Sønderborg Municipality

Sønderborg Municipality (Danish: Sønderborg Kommune, German: Kommune Sonderburg), is a kommune in the Region of Southern Denmark partially on the Jutland peninsula and partially on the island of Als in south Denmark, at the border with Germany. The municipality covers an area of 495.86 km2 (191.45 sq mi), and has a population of 74,380 (as of 2023). Its mayor as of 1 January 2014 is Erik Lauritzen, a member of the Social Democratic party.

Sønderborg Municipality
Sønderborg Kommune (Danish)
Kommune Sonderburg (German)
Municipality
Coat of arms of Sønderborg Municipality
Coat of arms
Sønderborg Municipality in Denmark
Sønderborg Municipality in Denmark
Coordinates: 54°55′0″N 9°47′0″E
CountryDenmark
RegionSouthern Denmark
EstablishedJanuary 2007
Government
 • MayorErik Lauritzen
Area
 • Total496 km2 (192 sq mi)
Population
 (1. January 2023)[1]
 • Total74,380
 • Density150/km2 (390/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal codes
6400
Websitesonderborgkommune.dk

Geography

The municipality is split into two sections separated by Alssund, the waterway which separates the island of Als from the Jutland mainland.

Locations
Sønderborg28,000
Nordborg5,800
Gråsten4,300
Broager3,200
Augustenborg3,200
Høruphav2,600
Guderup2,400
Dybbøl2,400
Egernsund1,400
Vester Sottrup1,400
Rinkenæs1,200
Nybøl1,100

The city of Sønderborg
Main article: Sønderborg

The site of its municipal council is the town of Sønderborg.

Politics

Sønderborg's municipal council consists of 31 members, elected every four years. The municipal council has 11 political committees.[2]

Municipal council

Below are the municipal councils elected since the Municipal Reform of 2007.

Election Party Total
seats		 Turnout Elected
mayor
A C D F L O S V Ø
2005 15 1 6 1 1 7 31 76.2% Jan Prokopek Jensen (A)
2009 12 1 2 8 2 1 5 69.3% Aase Nyegaard (L)
2013 12 1 2 3 3 9 1 74.1% Erik Lauritzen (A)
2017 15 1 3 5 7 74.5%
2021 14 1 1 3 11 1 69.0%
Data from Kmdvalg.dk 2005, 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2021

2007 administrative reform

On January 1, 2007, due to Kommunalreformen ("The Municipal Reform" of 2007), the former Sønderborg municipality, located on Als and the mainland, was combined with Augustenborg (on Als), Broager, Gråsten, Nordborg (on Als), Sydals (on Als), and Sundeved municipalities to form a new Sønderborg municipality. The municipality shares the number one position with Lolland Municipality of being formed through the merger of most former municipalities in the reform of 2007:seven (7). The former Sønderborg municipality covered an area of 54 km2 (21 sq mi), and had a population of 30,555 (2005). Its last mayor was Arne Peder Hansen, a member of the Venstre (Liberal Party) political party.

Economy

The municipality is home to two of the major industrial companies in Denmark: Danfoss and Linak.

North Schleswig Germans

Sønderborg Municipality is home to the only officially recognised ethno-linguistic minority of Denmark proper, the North Schleswig Germans. This minority makes up about 6% of the total population of the municipalities of Aabenraa/Apenrade, Haderslev/Hadersleben, Sønderborg/Sonderburg and Tønder/Tondern. In these four municipalities, the German minority enjoys certain linguistic rights in accordance with the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.

International relations
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Denmark

Twin towns — Sister cities

Sønderborg is twinned with:

References
  1. BY2: Population 1. January by municipalities The Mobile Statbank from Statistics Denmark
  2. "Politik | Sønderborg Kommune". Sønderborg Kommune (in Danish). Retrieved 10 September 2023.
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