Skodborg

The village with the strong Danishness just south of the Kongeå. 

Skodborg is the top of Southern Jutland. Partly because of the proximity to the river Kongeå, which borders Southern Jutland to the north, but also because of a historically high level of involvement in cultural and association life. The town was one of the safe bastions of Danishness until the Reunification in 1920. Skodborg's biggest contribution in modern times is the annual 1-day festival Skodborg Parkrock, which attracts several thousand guests and the top of the pop of musicians on the Danish music scene.

The time as a German area has been deeply embedded in Skodborg. Almost all families got World War I close when their family members were to be German soldiers at the front in Belgium or Russia. So while the rest of Denmark – north of the river Kongeå – remained neutral during the World War, young men from Skodborg were deployed as German soldiers – even though they were Danish-minded. The names of those who did not come home can be found on the memorial stone in front of Skodborg Church.

Skodborg was until 1920 a border town. The referendum prior to the Reunification in 1920 gave 1,046 votes for Denmark and 110 for Germany in Skodborg Parish. Skodborg has been a border town in the past, when the Kongeå was the customs border between Denmark and Schleswig. It was in the heyday of Skodborghus Castle.

Skodborg was the terminus of the narrow-gauge Haderslev County Railway's section from Haderslev. The railway line provided logistics for goods and people southwards. The section Haderslev - Skodborg was built in 1905 and closed down in 1933. You can still see the German-inspired railway station building in the middle of the city.

Skodborg still has a very vibrant association life – with roots in border history and created by a condition such as a border region. Ring riding is still held every year and the local fire department consists of volunteers. The just over 1,200 inhabitants in the town also have a sports club and local archive like most other South Jutland parishes.