Distinction between the Jutland peninsula and Jutland The Jutland peninsula reaches from the sandbar spit of
Grenen on the
North Jutlandic Island in the north, to the banks of the
Elbe in the south. The peninsula is also called the
Cimbric peninsula. Jutland as a cultural-geographical term mostly only refers to the Danish part of the peninsula, from
Grenen to the Danish-German border. Sometimes, the northern part of
Schleswig-Holstein down to the
Eider (
Southern Schleswig), is also included in the cultural-geographical definition of Jutland, because the Eider was historically the southern border of Denmark and the cultural and linguistic boundary between the
Nordic countries and Germany from 850 to the 18th century. In Denmark, the term
Jylland can refer both to the whole peninsula and to the region between Grenen and either the Danish-German border or the Eider. In Germany, however, the peninsula as a whole is only referred to as
Kimbrische Halbinsel or
Jütische Halbinsel, while the term
Jütland is reserved solely for the cultural-geographical definition of Jutland.
Maritime border The Jutland
peninsula is bounded by the
North Sea to the west, the
Skagerrak to the north, the
Kattegat to the northeast, and the
Baltic Sea to the southeast. The peninsula's Kattegat and Baltic coastline stretches from
Grenen down to the mouth of the
Trave in
Lübeck-
Travemünde, and its Skagerrak and North Sea coastline runs from Grenen until down to the
Geesthacht barrage east of
Hamburg, which is defined as the point where the
Lower Elbe (
Unterelbe) and the estuary of the Elbe, that are subject to the tides, begin. The part of the Baltic Sea the peninsula is bounded by is referred to as
:da:Bælthavet in Danish and
:de:Beltsee in German, a designation deriving from the
Great,
Little, and
Fehmarn belts, while the Baltic Sea as a whole is called
Østersøen and
Ostsee, respectively.
Land border The peninsula's land border in the southeast and south is constituted by a string of several rivers and lakes: from the mouth of the
Trave at
Lübeck-
Travemünde up to the mouth of the
Wakenitz into the Trave (in Lübeck), from there up the Wakenitz until its outflow from lake
Ratzeburger See, then through lake Kleiner Küchensee to the mouth of the into lake Großer Küchensee, from there along the canal through lakes Salemer See, Pipersee and Phulsee to lake
Schaalsee, on from
Zarrentin am Schaalsee along the outflow of lake Schaalsee, the
Schaale, until its mouth into the
Sude at
Teldau, then along the Sude until its confluence with the Elbe at
Boizenburg, and further on along the Elbe, until the
Geesthacht barrage east of
Hamburg, where the tide-dependent estuary of the Elbe begins.
Travemünde→
Trave→
Wakenitz→
Ratzeburger See→Kleiner Küchensee→Großer Küchensee→Schaalsee canal→Salemer See→Pipersee→Phulsee→
Schaalsee→
Schaale→
Sude→
Elbe at
Boizenburg→beginning of the estuary of the Elbe at the
Geesthacht barrage
Subregions (from south to north) Lauenburg Lauenburg is the southeasternmost area of
Schleswig-Holstein. It exists administratively as the district of
Herzogtum Lauenburg (
Duchy of Lauenburg), the surface of which is equal to the territory of the former
Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg, which historically did not belong to Holstein. The Duchy of Lauenburg existed since 1296, and when it was absorbed by the
Kingdom of Prussia and became part of the Prussian
Province of Schleswig-Holstein in 1876, the new district was allowed to keep the name "duchy" in its name as a reminiscence to its ducal past, and today it is the only district in Germany with such a designation. The region is named for its former capital, the town of
Lauenburg on the Elbe, but its seat is now at
Ratzeburg. Lauenburg is crossed by the
Elbe–Lübeck Canal, that connects the Elbe at Lauenburg to the Baltic at Lübeck, and there are over 50 lakes in the area, many of which are part of the
Lauenburg Lakes Nature Park.
Hamburg Hamburg is its own city-state and does not belong to Schleswig-Holstein. The north
elbish districts of
Hamburg that are on the Jutland peninsula are historically part of the region of
Stormarn. The former border rivers of Stormarn are the
Stör and
Krückau in the northwest, the
Trave and
Bille in the east, and the
Elbe in the south. There exists also a
district of Stormarn northeast of Hamburg in Schleswig-Holstein. But this district does not cover the entire area of the historic region of Stormarn, and while those parts of Stormarn now lying in Schleswig-Holstein are nowadays considered parts of Holstein, the areas of Stormarn today in the city-state of Hamburg, are not.
