The ancient Danish fortification that survived a Nazi commander through a bluff
In short: The Danevirke is a massive system of earthworks and walls spanning the Cimbrian peninsula. Initiated around 500 AD, it served as a vital defensive barrier for centuries. Its most surreal moment occurred in World War II, when a lone archaeologist saved the site from destruction using an audacious bluff.
The Danevirke, or Danework, is a complex network of fortifications in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, stretching 30 kilometers from the Baltic Sea to western marshlands. While long attributed to the Danish King Gudfred in 808 AD, modern carbon-14 dating and archaeological excavations indicate the structure began much earlier, with initial stages dating back to at least 500 AD. Over the centuries, it was expanded by various rulers, including Harald Bluetooth and Valdemar the Great, who added a famous granite and mortar wall known as Valdemarsmuren in the 12th century.
Beyond its military function, the Danevirke became a potent symbol of Danish national identity during the 19th century. As tensions rose between Denmark and Germany, the site was modernized with artillery emplacements in 1850 and 1861. However, during the Second Schleswig War in 1864, the Danish army abandoned the fortifications without a major battle after the freezing of local wetlands rendered the position vulnerable to flanking. The site has remained in German territory ever since, eventually earning UNESCO World Heritage status in 2018 alongside the nearby Viking trade center of Hedeby.
The site's survival during World War II is perhaps its most remarkable chapter. In 1944, the Wehrmacht planned to convert the historic earthworks into an anti-tank trench, a move that would have obliterated the structure. Danish archaeologist Søren Telling intervened by calling Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS. Telling successfully framed the Danevirke as a vital relic of Aryan civilization. By threatening the local Wehrmacht commander with SS reprisals, Telling halted the construction until Himmler’s official order arrived, effectively preserving the ancient monument for posterity.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Danevirke
- Also: Wikidata — Danevirke · CC0
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