With more than 1,000 wind turbines, Schleswig-Holstein is Germany’s number-one supplier of wind power. It also ranks near the top in terms of technology centers and boasts more than 4,000 firms in the information and communications sector alone. At the same time, the state has taken action to create the necessary infrastructure. Auto-bahns form not only the important north-south axis; links with the west coast are equally important for tourism, business and industry. Three universities, four technically-oriented Fachhochschulen and two colleges of art furnish ample in-state facilities for training young scholars and scientists. All of the above have helped to solidify Schleswig-Holstein’s acknowledged strong position in relation to the other federal states as an attractive site for business and industry.

“Gentle tourism”.

The North Sea island of Helgoland with its famous red cliffs was the backdrop for the poet August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben in 1841 when he wrote the German anthem. The North Frisian Islands of Syit, Fohr and Amrum are a vacationer’s paradise; the same is true of the resorts on the Baltic such as Damp, Hohwacht and Timmendorf. Nature lovers are drawn to the tidal mud flats of the Wattenmeer National Park on the North Sea. Farther inland lies the scenic area known as “Holstein Switzerland” with its many lakes. Well worth a visit are places such as Molln, the town of the legendary jester Till Eulenspie-gel, or the cathedral town of Schleswig with the Late Gothic Bordesholm Altarpiece, a masterpiece of woodcarving created in 1514-1521 by Hans Brugge-mann, and of course the city of Lubeck.