Flensburg Things to Do

During our visit to Flensburg, we selflessly undertook some quality control on the local Flensburger pilsener. We undertake this arduous research with no thought for our own personal enjoyment in the quest for our annual Beer of the Year - and we start our researchers young!

Museum showing the history of the port, local shipbuilding and merchant activities. Interesting displays and some very well made model ships.
A good place to spend an hour on a snowy day, or any day really.

Well, I've been to a number of maritime museums... and in a way they are all the same. They have some old paintings of old sailboats, they have little copies of huge tall ships, and they give you a nice idea of the city and its history. The museum in Flensburg is just like that, with some interesting exhibits of a rope maker's workshop, strange nautical instruments, and pictures of old Flensburg.

My brother who lives in Flensburg like the museum - but I found it quite boring. It's worth walking around for a while when you go to the rum museum in the basement, the entrance if valid for both museums. But don't expect too much.

The "Red Street", a wonderful little street in the city center of Flensburg. Beautiful old houses and fantastic backyards with little shops, and that is individual shops, no international chain stores you can find in any shopping street in the world. You find craft shops and galleries, chocolate stores and rum shops and some little cafes and restaurants.
They have a christmas market in one of the backyards as well. With great decorations and one booth selling hot Glühwein in different levels.

Flensburg used to be a part of Denmark, and what today is known as the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean used to be the Danish Virgin Islands. So, at the time, they started importing rum from the Virgin Islands, they founded companies in Flensburg, where they mixed the imported rum with water and pure alcohol and sold it throughout Germany and Denmark- and they still do. There used to be around 30 companies producing quality rum, and only a few are left, but Flensburg is still the rum city.

The little rum museum is located in the basement of the maritime museum. It's used one big room with a low ceiling, full of exhibits like bottles, machines, boxes etc etc. You learn a lot about the history of the city, the different companies and their success stories, the sailors and salespeople of centuries ago and all that is to know about rum.

Everything smells of rum of course - especially since this room was used as a storage room for rum for many many years.

A museum well worth seeing, you are a little thirsty when you're leaving...

In the 16th century Flensburg grew into a rich and important trading town and, with 5,000 inhabitants and 200 ships, it was the largest trading centre of the Danish crown, larger and more important than either Hamburg or Copenhagen at the time. The Market Hall was built at that time (1595), at the North Market by the parish of St. Marien.
The North Gate, the Market Hall (Schrangen) and the Company Gate (Kompagnie Tor), used as the sailors' mission, all date from this period.

In the 16th century Flensburg grew into a rich and important trading town and, with 5,000 inhabitants and 200 ships, it was the largest trading centre of the Danish crown, larger and more important than either Hamburg or Copenhagen at the time. The Company Gate was built at that time (1602).
The North Gate, the Market Hall (Schrangen) and the Company Gate (Kompagnie Tor), used as the sailors' mission, all date from this period.

Sure, you'll get strange looks from citizens and policemen alike, but if you don't mind the stares, pose next to the border sign!

Yeah, it's geeky, but pretty neat at the same time. (I'm a geographer, what can I say?) The borders in Europe are continuously dissolving.

Busy harbour is a good place to walk around and watch the boats, didn't stay too long ourselves, look at the photo, the next snow shower is coming!

Not a great favourite of mine, Mrs Bonio seems to enjoy though! Three streets, Norderstrasse, Grossestrasse and Holm stretch for around 1 Km, thats lots of shopping to do.