low C = 9.0 |Nov low C = 5.2 |Dec low C = 2.4 |year low C = |Jan record low C = -11.8 |Feb record low C = -17.5 |Mar record low C = -11.0 |Apr record low C = -5.4 |May record low C = -2.3 |Jun record low C = 2.9 |Jul record low C = 5.8 |Aug record low C = 5.2 |Sep record low C = 1.4 |Oct record low C = -3.0 |Nov record low C = -5.4 |Dec record low C = -14.7 |year record low C = |source 1 = Danish Meteorological Institute (humidity 1978–1997){{cite web | url = http://www.dmi.dk/fileadmin/user_upload/Rapporter/TR/2002/tr02-12.pdf | title = Danish Climatological Normals 1971–2000 for selected stations | publisher = Danish Meteorological Institute | access-date = 17 November 2015}}{{cite web | url = http://www.dmi.dk/fileadmin/user_upload/Rapporter/TR/1999/tr99-5.pdf | title = Observed Air Temperature, Humidity, Pressure, Cloud Cover and Weather in Denmark with Climatological Standard Normals, 1961–90 | publisher = Danish Meteorological Institute | access-date = 17 November 2015}}

Education

Higher education

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/University_of_Sønderborg.jpg" caption="University of Southern Denmark"] ::

Sønderborg hosts several institutions of higher education. the University of Southern Denmark, University College South (), and Business Academy SouthWest. Due to the local economy, the University of Southern Denmark offers several types of degrees in engineering such as: mechatronics; electronics; innovation and business; as well as degrees in economics, languages and European studies.

Secondary education

The technical school EUC Syd has a campus in Sønderborg, and offers a variety of trades programs, as well as the HTX high school diploma and the International Baccalaureate Diploma program.

Economy

Sønderborg is an economic hub in the region of Southern Denmark, with industries within electronics, manufacturing, food processing, Information Technology and telecommunications among others, with several companies headquartered in and around the town.

The high-tech industry includes the manufacturing and development of electronics, machines, industrial equipment, and software. Companies of major importance in the high-tech sector headquartered in the region include Danfoss who employs around 1000 people in Sønderborg, and 40,000 people globally. Linak, headquartered in Nordborg 25 km from Sønderborg, produces linear actuators for a variety of different applications, from agriculture to healthcare, and employs around 1,100 people in the region. Maersk container industries(MCI), a part of the Maersk group, manufactures refrigerated and refrigeration machines shipping containers, has its headquarters in Sønderborg. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Danfoss_Hauptgebäude_in_Nordborg.jpg" caption="Danfoss headquarters"] ::

The food processing and meat packing group, Danish Crown has a slaughterhouse located in the town of Blans, outside of Sønderborg. The slaughterhouse produces pork and meat products for consumption, and employs around 940 people. BHJ is a leading supplier of animal proteins for the international food and pet food industries, with headquarters in Gråsten, outside of Sønderborg and more than 900 employees worldwide.

In telecommunications, TDC A/S operates a callcenter employing roughly 370 employees. In August 2014, TDC planned to outsource around 700 full-time positions to American company Sitel, by 2015.

Skyways technics, an aircraft service and repair company is headquartered at Sønderborg Airport and has 150 employees in Sønderborg and Billund. Saab AB also has offices in the town, mainly focused on sales and engineering.

Transportation

Rail

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Sønderborg_Station_2020.jpg" caption="[[Sønderborg railway station"] ::

Sønderborg is served by Sønderborg railway station, which opened in 1901, and is located next to Alsion. It is the eastern terminus of the Sønderborg railway line which connects Sønderborg with and the rest of the Danish rail network. Sønderborg station offers frequent direct services to Fredericia and Copenhagen, as well as a direct InterCity service to Copenhagen Airport.

Air

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Alsie_Express_mørke_flybemaling_(cropped).jpg" caption="Alsie Express airplane"] ::

The city is served by Sønderborg Airport. The airline, Alsie Express provides flights directly to Copenhagen and seasonal flights to destinations such as Bornholm and Naples.

Ferry

Molslinjen operates daily ferry services from Fynshav to Bøjden on the island of Funen, with roads connecting the town to Odense and further to Zealand and Copenhagen.

Notable natives

| image1=Sonderborg 1962 hg.jpg|caption1=KRH Sonderborg, 1962 | image2= | image3=Else Roesdahl.jpg|caption3=Else Roesdahl, 2012

The Arts

Public thinking and public service

Science and business

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Iversen_Johs.jpg" caption="Johannes Iversen, 1955"] ::

Sport

| image1=Lars Christiansen 07.jpg|caption1=Lars Christiansen, 2007 | image2=Simon-poulsen-1305059927.jpg|caption2=Simon Poulsen, 2011

Other

The formerly ruling family of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg married into Kings and Queens

Panoramic view

Culture

Musical institutions

Sønderborg is home to the South Jutland Symphony Orchestra Sønderjyllands Symfoniorkester.

Attractions

Sønderborg Castle is today a museum about the history of Southern Denmark. The science park Universe (earlier known as Danfoss univers) is located just north of Sønderborg.

In literature

In Chapter 4 of Erskine Childers’ 1903 novel The Riddle of the Sands, the protagonists, two English yachtsmen, visit Sonderburg, then under German rule: "Fascinating Sonderburg, with its broad-eaved houses of carved woodwork, each fresh with cleansing, yet reverend with age; its fair-haired Viking-like men and rosy, plain-faced women, with their bullet foreheads and large mouths; Sonderburg still Danish to the core under its Teuton veneer. Crossing the bridge I climbed the Dybbol – dotted with memorials of that heroic defence – and thence could see the wee form and gossamer rigging of our yacht on the silver ribbon of the Sound. (...) In the old quarter I bargained over eggs and bread with a dear old lady, pink as a debutante, who made a patriotic pretence of not understanding German."

References

References

  1. [https://m.statbank.dk/TableInfo/BY1?lang=en BY1: Population by urban areas, age and sex] The Mobile Statbank from [[Statistics Denmark]]
  2. [https://m.statbank.dk/TableInfo/BY3?lang=en BY3: Population 1. January by urban areas, area and population density] The Mobile Statbank from [[Statistics Denmark]]
  3. "Deutsches Historisches Museum: Fehler2".
  4. "Danfoss: Medarbejderne skruer ned for lønkravet | SønderborgNYT".
  5. "Home".
  6. "Hjem".
  7. (31 August 2017). "Key facts".
  8. (6 August 2014). "TDC outsourcer 800 ansatte i Danmark".
  9. "Company".
  10. "Sønderborg Station". DSB.
  11. {{cite EB1911
  12. [http://www.thedanishparliament.dk/Members/sflibp.aspx Members of the Danish Parliament] {{Webarchive. link. (26 March 2018 retrieved 26 March 2018)

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sønderborgmunicipal-seats-of-the-region-of-southern-denmarkmunicipal-seats-of-denmarkcities-and-towns-in-the-region-of-southern-denmarkport-cities-and-towns-of-the-baltic-seasønderborg-municipality