Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein

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Location of the town of Schleswig within Schleswig-Flensburg district
Schleswig
Schleswig Cathedral
Coat of arms	Location

Administration
Country	Germany
State	Schleswig-Holstein
District	Schleswig-Flensburg
Mayor	Thorsten Dahl
Basic statistics
Area	24.3 km² (9.4 sq mi)
Elevation	1 m (3 ft)
Population	24,071 (01/12/2005)
- Density	991 /km² (2,566 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	SL
Postal code	24837
Area code	04621
Website	www.schleswig.de
Coordinates: 54°30′55″N 9°34′11″E / 54.51528, 9.56972

Schleswig (Danish: Slesvig; South Jutlandic: Sljasvig, archaic English: Sleswick; Low German: Sleswig) is a town in the northeastern part of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the capital of the Kreis (district) Schleswig-Flensburg. It has a population of about 27,000, the main industries being leather and food processing. It takes it name from the Schlei, an inlet of the Baltic sea on the end of which it sits, and "vik" or "vig" which means bay in the old Viking language and present Danish language. Schleswig or Slesvig therefore means bay of the Schlei.

[edit] History

The Viking settlement of Hedeby, located south of the modern town, was first time mentioned in 804. It was a powerful settlement in the Baltic region, dominating the area for more than 200 years. In 1050, following several destructions of it, the population was moved to the opposite shore of the Schlei, becoming the city of Schleswig. In 1066 Hedeby was finally destroyed, and Schleswig remained as a part of the Danish kingdom.^{[citation needed]}

In 1544 the castle Gottorf became the residence of the local rulers. The dukes of Gottorf were vassals of the Danish kings and ruled over much of present day Schleswig-Holstein. In 1721, when the Great Northern War ended, the dukes of Gottorf lost their power and their land became Danish crown land. After the Second Schleswig War (1864), Schleswig was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia.