Leopold Bürkner (29 January 1894 - 15 July 1975) was a German naval officer who served on torpedo boats in World War I . In the post-war period he served on a pocket battleship that patrolled the Spanish coast during the Spanish Civil War and then commanded a light cruiser. In 1938 he became head of the foreign liaison section of the Abwehr , the General Staff intelligence department. During World War II he rose to the rank of Vice Admiral .
57-581: Leopold Bürkner was born on 29 January 1894 in Zerbst , Anhalt. He joined the Imperial navy on 1 April 1912. He undertook basic training on the heavy cruiser Hansa . From 1 April 1913 to 31 July 1914, he attended the Naval Academy, where he was appointed a midshipman. From 1 August 1914 to 28 September 1915 Bürkner served in various capacities on the battleships SMS Wettin and SMS Schwaben and
114-902: A component of the Principality of Anhalt-Dessau . From 1891 to 1928 a horse-drawn tram was operated in Zerbst, one of the longest surviving among such tram in Germany. In the later part of the Second World War a Nazi labour camp was established on the edge of the military airfield, housing so-called " First-degree Hybrids " and "Jüdisch Versippte" (i.e., people with some Jewish blood, enough in Nazi terms to justify badly mistreating them but not killing them outright). 700 inmates from there were used for hard labour in road and airport construction as well as peat digging . On 16 April 1945 – just
171-418: A few weeks before the final surrender of Nazi Germany – some eighty percent of Zerbst was destroyed in an Allied air raid . The old town was rebuilt in the following decades resulting in a fundamental change of the townscape, as only a few historical structures were preserved or reconstructed. On 1 July 2006, the town of Zerbst was renamed Zerbst/Anhalt. A year later, on 1 July 2007, the town of Zerbst/Anhalt
228-627: A fortified Slavic settlement. The chronicles by Prince-Bishop Thietmar of Merseburg recorded the first mention of a town as Zirwisti urbs in 1018, giving an account of the occupation by the Polish duke Bolesław I Chrobry during the German–Polish War with King Henry II in 1007. In the early 12th century the Ascanian ruler Albert the Bear had the fortress rebuilt, and the adjacent settlement
285-424: A large margin to stay in Germany. In return for this pro-German vote, Flensburg was given a large hall, the "Deutsches Haus", which the government endowed as "thanks for German loyalty". During the Second World War , the town was left almost unscathed by the air raids that devastated other German cities. But in 1943, 20 children died when a nursery school was bombed, and shortly after the war ended, an explosion at
342-448: A local munitions storage site claimed many victims. In 1945, Admiral Karl Dönitz , who was briefly President ( Reichspräsident ) of Nazi Germany after Adolf Hitler appointed him his successor and then killed himself, fled to Flensburg with what was left of his government . The so-called Flensburg Government , led by Dönitz, was in power from 1 May, the announcement of Hitler's death, for one week, until German troops surrendered and
399-538: A while, he was chosen by the council. Since that time, the former official has been called the Stadtpräsident ("Town President"), and is likewise chosen by the council after each municipal election. Since 1999, the Oberbürgermeister has been chosen directly by the voters, as before. The first directly elected Oberbürgermeister , Hermann Stell, died on 4 May 2004 of a stroke . On 14 November 2004,
456-471: Is Christian Dewanger (WiF). In the 2010 mayoral election, Simon Faber (SSW) was elected Lord Mayor of the town in a runoff election with 54.8% of the vote. He was the first person from the Danish Minority to occupy this office since the end of World War II . The mayor of Flensburg is Fabian Geyer, who was elected in 2022. He took office on 15 January 2023. The Flensburg city council governs
513-1052: Is Germany's northernmost town. Flensburg lies at the innermost tip of the Flensburg Firth , an inlet of the Baltic Sea . Flensburg's eastern shore is part of the Angeln peninsula. Clockwise from the northeast, beginning at the German shore of the Flensburg Firth, the following communities in Schleswig-Flensburg district and Denmark 's Southern Denmark Region all border Flensburg: Glücksburg ( Amt -free town), Wees (Amt Langballig), Maasbüll , Hürup , Tastrup and Freienwill (all in Amt Hürup), Jarplund-Weding , Handewitt (Amt Handewitt), Harrislee (Amt-free community) and Aabenraa Municipality on
