The German-minded population in Sønderjylland (South Jutland), Denmark, formed a German minority in
1920. They named their part of the country Nordschleswig (North Schleswig), and the 10-15,000 members
label themselves „Nordschleswiger“. Their main organisation is the Bund Deutscher Nordschleswiger. This
federation represents the minority's associations and their kindergartens, recreation centres, libraries, schools,
the grammar school, the church, the political party Schleswigsche Partei, and the newspaper Der
The Danish-minded people in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, call their homeland between the Danish-
German border and the Eider River „Sydslesvig“, and refer to themselves as „sydslesvigere“ or simply
Danes. They organised themselves in 1920 as a Danish minority, which today comprises 40-50,000
members. The minority has several own associations - including the Sydslesvigsk Forening (SSF) and, for
young people, the Sydslesvigs danske Ungdomsforeninger (SdU) - as well as kindergartens, schools, two
grammar schools, recreational homes, libraries, churches, the SSW political party and the Flensborg Avis
Approximately 50,000 North Frisians live on the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein and on the offshore
islands. They are recognised as a minority in the Schleswig-Holstein constitution. The Nordfriesischer Verein
(North Frisian Association) works to preserve and maintain the North Frisian language, culture, and nature,
while the Friisk Foriining advocates equal rights for North Frisian language in Germany. The minority also
runs the Nordfriisk Instituut, whose research mainly focuses on North Frisian culture, history, and language.
