Ribe during the 2nd Schleswig War
The 2nd Schleswig Ward began on 1 February 1864 and ended with the Peace of Vienna on 30 October 1864, and Denmark losing the Duchies of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg.
While there were no battles in Ribe, there were a lot of soldiers in the town. In March 1864, a platoon of Prussian Infantry abducted Ribe’s Mayor, Meinert, and Prefect Nielsen, and took them to Kolding where they were interned. The Austrians subsequently arrested the new mayor and prefect. The Austrians returned later demanding 50.000 Prussian thalers from the third mayor and taking 10 men hostage. While the money was not paid and the hostages were released, Hungarian soldiers soon followed and threatened to plunder the town
Meanwhile, a ceasefire was put into effect and the Hungarians left again. However, they were replaced by Austrian soldiers who remained in the town until November 1864.
With the Peace of Vienna, Ribe lost its catchment area towards the south, and when Esbjerg Port was founded in 1868, the new town overtook the catchment area towards the north, with the result that Ribe lost its significance as a market town.