Danevirke
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- For the town in New Zealand, see Dannevirke.
The Dannevirke (former Danish spelling: Danevirke, German: Danewerk, Old Norse: Danavirki - all names meaning "Danes' works") was an important defensive structure constructed during Denmark's Viking Age. It was last used for military purposes in 1864.
The Dannevirke is an earthen defense structure, stretching from the marshes of west Jutland to the town of Schleswig, which is beside the Schlei (Danish: Slien) at the Baltic Sea, near the former Viking trade centre of Hedeby. Between the Schlei and the city of Eckernförde was another wall, defending the peninsula Schwansen.
According to written sources, the work on the Dannevirke was started by the Danish King Godfred in 808. Fearing an invasion by the Franks, Godfred began work on an enormous structure to defend his realm, separating the Jutland peninsula from the northern extent of the Frankish empire.
In 1969-75 three building phases of the main structure of the Dannevirke were determined in excavations, with the help of dendrochronology. These phases date from between 737 AD and 968 AD.
Dannevirke is about 30 km long total, and between 3.6 and 6 m high. During the Middle Ages, the structure was enforced with palisades and walls, and used by Danish kings as a gathering point for Danish military excursions and a series of crusades, particularly the Danish raids against the Slavs.
In the 12th century, King Valdemar the Great reinforced parts of the Dannevirke with a brick wall, which enabled a continued military use of the strategically important structure throughout the Middle Ages. In Danish, the reinforced parts of the structure are consequently known as Valdemarsmuren (Valdemar's wall).
The last military use of the Dannevirke was during the Second War of Schleswig in 1864. Public opinion in Denmark had expected the coming battle to take place here, and the Dannevirke was already under siege, but there was no battle ever there, as the Danish commander in Chief, General de Meza, retreated to the trenches at Dybbøl. His arguments for doing so was the threat of being outflanked, because the Schlei and the wetlands between Dannevirke and Husum had frozen solid; and that the territory immediately in front of the Dannevirke had already fallen into German hands. The evacuation came as a surprise for the Prusso-Austrian army, and almost all of the Danish army succeeded in completing the retreat. The retreat however resulted in abandonment of important pieces of heavy artillery, and it remains a matter of historical debate why the railway to Flensburg was never properly used for the evacuation. The evacuation was a great shock to the Danish public opinion which considered the fortress impregnable, and General de Meza was promptly relieved of his command.
[edit] World War II
Following the Allied invasion of Normandy during World War II, the Wehrmacht feared that a second Allied invasion would take place through Denmark, and sought to counter this threat of being outflanked by converting the earthen wall to a tank trench. Had these plans been implemented, it would have destroyed the structure. When this news reached Danish archaeologist, Søren Telling, he realized that all archaeological finds ultimately were under the jurisdiction of Heinrich Himmler, and Telling telephoned both Himmler and the SS leader of the archaeological department Amt für Ahnenwerte. Telling strongly argued against the destruction of an important remnant of "Aryan" civilization and Himmler authorized him to stop the construction. Himmler informed Telling that a written order would be dispatched but that it would take several days to arrive. Telling drove to the site and ordered the commanding Wehrmacht officers to immediately stop the construction process. When the local Wehrmacht commander refused, Telling threatened him with reprisals from the SS. Construction was called off and Himmler's written order arrived two days later countering the Wehrmacht's original instructions. Telling later settled near the site and considered himself a custodian of it until his death in 1968.
[edit] Dannevirke in popular culture
As a symbol of Danish autonomy from Germany, Danevirke was used as a title for several Danish journals during the nineteenth century. The most notable of these was published by Nikolaj Frederik Severin Grundtvig from 1816-1819.
[edit] See also
- Götavirke (Geatish Dyke)
- Offa's Dyke
- History of Denmark
- History of Schleswig-Holstein
- Separation barrier
[edit] External links
- Dansk Middelalder Danish website with map, history and reconstructions. (Danish)
Parts of this article is based on the articles Dannevirke and Søren Telling on the Danish Wikipedia, accessed on 23 July 2006.
