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Flensburg Harbour from Aboard the "Frieda" Traditional Ship
Flensburg, Northernmost Germany
June 18th 2005, 14:50 local time
© 2005 Michael Stoss, All Rights Reserved.
Not too many years ago, Flensburg was a city in decline, presenting many of the old buildings in desperate condition. The former superior medieval natural harbour at the end of the Flensburg fjord was left with small tax free shopping vessels, meant to trade outside the nearby german border at sea ( - the "Butterschiffe", despite their popular name mostly selling cigarettes and whiskey, not butter). When the European Union toll rules were changed, these vessels vanished too. Nevertheless Flensburg managed to turn its fate and in the course of only a few years, the harbour side and the whole town made it to my favourite under the german baltic towns ( - as long as the town of Stralsund has to go the Flensburg way yet).