570-415: Is a red shield with the silver Holsatian nettle leaf on it. The town's flag is blue, overlaid with the coat of arms in colour. The lions symbolize Schleswig, and the nettle leaf Holstein, thus expressing the town's unity with these two historic lands. The tower recalls Flensburg's old town rights and the old castle that was the town's namesake ( Burg means "castle"). The waves refer to the town's position on
627-678: Is an independent town in the far north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein . After Kiel and Lübeck , it is the third-largest town in Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg's city centre lies about 7 km (4 mi) from the Danish border. In Germany, Flensburg is known for: Flensburg is in the north of the German state Schleswig-Holstein , very close to the German-Danish border. After Glücksburg and Westerland , it
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#1732773394828684-581: The A 7 Autobahn , leading north to the Danish border, whence it continues as European route E45 . Federal Highways ( Bundesstraßen ) B 200 and B 199 also pass through the municipal area. West of the town lies the Flensburg-Schäferhaus airport . Local transport is provided by several buslines , including Aktiv Bus GmbH and Allgemeinen Flensburger Autobus Gesellschaft (AFAG). They all operate on an integrated fare system within
741-737: The European Union ), border trade has played an important role in Flensburg's economic life. Some Danish businesses, such as Danfoss , have set up shop just south of the border for tax reasons. In 1970, the Flensburg district was expanded to include the municipalities in the Amt of Medelby, formerly in the Südtondern district, and in 1974 it was united with the Schleswig district to form the district of Schleswig-Flensburg, whose district seat
798-681: The Kingdom of Prussia after the Second Schleswig War in 1864. The Battle of Flensburg was on February 6, 1864: near the city a small Hungarian mounted regiment chased a Danish infantry and Dragoon regiment. At the election for the North German Reichstag in 1867, there had still been a Danish majority in Flensburg, and it continued until around 1880. However, thereafter, the majority shifted partly due to immigration of workers from other parts of Germany and because
855-573: The Province of Schleswig-Holstein , and at the same time still kept its status as seat of the Flensburg district. In 1920, the League of Nations decided that the matter of the German–Danish border would be settled by a vote. As a result of the plebiscite , and the way the voting zones were laid out, some of Flensburg's northern neighbourhoods were ceded to Denmark, whereas Flensburg as a whole voted by
912-547: The Republican -held coast of Spain. Deutschland was attacked on 29 May 1937 by Spanish Republican Air Force aircraft off Ibiza . In reprisal, on 31 May 1937 Admiral Scheer arrived off Almería and opened fire on shore batteries, naval installations and ships in the harbor. She returned to Wilhelmshaven on 1 July 1937. Bürkner commanded the Emden light cruiser from 30 July 1937 to 15 June 1938. On 15 June 1938, Bürkner
969-521: The SS 's Sicherheitsdienst (SD) intelligence agency. Walter Schellenberg , Chief of Amt VI, favored forming a new Amt Mil office for purely-military intelligence, working closely with Amt VI. Bürkner retained command of the residual organization. Canaris was later executed. Bürkner was briefly Chief of Protocol in the Dönitz Government after Hitler had killed himself. The Dönitz government
1026-854: The South Schleswig Voter Federation ( Südschleswigscher Wählerverband ) (9 councillors) and the CDU (9 councillors). Also elected was the SPD (seven councillors), the Greens (3 councillors), the Left (3 councillors) and the FDP (2 councillors). Nevertheless, since the WiF-group was divided into two different caucuses, the SSW-group has been the assembly's largest group. The City President
1083-547: The battlecruisers SMS Seydlitz and SMS Moltke . On 22 March 1915 he became a lieutenant. From 29 September 1915 Bürkner was assigned to the Torpedo Boat Division. Bürkner was employed on various torpedo boats from 17 January 1916 until the end of the war. His last boat was SMS G39 , which was scuttled on 21 June 1919 in Scapa Flow . Bürkner was taken captive and held until 29 January 1920. Bürkner
