Schleiswygh. (Schleswig)

Bird's-eye view of Schleswig by Braun and Hogenberg.

TRANSLATION OF CARTOUCHE TEXT: Gottorp. The castle of Gottorp, which came into the possession of the Dukes of Holstein only recently, got its name from the powerful Goths. And Adolph is already foritfying it in no small measure, for this illustrious prince is fond of staying here. Schleswig. It faces the plain between the Scots and the Angles which, although it is small, borders on two seas, and it is said that the sea of the Cimbrian Peninsula is not far from the River Schlei with its many ships. The isthmus is girded here by what is called the rampart of the Danes, a work built by Godfred. And we call this town Schleswig because it is built on a curved inlet of the sea. It was once a great city, with a friendly harbour that received goods of all kinds that the waves of the sea carried here. But it has declined to such an extent that it no longer seeks to be called a city, but only a small town. From the book of the Muses of that generous and distinguished gentleman D. Heinrich Rantzau, Cologne 1584, with imperial privilege.

COMMENTARY BY BRAUN: "Long ago Schleswig was the capital of the whole territory of Cimbria, a big city and wealthy because of its important commercial activities, but now it has lost its former splendour because of the misfortune brought upon it by God. It has a harbour, which is ideally suited to trade. For formerly the trade goods were brought from the Netherlands, England, France and Spain to the Eider Estuary, and then on the Treene to Hollingstedt and from there very easily to Schleswig, and further over the Baltic Sea to the Kingdom of Denmark, to Norway, also Livonia, Russia, Prussia and other German provinces on the Belt."

The ducal coat of arms and the arms of the city of Schleswig at the corners of an equilateral triangle draw our attention down to the little church of Hedeby in the foreground, and thus to the origin of Schleswig and the castle of Gottorp, namely the old commercial metropolis of Haithabu. After its destruction in 1066, its place was taken by Schleswig. The moated castle, residence of the Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, developed out of a fortress on the Danish frontier wall, the Danewerk (K). The view across the Schlei in cavalier perspective, with north at the top, shows the city overlooked by the tower of St Michael (C). The cathedral of St Peter (D) was begun in 1134 and completed in the 16th century. To the right of it is the former collegiate church of the 13th-century Franciscan monastery, which was converted into a town hall (G) after the Reformation. At this time Schleswig had already lost its preeminent position in trade to Lübeck.

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Reference: Van der Krogt 4, 3912; Taschen, Braun and Hogenberg, p.311.