Holstein The bulk of the southernmost areas of the Jutland peninsula belongs to
Holstein, stretching from the Elbe in the south to the
Eider in the north. Subregions of Holstein are
Dithmarschen on the North Sea side,
Stormarn at the centre, and
Wagria on the Baltic side. There is an area in Holstein called
Holstein Switzerland because of its comparable higher hills. The largest amount of lakes on the Jutland peninsula can be found in Holstein, the ten largest lakes being the
Großer Plöner See (which is also the largest lake on the whole Jutland peninsula),
Selenter See,
Kellersee,
Dieksee,
Lanker See,
Behler See,
Postsee,
Kleiner Plöner See,
Großer Eutiner See, and the Stocksee. One of the world's most frequented artificial waterways, the
Kiel Canal, runs through the Jutland peninsula in Holstein, connecting the North Sea at
Brunsbüttel to the Baltic at
Kiel-
Holtenau. The
Eider is the longest river of the Jutland peninsula. Holstein is one of the most populated subregions of the Jutland peninsula because of the densely populated area around Hamburg, which in large parts lies in Holstein.
Southern Schleswig through Southern Schleswig Between the
Eider and the Danish-German border stretches
Southern Schleswig. Notable subregions of Southern Schleswig are the peninsula of
Eiderstedt and
North Frisia on the North Sea side, and the peninsulas of
Danish Wahld,
Schwansen, and
Anglia on the Baltic side. There is a considerable North Frisian minority in
North Frisia, and
North Frisian is an official language in the region. In
Anglia and
Schwansen on the other hand, there exist indigenous Danish minorities, with Danish being the second official language there. The
Danish Wahld once formed a border forest between Danish and Saxon settlements. A system of Danish fortifications, the
Danevirke, runs through Southern Schleswig, overcoming the drainage divide between Baltic (
Schlei) and North Sea (
Rheider Au). At the Baltic end of the Danevirke is
Hedeby, a former important Viking town.
Southern Jutland (Sønderjylland) Between the Danish-German border and the
Kongeå lies Southern Jutland (from 1970 to 2007 approximately the same as
South Jutland County), historically also known as Northern Schleswig. Northern and Southern Schleswig once formed the territory of the former
Duchy of Schleswig. The region is called
Sønderjylland in Danish, this term was once regarded as synonymous to Slesvig (Schleswig).
Northern Jutland (Nørrejylland) from
Himmelbjerget Northern Jutland is the region between the
Kongeå and Jutland's northernmost point, the
Grenen spit. In Danish, it is called
Nørrejylland, and also encompasses the
North Jutlandic Island (Danish:
Nørrejyske Ø or
Vendsyssel-Thy). Northern Jutland is traditionally subdivided into South Jutland (
Sydjylland), West Jutland (
Vestjylland), East Jutland (
Østjylland), and North Jutland (
Nordjylland). More recent is the designation Central Jutland (
Midtjylland) for parts of traditionally West and East Jutish areas. Subregions of Northern Jutland include the peninsulas of
Djursland with
Mols, and
Salling. Also in Northern Jutland is the
Søhøjlandet, which is the highest elevated Danish region, and at the same time, the region with the highest density of lakes in Denmark. Denmark's longest river, the
Gudenå, flows through Northern Jutland.
South Jutland (Sydjylland) South Jutland (
Sydjylland) is the southernmost part of Northern Jutland. It is not to be confused with Southern Jutland (
Sønderjylland), which is adjacent to South Jutland in the south. South Jutland stretches between
Sønderjylland in the south, and the border between the two administrative regions of
Southern Denmark and
Central Jutland in the north.
West Jutland (Vestjylland) West Jutland (
Vestjylland) is the central western part of Northern Jutland. It lies between
Blåvandshuk in the south, and the
Nissum Bredning in the north. It is north of South Jutland and west of East Jutland.
East Jutland (Østjylland) East Jutland (
Østjylland) is the central eastern part of Northern Jutland. It lies between
Skærbæk on the
Kolding Fjord in the south, and the end of the
Mariager Fjord in the north.
Aarhus, the largest city completely on the Jutland peninsula, is in East Jutland.
Central Jutland (Midtjylland) The concept of Central Jutland (
Midtjylland) is of recent date, since a few decades ago it was usual to divide Northern Jutland into the traditional East and West Jutland (in addition to North and South Jutland), only. However, the term has been used in and around
Viborg, so that the people of Viborg could differentiate themselves from the populations to the east and west. The majority of what is today called Central Jutland is actually the traditional West Jutish culture and dialect area, i.e.
Herning,
Skive,
Ikast, and
Brande. By contrast,
Silkeborg and the other areas east of the Jutish ridge are traditionally part of the East Jutish cultural area. A new meaning of Central Jutland is the entire area between North and South Jutland, corresponding roughly to the
Central Jutland Region.
