South Jutland County
Encyclopedia : S : SO : SOU : South Jutland County
| Sønderjyllands Amt | |
|
Sønderjyllands Amt's coat of arms. | |
| Basic Facts | |
| County seat | Aabenraa |
| Area | 3,938 km² |
| Inhabitants | 252,433 (2006) |
| Website | [www.sja.dk] |
| Map | |
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Sønderjyllands Amt (English: South Jutland County) is a county (Danish, amt) on the south-central portion of the Jutland peninsula in southern Denmark.
The county was formed on April 1 1970, comprising the former counties of Aabenraa (E), Haderslev (N), Sønderborg (SE), and Tønder (SW). On January 1 2007, the county will be abolished and become part of Region Syddanmark (i.e. Region South Denmark).
When the region was reunited with Denmark, the Church of Denmark divided the area between the Dioceses of Ribe (W) and Haderslev (E), and this arrangement remains in effect.
Short description of South Jutland
South Jutland is also known as Northern Schleswig (Danish: Nordslesvig, German: Nordschleswig). The name refers specifically to the southernmost 50 kilometers of the Danish part of the Jutland Peninsula that formerly belonged to the former Duchy of Schleswig (Danish: Slesvig); a Danish fief under the Kings of Denmark.Denmark lost the Duchy of Schleswig, as well as the German Duchies of Holstein and Lauenburg, to Prussia and Austria in 1864 in the Second War of Schleswig. Following Austria's defeat in the Austro-Prussian War (1866), all three provinces were annexed to Prussia. Following the defeat of Germany in World War I, the Allied powers organised two plebiscites in Northern and Central Schleswig on 10 February and 14 March 1920, respectively. In Northern Schleswig 75 % voted for reunification with Denmark and 25 % for staying with Germany. In Central Schleswig the situation was reversed with 80 % voting for Germany and 20 % for Denmark. No vote ever took place in the southern third of Schleswig. On 15 June 1920, Northern Schleswig was officially reunited with Denmark.
Central Schleswig chose to remain with Southern Schleswig as part of Germany and is today a part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.
A small minority of ethnic Germans still lives in South Jutland - predomiantly near and around the town of Tønder (German: Tondern) - though far fewer than the Danish minority in Germany.
Important settlements: Haderslev (31,000 people), Sønderborg (30,000), Aabenraa (22,000) and Tønder (12,000).
Insignia
The coat of arms of South Jutland County was designed in 1980 and is derived from the historic coat of arms of Schleswig which in turn is derived from the national coat of arms of Denmark. The inspiration for the Dannebrog pennant was the seal of Eric of Pomerania.
List of County Mayors
| From | To | County Mayor |
|---|---|---|
| April 1 1970 | December 2 1981 | Erik Jessen (Venstre) |
| December 2 1981 | July 1 2000 | Kresten Philipsen (Venstre) |
| July 1 2000 | Current incumbent | Carl Holst (Venstre) |
Municipalities
References
| Counties of Denmark |
|
|---|---|
| Regular counties: Århus | Copenhagen | Frederiksborg | Funen | North Jutland | Ribe | Ringkjøbing | Roskilde | South Jutland | Storstrøm | Vejle | Viborg | West Zealand | |
| Municipalities with county privileges: Bornholm | Copenhagen | Frederiksberg | |
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