Stories from the path
Read about smugglers, customs officials and customs offices, The Border Guard, refugees, the 1864 border drawing and the experiences of a Dane in a German war.
The demarcation
Read more about the background of the border demarcation: the war of 1864, the special status of the Ribe due to the Ribe letter 1460 and the royal enclave, the First World War and the referendum as well as the reunification in 1920
Customs officers and customs stations
Read here about everyday life in customs offices and the difficulties that customs officials sometimes encountered.
The Border gendarmerie
The border gendarmerie was a military corps founded in 1839 by the Danish King Frederik 6. They guarded the borders for smugglers, border guards and refugees.
Smugglers
The border was guarded by border guards, customs officials were responsible for registering and taxing goods, and smugglers - they tried in many ways to avoid both gendarmes and customs officers
Refugees
At least 2.400 individuals escaped to Denmark during WWI. One of Southern Jutland’s greatest heroines is the Girl from Kamtrup – Karen Poulsen (1888-1981). She helped 200-400 refugees cross the border into Denmark.