1140-441: The value-added tax is lower and excise taxes are either lower (e.g., on alcohol) or do not exist (e.g., on sugar). The border shops may sell canned beer to Scandinavia residents without paying deposits as long as it is not consumed in Germany. For centuries, two mayors led the town council, one for the north town (St. Marien) and one for the south town (St. Nikolai and St. Johannis). The council members and mayors were chosen by
1197-727: The 16th century, Flensburg was said to be one of the most important trading towns in the Scandinavian area. Flensburg merchants were active as far away as the Mediterranean , Greenland , and the Caribbean . The most important commodities, after herring, were sugar and whale oil , the latter from whaling off Greenland. But the Thirty Years' War put an end to this boom time. The town was becoming Protestant and thereby ever more German culturally and linguistically, while
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#17327733948281254-695: The 8th century the area east of the Elbe was settled by Polabian Slavs ( Sorbs ). Part of the border region with the adjacent Saxon region around Magdeburg in the west, it was incorporated into the Gau Ciervisti of the Saxon Eastern March ( Marca Geronis ) about 937 in the course of the German Ostsiedlung . It is not clear when Zerbst was founded; however, the name Ciervisti mentioned as early as 949 may already refer to
1311-799: The Baroque composer Johann Friedrich Fasch resided there and was employed as a Hofkomponist and later Hofkapellmeister . To honour his memory, the Fasch Festivals have taken place in the city since 1983. In 1745 Princess Sophie Auguste Friederike of Anhalt-Zerbst married Peter, Crown Prince of Russia , the heir apparent to the Russian throne. As Catherine II (the Great) she herself reigned as Empress of Russia from 9 July [ O.S. 28 June] 1762 until 17 November [ O.S. 6 November] 1796). In 1797 Zerbst became
1368-687: The British Naval attaché to Germany, Captain Gerard Muirhead-Gould , that Germany had laid down twelve 250-ton U-boats at Kiel . Bürkner was First Officer on the newly commissioned pocket battleship Admiral Scheer from 1 October 1935 until 26 July 1937. In July 1936 the ship was sent to Spain to evacuate German civilians caught in the midst of the Spanish Civil War . From 8 August 1936 she served with her sister ship Deutschland on non-intervention patrols off
1425-493: The Danish shore of the Flensburg Firth. The town of Flensburg is divided into 13 communities, which are further divided into 38 statistical areas. Constituent communities have a two-digit number and the statistical areas a three-digit number. The communities with their statistical areas: Flensburg was founded at the latest by 1200 at the innermost end of the Flensburg Firth by Danish settlers, who were soon joined by German merchants. In 1284, its town rights were confirmed and
1482-781: The Dutch airline KLM in Frankfurt. From 1949 he acted at times as an adviser to the Foreign Office. He was involved in the rearmament of West Germany . Bürkner died on 15 July 1975 in Frankfurt . He was aged 81. Bürkner held the following ranks: Citations Sources Zerbst Zerbst ( German pronunciation: [ˈt͡sɛʁpst] ) is a town in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld , in Saxony-Anhalt , Germany . Until an administrative reform in 2007, Zerbst
1539-495: The Flensburg Fjord. The coat of arms was granted the town by King Wilhelm II of Prussia in 1901, and once again in modified, newly approved form on 19 January 1937 by Schleswig-Holstein's High President ( Oberpräsident ) Flensburg is twinned with: The town has a well-established Combined Heat and Power and District Heating scheme , installed between 1970 and 1980. It is owned by the town. West of Flensburg runs
1596-416: The Flensburg transport community ( Verkehrsgemeinschaft Flensburg ). They also all subscribe to the Schleswig-Holstein tariff system, whereby anyone travelling from anywhere in Schleswig-Holstein or Hamburg may use Flensburg buses free to connect with their final destinations. This works both ways: a rider boarding any bus in Flensburg need only name a destination anywhere in Schleswig-Holstein or Hamburg, pay
