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Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the 16 ''Bundesländer'' in Germany . The former English name was ''Sleswick-Holsatia,'' the Danish name is ''Slesvig-Holsten,'' the Low German name is ''Sleswig-Holsteen,'' and the North Frisian name is ''Slaswik-Holstiinj.'' Historically the name refers to a larger region, containing present-day Schleswig-Holstein and the County of South Jutland in Denmark . GEOGRAPHY Schleswig-Holstein lies on the base of the Peninsula of Jutland between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea . The former Duchy of Holstein constitutes the southern part of Schleswig-Holstein, whereas Southern Schleswig constitutes the northern part. Furthermore the Duchy of Lauenburg and the former Free and Hanseatic City of Lübeck in the southeast of the state are part of today's Schleswig-Holstein. The former Duchy of Schleswig , ''(Slesvig'' in Danish ), has been divided between Denmark and Germany since 1920 . Northern Schleswig , today the Danish county of South Jutland ''(Sønderjylland)'', was ceded to Denmark after a Referendum following Germany's defeat in World War I . Schleswig-Holstein borders on Denmark in the north, the North Sea in the west, the Baltic Sea and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in the east, and Lower Saxony and Hamburg in the south. Kiel is the capital of this Bundesland. In the western part of the state there are lowlands with virtually no hills. The . The longest river – besides the Elbe – is the Eider ; the most important waterway is the Kiel Canal which connects the North Sea and Baltic Sea. See also List Of Places In Schleswig-Holstein . Schleswig-Holstein is divided into eleven ''Kreise'' (sg. Kreis; district):
Furthermore there are four independent cities, which do not belong to any district: # Kiel # Lübeck # Neumünster # Flensburg LANGUAGES The official languages are German , Low German , Danish and Frisian . Low German — the classic language of the state — is spoken in most parts of the state, Danish by the Danish minority, Frisian by the North Frisians at the North Sea Coast and the Northern Frisian Islands and a special Frisian dialect called ''Hallun'' on the Island of Heligoland . High German was introduced in the 16th Century , mainly for official purposes, but is today the most used language. HISTORY field, typical for all Schleswig-Holstein]] ''Main article: History Of Schleswig-Holstein '' The Duchy of Schleswig was originally an integral part of Denmark, but was in Medieval Times established as a Fief under the Kingdom of Denmark, with the same relation to the Danish Crown as for example Brandenburg or Bavaria had to the German Emperor. Saxonic Holstein became a part of the Holy Roman Empire after Charlemagne's Saxonic campaigns in the late 8th century, and was eventually established as a single united province. Holstein had been inherited by the Sovereign Family of Holstein, who were the reigning family since the state's creation, around 800, with the Sovereign as Head of the Royal House. Around 1100 the Duke of Saxony gave Holstein, as it was his own country, to Count Adolf I of Schauenburg. Schleswig and Holstein have at different times belonged in part or completely to either Denmark or Germany, or have been virtually independent of both nations. Schleswig has almost never been a all of Schleswig was united as a single duchy under the King of Denmark, and the great powers of Europe confirmed in an international treaty that all future Kings of Denmark should automatically become Duke both of Schleswig and Schleswig would consequently always follow the same line of succession as the one chosen in the Kingdom of Denmark. The German National Awakening following the Napoleonic Wars led to a strong popular movement in Holstein and Southern Schleswig for (re-)unification with a new Prussian -dominated Germany. However, this development was paralleled by an equally strong ''Danish'' national awakening in Denmark and Northern Schleswig calling for the complete reintegration of Schleswig into the Kingdom of Denmark and demanding an end to discrimination against Danes in Schleswig. In 1848 King Frederick VII Of Denmark declared that he would grant Denmark a liberal constitution and the immediate goal for the Danish national movement was to ensure that this Constitution would not only give rights to all Danes, i.e. not only to the Kingdom of Denmark, but also to Danes (and Germans) living in Schleswig. Furthermore, they demanded the protection of the Danish language in Schleswig since the dominant language in almost a quarter of Schleswig had changed from Danish to German since the beginning of the Nineteenth Century . A Liberal constitution for Holstein was not seriously considered in Copenhagen , since it was a well-known fact that the political elite of Holstein was far more conservative than the one in Copenhagen . This proved to be true, as the politicians of Holstein demanded that the Constitution of Denmark be scrapped – not only in Schleswig but also in Denmark, as well as demanding that Schleswig immediately follow Holstein and become a member of the German Confederation and eventually a part of the new united Germany. These demands were rejected and in 1848 the Germans of Holstein and Southern Schleswig rebelled. This was the beginning of the First War Of Schleswig (1848-51) which ended in a Danish victory at Idstedt. Elements of this period were fictionalized in Royal Flash , the second of George MacDonald Fraser's Flashman novels. In and Holstein . The passing of a common constitution for Denmark and Schleswig in November 1863 then gave Otto Von Bismarck a chance to intervene and Prussia and Austria declared war on Denmark . This was the Second War Of Schleswig which ended in a Danish defeat. British attempts to mediate failed, and Denmark lost Schleswig , Holstein , and Lauenburg to Prussia and Austria . Following the Austro-Prussian War Of 1866 , section five of the Peace Of Prague stated that the people in Northern Schleswig should be granted the right to a referendum on whether they would remain under Prussian rule or return to Danish rule. This promise was never fulfilled by Germany. Following the defeat of Germany in World War I , the Allied powers arranged a referendum in Northern and Central Schleswig. In Northern Schleswig ( 10 February 1920 ) 75% voted for reunification with Denmark and 25% voted for Germany. In Central Schleswig ( 14 March 1920 ) the results were reversed; 80% voted for Germany and just 20% for Denmark, primarily in Flensburg. No vote ever took place in the southern third of Schleswig. On 15 June 1920 , Northern Schleswig officially returned to Danish rule. The Danish-German border was the only one of the borders imposed on Germany following World War I which was never challenged by Hitler . As a matter of trivia, the term "Holstein" derives from the Old Norse and Old Saxon, ''Holseta Land,'' meaning simply "Woodland". Originally, it referred to the central of the three Saxon tribes north of the Elbe river, ''Tedmarsgoi, Holcetae,'' and ''Sturmarii.'' The area of the ''Holcetae'' was between the Stör river and Hamburg , after Christianization their main Church was in Schenefeld . The term ''Schleswig'' takes its name from the city of Schleswig . The name derives from the ''Schlei'' inlet in the east and ''vik'' meaning inlet or settlement in Old Saxon and Old Norse . The Kiel Canal crosses Schleswig-Holstein and allows German shipping to cross from the Baltic to the North Sea without leaving German territory, however its main purpose was to save the 280 Nautical Miles needed to go around Jutland , north of Denmark . It had a vital role in assisting German commerce and war efforts during the Twentieth Century . COAT OF ARMS, MOTTO, ANTHEM The coat of arms shows the symbols of the two dukedoms united in Schleswig-Holstein, i.e. the two lions for Schleswig and the leaf of a nettle for Holstein. It is told, that Otto Von Bismarck decreed the two lions ''facing'' the nettle because of the discomfort resulting from their bottoms being turned towards it. The motto of Schleswig-Holstein is ''"Up ewich ungedeelt"'' ( in 1460. See History Of Schleswig-Holstein . The anthem is usually referred to with its first line ''"Schleswig-Holstein meerumschlungen"'' (i.e. "Schleswig-Holstein between the seas") from 1844. POLITICS List of Minister-presidents of Schleswig-Holstein # # # # # # ( CDU ) # # (CDU), see List Of Honorary Citizens Of Schleswig-Holstein # (CDU) # (CDU) # ( SPD ) # (SPD) # (CDU) February 20, 2005 state election ''See also: Schleswig-Holstein State Election, 2005 '' Although the SPD-Green coalition, led by Heide Simonis , no longer commanded a majority of the Landtag, the SSW announced that although it would not enter an official coalition, it saw more common ground with the SPD than the CDU. Premier Heide Simonis proceeded to form a Red-Green coalition with the assumption of SSW backing. On March 17, 2005 , Simonis failed to win a Landtag vote for the premiership, with the secret ballot tying 34-34. It is not known who the abstainer was, but this prevented the formation of a Red-Green coalition. The SPD was forced to negotiate a Grand Coalition with the CDU, acceding to the CDU's demand that CDU leader Peter Harry Carstensen replace Simonis as Minister-president. EXTERNAL LINKS
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