North Jutland (Nordjylland) While the term Northern Jutland (Danish:
Nørrejylland) refers to the whole region between
Kongeå and
Grenen, North Jutland (Danish:
Nordjylland) only refers to the northernmost part of Northern Jutland, and encompasses the largest part of
Himmerland, the northernmost part of Crown Jutland (
Kronjylland), the island of
Mors (
Morsø), and Jutland north of the
Limfjord (the
North Jutlandic Island, which is subdivided into the regions of
Thy,
Hanherred, and
Vendsyssel, the northernmost region of Jutland and Denmark).
Nordjylland is congruent with the
North Jutland Region (
Region Nordjylland).
Offshore Islands The largest Kattegat and Baltic islands off Jutland are
Funen,
Als,
Læsø,
Samsø, and
Anholt in Denmark, as well as
Fehmarn in Germany. The islands of
Læsø,
Anholt, and
Samsø in the
Kattegat, and
Als at the rim of the
Baltic Sea, are administratively and historically tied to Jutland, although the latter two are also regarded as traditional districts of their own. Inhabitants of Als, known as
Alsinger, would agree to be South Jutlanders, but not necessarily Jutlanders. The largest North Sea islands off the Jutish coast are the
Danish Wadden Sea Islands including
Rømø,
Fanø, and
Mandø in Denmark, and the
North Frisian Islands including
Sylt,
Föhr,
Amrum and
Pellworm in Germany. On the German islands, some
North Frisian dialects are still in use.
Human geography Administratively, the Jutland peninsula belongs to three German states and three Danish regions: • most of the city-state of
Hamburg except the boroughs south of the
Elbe • almost the entire German state of
Schleswig-Holstein except some parts of the
Herzogtum Lauenburg district east of
Ratzeburger See,
:de:Schaalseekanal, and
Schaalsee • a very small part west of the
Schaale and north of the
Sude belongs to the district of
Ludwigslust-Parchim in the state of
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern • the
Region of Southern Denmark (
Region Syddanmark) except
Funen and the islands surrounding it • the
Central Jutland Region (
Region Midtjylland) • the
North Jutland Region (
Region Nordjylland)
Largest cities is the largest city completely on the Jutland peninsula and the second-largest city in Denmark. The ten largest cities on the Jutland peninsula are: •
Hamburg (boroughs north of the
Elbe) 1,667,035 •
Aarhus 290,598 •
Kiel 247,717 •
Lübeck 218,095 •
Aalborg 120,914 •
Flensburg 92,550 •
Norderstedt 81,880 •
Neumünster 79,502 •
Esbjerg 71,921 •
Randers 64,057
Largest cities in the Danish part is the largest city in North Jutland. It is the fourth-largest city of Denmark and the northernmost large Danish city. It is on the mainland side of the
Limfjord, opposite the town of
Nørresundby in
Vendsyssel. •
Aarhus 301,049 •
Aalborg 121,878 •
Esbjerg 71,554 •
Randers 64,511 •
Horsens 64,418 •
Kolding 63,645 •
Vejle 62,011 •
Silkeborg 52,571 •
Herning 51,782 •
Fredericia 41,543
Aarhus,
Silkeborg,
Billund,
Randers,
Kolding,
Horsens,
Vejle,
Fredericia and
Haderslev, along with a number of smaller towns, make up the suggested
East Jutland metropolitan area, which is more densely populated than the rest of Jutland, although far from forming one consistent city.
Largest cities in the German part boroughs north of the
Elbe are on the Jutland peninsula. is the fourth-largest city on the Jutland Peninsula. •
Hamburg (boroughs north of the
Elbe) 1,667,035 •
Altona 280,034,
Bergedorf 132,901,
Eimsbüttel 274,901,
Hamburg-Nord 322,564,
Wandsbek 453,086, and the quarters of
Hamburg-Mitte north of the Elbe: •
Altstadt 3,182,
Billbrook 1,791,
Billstedt 71,789,
Borgfelde 8,569,
HafenCity 6,950,
Hamm 10,189,
Hammerbrook 5,990,
Horn 38,425,
Neustadt 12,649,
Rothenburgsort 9,641,
St. Georg 12,318,
St. Pauli 22,056 •
Kiel 247,717 •
Lübeck 218,095 •
Flensburg 92,550 •
Norderstedt 81,880 •
Neumünster 79,502 •
Elmshorn 50,772 •
Pinneberg 44,279 •
Wedel 34,538 •
Ahrensburg 34,509 == Geology ==