1653-492: The Second World War, the town's population broke the 100,000 mark for a short time, making Flensburg a city ( Großstadt ) under one traditional definition. The population later sank below that mark. In the years after the Second World War, South Schleswig, and particularly Flensburg, had a strong pro-Danish movement connected with the idea of the "Eider Politics". Its goal was for the town and all or most of Schleswig,
1710-603: The St.-Jürgen-Hospital ( Helligåndshospital , built before 1290), far outside the town's gates, where St. Jürgen Church is now. About 1500, syphilis also appeared. The church hospital "Zum Heiligen Geist" ("To the Holy Ghost") stood in Große Straße, now Flensburg's pedestrian precinct . A Flensburger's everyday life was very hard, and the old roads and paths were bad. The main streets were neither paved nor lit at night. When
1767-410: The bureaucracy was largely replaced with Germans from the south. Today, a sizable Danish community remains in the town. Some estimates put the percentage of Flensburgers who belong to it as high as 25%; other estimates put it much lower. The SSW political party representing the minority usually gains 20–25% of the votes in local elections, but not all its voters are Danes. Before 1864, Danes consisted of
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1824-419: The city alongside the mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 14 May 2023, and the results were as follows: The result of the election held 6 May 2018 were as follows: Flensburg's coat of arms shows in gold above blue and silver waves rising to the left a six-sided red tower with a blue pointed roof, breaking out of which, one above the other, are the two lions of Schleswig and Denmark ; above
1881-540: The council itself: retiring officials' successors were named by the remaining councillors in such a way that both halves of the town had as many members. These councillors usually bore the title "Senator". This "town government" lasted until 1742 when the "northern mayor" was made the "directing mayor" by the Danish King. From this position came what was later known as the First Mayor. The second mayor simply bore
1938-770: The fare, and travel to that destination on one ticket. The Flensburg station opened in 1927 south of the Old Town. From there, trains run on the main line to Neumünster , Hamburg , and Fredericia , among them some InterCity connections as well as trains serving the line running to Eckernförde and Kiel . Another stop for regional trains to Neumünster is in Flensburg-Weiche. The stretch of line to Niebüll has been out of service since 1981, efforts to open it again notwithstanding. The secondary line to Husum and lesser lines to Kappeln and Satrup no longer exist. The tramway , which opened in 1881 to horse-drawn trams,
1995-524: The independent candidate suggested by the CDU , Klaus Tscheuschner, was elected to replace Stell with 59% of the vote. In the 2003 municipal election, Hans Hermann Laturnus was elected Stadtpräsident . In the 2008 municipal election, the local list WiF (Wir in Flensburg) was elected the largest group in the Council Assembly of Flensburg, with 10 city councillors out of 43, closely followed by
2052-577: The neighbouring countryside remained decidedly Danish. In the 18th century, thanks to the rum trade, Flensburg had yet another boom. Cane sugar was imported from the Danish West Indies (now the US Virgin Islands ) and refined in Flensburg. Only in the 19th century, as a result of industrialization, was the town at last outstripped by the competition from cities such as Copenhagen and Hamburg . The rum produced in Flensburg
2109-478: The streets became really bad, citizens made the dung-filled streets passable with wooden pathways. Only the few upper-class houses had windows. In 1485, a great fire struck Flensburg. Storm tides also beset the town occasionally. Every household in the town kept livestock in the house and the yard. Townsfolk furthermore had their own cowherds and a swineherd. After the fall of the Hanseatic League in
2166-461: The title "mayor" (" Bürgermeister "). After the town was ceded to Prussia, the townsfolk elected the mayors as of 1870, and the First Mayor was given the title Oberbürgermeister , still the usual title in German towns and cities. During the Third Reich, the town head was appointed by those who held power locally. In 1945, after the Second World War, a twofold leadership based on a British model
