Annoncørbetalt content: Joy in Germany: Welcome back, people

There has been a lack of Danish voices in Flensburgs streets and in grænsebutikkernes times the last three months, where the border between Denmark and Germany have been closed because of the Corona virus. And the Danish tourists have been missing in our neighbouring country.

- Usually, the danes 50 percent of our customers, and they disappeared, the Two times we have had to reduce during the opening hours to adapt. It really has been a new situation for us, because when you started talking about the Corona, had no one imagined that it would come close to us, " says store manager Sven Johannsen from Scandinavian Park, which is located at Handewitt and is one of the area's major grænsehandler.

Usually swarming with people in Flensburg, but in the spring, there have been empty in the streets.

- the Danes love Flensburg, and many come back here, but there have not been many people in the area, during the decommissioning, and it has not been so good for the city's many shops, restaurants and museums, says Gorm Casper, there is turismeansvarlig in TAFF Flensburg.

A happy Gorm Casper, turismeansvarlig in TAFF Flensburg. Photo: Heine Hilbrecht

So there was great joy on both sides of the border since the british army after a three month shutdown was again opened.

- We were really happy to see the danes again. Already in the days before the official opening we started to have more and more people in the store, and it is my impression that they are happy to be back, says Sven Johannsen from Scandinavian Park, who is back on normal hours during the holiday season is 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Although the british army once again is up, it's a different reality, as the danes will encounter on the other side of the border. In Germany must wear mundbind in shops and restaurants, and one should keep distance of one and a half metres.

- If you go into the shops and restaurants, you must have mundbind on, but it need not be the medical mundbind, you can use a scarf. But everything is open again, so you can enjoy all the things that you are used to, says Gorm Casper.

In Handewitt experience shop manager also, that there pretty much are just so many danes in the store as last year at the same time, but Corona-the pandemic has taken its toll.

- Normally our customers here in several hours, but now they are in the store in shorter time. In turn, buy more, and more using our pre-order service where they order the goods on the web and only need to check in the store to pay. We can deliver your order out to the car. It is a good solution for those who like to keep distance, says Sven Johannsen.

He didn't experience that it is a problem to get customers to take the masks on, when they visit the Danish-German border area, which, incidentally, also sells masks.

- We must adapt ourselves, it is going to take time before we are back to normal. I don't think it happens before who found a cure or vaccine against the Corona, he says

Although there must be a mundbind in the luggage, and you must remember to keep the distance of one and a half metres, there's still Danish tourists many good experiences in the German borderland: Cheap goods in grænsebutikkerne, good beaches along the Flensburg Fjord, sightseeing and shopping in Flensburg, which has a history that is woven into the Danish.

- Flensburg is Germany's romby, and it stems back to the time when the city was Danish. Then you put the ships from the Danish-Caribbean and lodsede sugar and raw rum from the plantations, which were mixed up and bred here. There were 200 manufacturers of rum in the city, tells Gorm Casper from TAFF Flensburg, which is the city's tourism organisation.

the Taste on the rom in the Romhuset on the pedestrian shopping street or discover the history of Rome-the museum, which is located in connection with the maritime museum by the harbour.
the port town of Flensburg is the evidence that northern Germany is more than just cross-border shopping. Photo: Heine Hilbrecht

Flensburg is known for its port, where you can enjoy the many old ships over a lokalbrygget draught beer at Hansens Brauerei or even competition out on the Flensburg Fjord. Tag f.ex. the trip along the Flensburg Fjord to Glücksburg Castle, which was King Frederik the 7.’s summer residence. At the castle, there are also guided tours.

Even in a Coronatid, there are plenty of experiences for the whole family in Flensburg and the surrounding area. Children will love the Science Park Phäbomenta, where there waiting for 170 experiments to be tested. You can also just walk through the city and enjoy the atmosphere, suggests the turistansvarlige.

Are you tired in the legs, have Flensburg a wealth of restaurants, bars and cafes. In Germany, there is the opposite at home no restrictions on when the service must stop.

- just As in Denmark, the authorities have handled the Corona-the crisis well, so we have had a low contamination. Therefore, there is a relatively low risk for contagion in Germany and it means a lot when choosing a resort, says Sven Johannsen from the Scandinavian Park.

Read more about holiday in Flensburg and the surrounding area here.