Schleswig-Holstein
state in Northern Germany
Schleswig-Holstein () is a coastal state that is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig. It borders Denmark, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony and the city-state of Hamburg. Its capital city is Kiel; other notable cities are Lübeck and Flensburg. It covers an area of 15,763 km2 (6,086 sq mi), making it the 5th smallest German state by area (including the city-states). Historically, the name can also refer to a larger region, containing both present-day Schleswig-Holstein and the former South Jutland County (Northern Schleswig; now part of the Region of Southern Denmark) in Denmark.
Schleswig, known as South Jutland at the time, had been under Danish control since the fifth century. In the 12th century, however, it became a duchy within Denmark due to infighting in the Danish royal house. It bordered Holstein, which was a part of the Holy Roman Empire. Beginning in 1460, the King of Denmark ruled both Schleswig and Holstein as their duke. Schleswig was still part of Denmark, while Holstein remained part of the Holy Roman Empire.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Schleswig-Holstein” is state in Northern Germany. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Schleswig-Holstein, state and Northern, not as a finished interpretation.
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Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 26, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1194. VIAF identifies the subject as 128633137. The Library of Congress control number is n79074348. Authority coordinates are 54.470, 9.514. 4 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1460.
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This entry incorporates text from “Schleswig-Holstein” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.