2223-695: The town administration itself. ¹ Census results The Danish minority in Flensburg ( Danish : Flensborg ) and the surrounding towns runs its own schools, libraries, and Lutheran churches, from which the German majority is not excluded. These two groups' coexistence is considered a sound and healthy symbiosis . A form of mixed Danish–German, Petuh , is used on the ferries. There is also a Danish Consulate-General in Flensburg. In Denmark, Flensburg seems to be mainly known for its "border shops" where, among other things, spirits, beer and candy are for sale at lower prices than in Denmark. The prices are lower because
2280-542: The town quickly became one of the most important in the Duchy of Schleswig . Unlike Holstein , Schleswig did not belong to the German Holy Roman Empire . Therefore, Flensburg was not a member of the Hanseatic League , but did maintain contacts with it. Historians presume that there were several reasons this spot was chosen for settlement: Herrings, especially kippered , brought about the blossoming of
2337-696: The town was occupied by Allied troops. The regime was effectively dissolved on 23 May, when the British Army arrested Dönitz and his ministers in Mürwik and detained them in the Navy School in Mürwik ( German : Marineschule Mürwik ). The Berlin Declaration promulgated on 5 June formalized the dissolution. Flensburg was therefore, for a few weeks, the seat of the last Third Reich government. After
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2394-584: The town's trade in the Middle Ages . They were sent inland and to almost every European country. On 28 October 1412, Queen Margaret I of Denmark died of the plague aboard a ship in Flensburg Harbour. From time to time plagues such as bubonic plague, caused mainly by rat fleas ( Xenopsylla cheopis , a parasite found on brown rats ), "red" dysentery and other scourges killed much of Flensburg's population. Lepers were strictly isolated at
2451-474: The town. Zerbst today counts about 24,000 inhabitants and, at 467.65 km (180.56 sq mi), is the fifth largest town in Germany by area. The current municipal area stretches from the Elbe in the southwest up to the Fläming Heath and the state border with Brandenburg in the northeast. The town Zerbst consists of Zerbst proper and the following 24 Ortschaften or municipal divisions: In
2508-415: The vast majority, which belonged to what is now the minority; even today there are many Danish surnames in the Flensburg telephone directory (Asmussen, Claussen, Jacobsen, Jensen, Petersen, etc.). However, the upper classes at that time, comprising merchants, bureaucrats, academics, and the clergy, were predominantly German. On 1 April 1889, Flensburg became an independent city ( kreisfreie Stadt ) within
2565-541: The whole area north of the Eider River , to be united with Denmark. After 1945, Flensburg's town council was for years dominated by Danish parties, and the town had a Danish mayor. The town profited from the planned location of military installations. Since German Reunification , the number of soldiers has dropped to about 8,000. Since Denmark's entry into the European Economic Community (now
2622-434: Was appointed head of the foreign liaison section ( Abteilung Ausland , later Amt Ausland ) of the Abwehr , the intelligence organization of the German general staff. The other four sections handled secret espionage abroad, sabotage, counterespionage and administration. Bürkner reported to Admiral Wilhelm Canaris , the head of the Abwehr , and was one of Canaris's closest collaborators. After World War II began, Canaris
2679-409: Was arrested and dismissed by Allied troops on 23 May 1945 in Flensburg . Bürkner was imprisoned in Ansbach until 25 June 1947. While in captivity he was one of the former high-ranking officers of the armed forces who assisted in creating 2,500 military history studies. During the Nuremberg Trials he was called as a witness for Alfred Jodl . After his release he became director of the German staff of
