Tønder

Tønder (German: Tondern) is a Danish town in the Region of Southern Denmark with a population of 7,572 (1 January 2013). It is the main town and the administrative seat of Tønder Municipality.

During World War I, a base for Zeppelin  airships was operated at Tønder by the German Navy . The former site now houses a museum, the Zeppelin and Garrison Museum Tønder. The base was attacked by the British on 19 July 1918, during what is known as theTondern raid . Seven Sopwith Camels  from the aircraft carrier HMS Furious  bombed the base and two of the three Airship hangars  were hit, the Zeppelins L.54 and L.60 inside one hanger were destroyed and a balloon inside the other was damaged. After this, Tondern was abandoned as an active airship base, and ordered to be used only as an emergency landing site. A wartime aircraft hangar survives, as do some of the ancillary buildings from the period, but only the foundations remain of the large airship hangars.

After the First World War, Tønder was detached from Germany even though 77% of the voters had voted to remain with the German Empire in the Schleswig Plebiscites . In the following years German political parties had a majority in the city council. Until 1945, the city was officially bilingual. During World War II, Tønder was the place where the German forces crossed the border to occupy Denmark. Later, Tønder came to host a small, German concentration camp (see Tønder concentration camp). Shortly after the re-establishment of the Danish administration Tønder was the site of a garrison.

After the end of the German occupation in World War II, the political significance of the German part of the population dwindled considerably. The border situation hindered the development of the city. Nevertheless, some companies settled. The importance of tourism increased. Despite the improvement of cross-border traffic, the location was in the late 20th Tønders Century increasingly difficult. In 1989, a teacher training college opened its doors in 2002, the barracks and in the following year the hospital, which is, however, now been enhanced as a private clinic again.

Attractions

Every August, the Tønder Festival  offers visitors a wide variety of traditional and modern folk music. The Scouts of Tonder are twinned with Hemyock , in Devon, England, and the scouts make exchange trips every few years.