Jutland
Jutland (
Danish:
Jylland;
German:
Jütland;
Frisian Jutlân;
Low German Jötlann) is a
peninsula in
northern Europe that forms the only non-
insular part of
Denmark and also the northernmost part of
Germany, dividing the
North Sea from the
Baltic Sea. Its terrain is relatively flat, with low hills and
peat bogs.
The northern 2/3 of the peninsula is occupied by the
westernmost portion of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Danish portion has an area of 29,775 km² (11,496 square miles), and a population of 2,491,852 (2004). There is no separate name for the Danish portion of the peninsula, so it is simply referred to by the same name. The northernmost part of Jutland became an
island following a
flood in 1825; the
Limfjord now separates it from the
mainland. This island is called
Nørrejyske Ø ("North Jutlandic Island") and is still commonly reckoned as part of the peninsula; it is also partly conterminous with the
county and future
region called
North Jutland.
The southern 1/3 is made up of the
German Bundesland of
Schleswig-Holstein, comprising the former duchies of
Schleswig and
Holstein, both of which have passed back and forth between the
Danes and various German rulers. In the last border movement, Denmark regained North Schleswig (
Danish:
Sønderjylland or
Nordslesvig) by
plebiscite in
1920.
The River
Elbe forms the southern border of Jutland with the city of
Hamburg on its shore. The
North Frisian Islands stretch along the southwest coast of Jutland in the
German Bight.
The largest cities on the Jutland Peninsula are:#
Århus, Denmark#
Kiel, Germany#
Lübeck, Germany#
Aalborg, Denmark#
Flensburg, Germany#
Esbjerg, Denmark#
Randers, Denmark#
Kolding, Denmark#
Vejle, Denmark#
Horsens, Denmark
|
Different definitions of Jutland; red - narrow definition; pink - North Jutlandic Island, orange - German territory north of the Eider River, yellow - maximum extent. |
Main articles: History of Denmark and History of Schleswig-Holstein.Jutland has historically been one of the three main parts or
lands of Denmark.
Some
Angles,
Saxons,
Jutes, and
Vandals moved from
continental Europe to
Great Britain starting in c.
450 AD. The Angles themselves gave their name to the new emerging kingdoms called England (Angle-land). This is thought by some to be related to the drive of the
Huns from
Asia across
Europe, although the arrival of the
Danes would more likely have been a major contributory factor, since conflicts between the Danes and the Jutes were both many and bloody. The Danes themselves trace their ancestry back to the ancient
Scylfing kings who lived around
Uppsala, Sweden in the time before recorded history in
Scandinavia. In time, however, these hostilities were decreased by intermarriage between Jutes and Danes.
The Danes took considerable steps to protect themselves from the depredations of the
Christian Frankish emperors, principally with the building of the
Danevirke, a wall stretching from the
North Sea to the
Baltic Sea.
Charlemagne removed
pagan Saxons from east Jutland at the Baltic Sea — the later
Schleswig-Holstein and
Mecklenburg areas — and moved
Abodrites (or Obotrites), a group of
Wendish Slavs who pledged allegiance to Charlemagne and who had for the most part
converted to Christianity, into the area instead.
|
Unofficial Nordic cross flag of Jutland (not commonly used or even recognized). |
Typical of Jutland are the distinctive
Jutish (or Jutlandic) dialects, sometimes considered to be more different from standard
Danish than
Swedish is. (This is the case in the
Linguasphere linguistic classification.)
To speed transit between the Baltic and the North Sea, canals have been built across the peninsula, notably the
Eiderkanal in the late
18th century and the
Kiel Canal, completed in
1895 and still in use.
During
World War I, the
Battle of Jutland was one of the largest naval battles in history. In this pitched battle, the
British Royal Navy engaged the German Navy leading to massive casualties and ship losses on both sides. Although the Royal Navy suffered greater immediate losses, its Grand Fleet remained battle-ready. Damage to several heavy vessels of the German High Seas Fleet would have prevented them from doing the same, and the German Navy never again challenged the United Kingdom's, resorting instead to covert
submarine warfare.
*
Vendsyssel*
Frisia*
Funen*
Kiel Canal*
Jutlandic*
Jutes*
Frisian*
Djursland