2736-517: Was cadet company commander at the Naval Academy Mürwik from 1 August 1920 to 26 September 1923. He was a flag lieutenant of the First Torpedo Boat Flotilla from 27 October 1923 to 25 September 1927. He then became a lecturer in the Education department of the Navy until 30 September 1931. Bürkner was chief of a half-flotilla of torpedo boats from October 1931 to September 1933. He was liaison officer for foreign naval attachés from 9 October 1933 to 30 September 1935. On 25 April 1935 he officially informed
2793-412: Was disgusted by the brutal executions conducted by the SS in Poland. He told Burkner that "a war conducted in contempt of all ethics cannot be won. There is a divine justice even on this earth". Later, Canaris was to try to stir up a revolt against Hitler. In March 1941, Bürkner was involved in discussions concerning setting up a network of Arabs in Palestine to engage in sabotage and armed uprisings. This
2850-451: Was first fortified with town walls about 1250. In 1307 Prince Albert I of Anhalt acquired the city of Zerbst from the Barby comital family, starting a centuries-long rule by the Ascanian princely House of Anhalt . His descendants continued to rule the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst until in 1396 it was divided between Prince Sigismund I and his brother Albert IV , and the residence was moved to Dessau . In 1375 Zerbster Bitterbier
2907-403: Was first mentioned; by the Middle Ages the town had 600 breweries. Following the Reformation Zerbst became a Calvinist centre. From 1582 to 1798 the Francisceum Gymnasium Illustre was an important Calvinist college. From 1603 to 1793 Zerbst again was the residence of the Anhalt-Zerbst princes, whose rule included among others also the Lordship of Jever in East Frisia . From 1722 to 1758,
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#17327733948282964-406: Was incorporated together with several other municipalities of the Zerbst administrative district, creating the renewed Anhalt-Bitterfeld administrative district with its capital at Köthen . Elections in May 2014 Flensburg Flensburg ( German: [ˈflɛnsbʊʁk] ; Danish and Low Saxon : Flensborg ; South Jutlandic : Flensborre ; North Frisian : Flansborj )
3021-456: Was introduced. Heading the town stood foremost the Oberbürgermeister , who was chosen by the town council and whose job was as chairman of council and the municipality. Next to him was an Oberstadtdirektor ("Higher Town Director"), who was leader of administration. In 1950, when Schleswig-Holstein brought its new laws for municipalities into force, the title Oberbürgermeister was transferred (once again) to this latter official. At first, and for
3078-464: Was the capital of the former Anhalt-Zerbst district. Zerbst is situated in the Anhalt-Wittenberg region, with its town centre located on the river Nuthe about 13 km (8.1 mi) northeast of the Elbe , halfway between Magdeburg and Wittenberg . With the 1 January 2010 local government reform, the 21 formerly independent communities of the disbanded Verwaltungsgemeinschaft (municipal association) Elbe-Ehle-Nuthe were incorporated into
3135-561: Was the town of Schleswig . Flensburg thereby lost its function as a district seat but remained an independent (district-free) town. Until the middle of the 19th century, Flensburg's municipal area comprised an area of 2 639 ha. Beginning in 1874, the following communities or rural areas ( Gemarkungen ) were annexed to the town of Flensburg: Population figures are for respective municipal areas through time. Until 1870, figures are mostly estimates, and thereafter census results (¹) or official projections from either statistical offices or
3192-415: Was then reintegrated into West Indian trade routes, which as of 1864 moved away from the Danish West Indies to the British colony of Jamaica instead. It was imported from there, blended, and sold all over Europe. There is now only one active rum distillery in Flensburg, "A. H. Johannsen". Between 1460 and 1864, Flensburg was, after Copenhagen, the Kingdom of Denmark's second-biggest port, but it passed to
3249-416: Was to be done without consultation with the Italians to whom the Germans in the past had deferred on matters involving the Arabs. After Canaris was removed from office in February 1944, Bürkner took temporary command of the Abwehr . In March 1944, he led the Abwehr representatives at a conference on creating a unified intelligence organization, combining the Abwehr with Amt VI, the foreign affairs unit of
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