Nordertor facts for kids

The Nordertor, an old town gate, in winter

The Nordertor (which means Northern Gate in Danish) is a very old town gate in the city of Flensburg, Germany. It was built around the year 1595. Today, this small but important landmark is a well-known symbol for the town of Flensburg.

The Nordertor: A Look Back in Time

In 1345, the town of Flensburg started building its town wall to protect itself. A gate was built on the north side of the town, and it was first called Norder Porte. Later, in the 16th century, a new building replaced it, and that's the Nordertor we know today. This gate marked the northern edge of the town. It was like a checkpoint that would close at night to keep the town safe.

Messages on the Gate

If you look closely at the north side of the gate, you'll see two special plaques. The one on the left shows the royal coat of arms of King Christian IV, who lived from 1577 to 1648. Below it are some Latin words: "Regna Firmat Pietas." This means "Piety strengthens the Realms," suggesting that being good and faithful makes kingdoms strong.

The plaque on the right has the coat of arms of Flensburg. Below it are German words: "Friede ernährt, Unfrieden verzehrt." This wise saying means "Peace nurtures, strife devours." It reminds everyone that peace helps things grow, while fighting destroys them. There's also a date, 1767, which tells us the gate was repaired during the time of King Christian VII.

The Gate Through the Years

After 1796, the town of Flensburg started to grow bigger than its old town wall. Before this, people weren't allowed to build outside the wall. A new area called Neustadt (which means Newtown) was built right next to the Nordertor.

In 1913 and 1914, a famous architect named Paul Ziegler helped restore the Nordertor. During this time, a clock was added to the gate. Later, in 1966, the Deutsche Bundespost (the German postal service) even put a picture of the gate on a stamp! It was a 30 Pfennig stamp used for sending letters inside Germany. Amazingly, over 3 billion of these Nordertor stamps were sold!

In the 1990s, the gate was restored again, and the clock was removed. Since 2004, the Nordertor has become a special place for civil weddings. People can now get married right above the archway of the gate, making it a truly unique and historic spot for a wedding!

Images for kids

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  Look from the original place of the Norder Porte to the Nordertor today

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  The Coats of arms and the wise words

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  The Nordertor 1972

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  Flensburg's street railway in front of the Nordertor in 1972