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If you would like to experience the
whole story of the battle, you must
begin south of the border at Danevirke.
This is where the Danish army was
ready to fight the Prussian soldiers
when the war broke out on January
31 st , 1864. However, after the initial
encounters in front of the position, it
was evident that the position could
not be defended, and the Danes decided
to abandon it on February 4 th .
A few kilometres from Schleswig,
where the military road crosses Danevirke,
lies the Danevirke Museum.
Recently, traces were found of the
gate that regulated traffic on the military
road in antiquity. The museum
tells the story of Danevirke and is
worth a visit, but you must remember
to bring some Euros; the museum
does not accept Danish money or
credit cards. 500 metres west of the
museum Danish and German engineer
corps have restored entrenchment
Skanse 14 on the basis of old
drawings and photographs.
Coming from Gråsten, Dybbøl Banke
lies as a natural hill on the way to
Sønderborg. There is a fantastic view
of the entire area from the entrenchments,
and you can see the northern
part of Alssund and Flensburg Fjord.
If you would like to take a walk in
the entrenchments on your own, you
can pick up a detailed map at the
tourist office.
Under the cover of darkness on
June 29 th , the first Prussian soldiers
boarded their boats, took to the
water and headed for Als. The Danes
discovered far too late that the attack
had begun, and they did not have
time to react before the area was
teeming with Prussian soldiers.
If you follow the Nydamstien path,
you can still find slideways and depressions
in the soil where the rowing
boats were put in the water, and you
can also see where the Prussian cannons
were placed.
In the last weekend of June there is
a re-enactment of ‘The Battle of Als,’
which was the determining battle in
the war of 1864. There is a procession
through Sønderborg town, a soldier’s
camp at Kær Vestermark and a reenactment
of the voyage to Als at
Arnkilsøre in the middle of the night.
This event is well worth the effort. See
www.visitsonderborg.com
By the help of your cell phone, on
route 1864 through the Sønderborg
area, you can relive the events of the
war while listening to eyewitnesses’
accounts on the location where the
events actually took place. (DK only)
Dybbøl Day, 18 th April
History is brought to life
23
1864