--- title: "Flensburg: 700 Years of German-Danish Rum History" description: "Four shifts in 700 years: how Flensburg moved between Germany and Denmark — and why this story lives on in every glass of Christian V Rum." lang: en json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Organization", "name": "Christian V Rum", "url": "https://christianvrum.com", "logo": "https://christianvrum.com/android-chrome-512x512.png", "description": "Christian V Rum – deutscher Rum aus Flensburg mit dänischem Erbe. Flensburger Rum, dreifach destilliert und im Sherryfass gereift.", "foundingLocation": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Flensburg, Deutschland" }, "sameAs": [ "https://christianvrum.de", "https://christian-v.com", "https://christian5.de", "https://flensburger-rum.de", "https://deutscher-rum.com", "https://deutscherrum.de", "https://rumkontor.com" ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Product", "name": "Christian V Original Rum", "image": "https://christianvrum.com/android-chrome-512x512.png", "description": "Deutscher Rum aus Flensburg mit dänischem Erbe – dreifach destillierter Flensburger Rum, 3 Jahre in Sherry-Eichenfässern gereift. 500 ml, 40% Vol.", "brand": { "@type": "Brand", "name": "Christian V" }, "offers": { "@type": "Offer", "url": "https://christianvrum.com/#shop", "priceCurrency": "EUR", "price": "49.90", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "seller": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Christian V Rum" } }, "category": "Rum", "countryOfOrigin": { "@type": "Country", "name": "Germany" }, "material": "Karibisches Zuckerrohr, Gletscherwasser der baltischen Endmoräne", "additionalProperty": [ { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Volumen", "value": "500 ml" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Alkoholgehalt", "value": "40% Vol." }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Reifung", "value": "3 Jahre in Sherry-Eichenfässern" }, { "@type": "PropertyValue", "name": "Destillation", "value": "Dreifach destilliert" } ], "aggregateRating": { "@type": "AggregateRating", "ratingValue": "4.9", "bestRating": "5", "worstRating": "1", "ratingCount": "27", "reviewCount": "12" }, "review": [ { "@type": "Review", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jens H." }, "datePublished": "2025-09-14", "reviewBody": "Sehr weicher, eleganter Rum mit feiner Sherry-Note. Schmeckt nach Flensburger Hafen und langer Reife – mein neuer Lieblingsrum am Abend.", "reviewRating": { "@type": "Rating", "ratingValue": "5", "bestRating": "5", "worstRating": "1" } }, { "@type": "Review", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Margarethe K." }, "datePublished": "2025-10-02", "reviewBody": "Königlich im wahrsten Sinne. Vanille, getrocknete Frucht und ein Hauch Eiche – die 500-ml-Flasche ist außerdem ein echtes Schmuckstück.", "reviewRating": { "@type": "Rating", "ratingValue": "5", "bestRating": "5", "worstRating": "1" } }, { "@type": "Review", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lars P." }, "datePublished": "2025-11-21", "reviewBody": "En virkelig fin flensborgsk rom. Blød, rund og med tydelig sherrykarakter. Long live the King!", "reviewRating": { "@type": "Rating", "ratingValue": "5", "bestRating": "5", "worstRating": "1" } }, { "@type": "Review", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sophie M." }, "datePublished": "2026-01-08", "reviewBody": "Beautifully balanced rum from Flensburg. Smooth on the palate with a long, warm finish — the sherry cask really shines.", "reviewRating": { "@type": "Rating", "ratingValue": "5", "bestRating": "5", "worstRating": "1" } } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebSite", "name": "Christian V Rum", "url": "https://christianvrum.com", "inLanguage": [ "de", "en", "da" ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "headline": "Flensburg: 700 Years of German-Danish Rum History", "description": "Four shifts in 700 years: how Flensburg moved between Germany and Denmark — and why this story lives on in every glass of Christian V Rum.", "image": [ "https://christianvrum.com/assets/journal-flensburg-geschichte-rum-iaRj0pFP.webp" ], "datePublished": "2026-04-18", "dateModified": "2026-04-18", "inLanguage": "en-US", "url": "https://christianvrum.com/en/journal/flensburg-history-german-danish-rum", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://christianvrum.com/en/journal/flensburg-history-german-danish-rum" }, "author": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Christian V Rum", "url": "https://christianvrum.com" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Christian V Rum", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://christianvrum.com/android-chrome-512x512.png" } } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://christianvrum.com/en" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Journal", "item": "https://christianvrum.com/en/journal" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Flensburg: 700 Years of German-Danish Rum History", "item": "https://christianvrum.com/en/journal/flensburg-history-german-danish-rum" } ] } ] --- [![Christian V Rum monogram – logo](/assets/cv-monogram-BfOv3A2f.webp)Christian V ](/en) [About the Rum](/en#rum)[Christian V](/en/journal/flensburg-history-german-danish-rum)[History](/en#geschichte)[Journal](/en/journal)[FAQ](/en/faq)[Shop](/en#shop) [DE](/de/journal/flensburg-geschichte-deutsch-daenisch-rum)[EN](/en/journal/flensburg-history-german-danish-rum)[DK](/da/journal/flensborg-historie-tysk-dansk-rom) ![Historic Flensburg harbour at sunset with sailing ships and rum barrels](/assets/journal-flensburg-geschichte-rum-iaRj0pFP.webp) 1. [Home](/en) 2. [Journal](/en/journal) 3. A City Between Two Worlds — CHRISTIAN V & the History of Flensburg [Journal](/en/journal) History · 10 MIN # A City Between Two Worlds — CHRISTIAN V & the History of Flensburg Contents 1. [01 The shifts of the city](#the-shifts-of-the-city) 2. [02 Christian V — Flensburg child, Danish king](#christian-v-flensburg-child-danish-king) 3. [03 Why this story is in every sip](#why-this-story-is-in-every-sip) 4. [04 Continue reading in the Journal](#continue-reading-in-the-journal) Contents ✦ Christian V Rum · Journal ✦ 700 years on the border — and a king who shaped the rum world. Flensburg moved between Germany and Denmark for 700 years. From this borderland came a king — and his legacy lives in every sip. Some cities have a history. Flensburg has four. Few cities in Europe have changed nation as often — and held on to their identity as stubbornly. For more than 700 years Flensburg has been a city of borders, of merchants and seafarers. This history is the reason Christian V Rum has its origin here. The king after whom this rum is named was born in Flensburg. It was his political vision that laid the foundation for the Caribbean trade from which Flensburg rum would grow. ![The Neptunus, the first Flensburg ship to sail to the Caribbean in 1755, depicted in a painterly maritime style](/assets/journal-neptunus-ship-Dcr0P156.webp) The Neptunus — the first ship to sail from Flensburg to the Danish Caribbean colonies in 1755.Artistic reconstruction · Christian V Rum Journal ## The shifts of the city 1. 1284 Danish ### Danish origin 1284: Duke Waldemar IV grants Flensburg its town charter. The city sits within the Danish sphere. In 1460 King Christian I confirms its status — Flensburg remains Danish for 400 years and grows into the most important trading city of the Danish kingdom. The 400-year Danish affiliation made Flensburg the natural gateway to the Danish colonies in the Caribbean — without that history, Flensburg rum would never have existed. 2. 1646–1699 ✦ The key moment ### Christian V — born in Flensburg 15 April 1646: Christian V is born in Flensburg. He becomes King of Denmark and Norway in 1670 — the first hereditary king of the absolute monarchy. In 1671 he sends two ships to St. Thomas and founds the Danish West India Company. He lays the foundation for the Caribbean trade that, a hundred years later, will turn Flensburg into the rum capital. The paradox of history: Christian V was born in Flensburg — the city that, through his Caribbean trade, would become Europe's rum capital. 3. 1755–1864 Danish · Rum ### The golden age of rum 1755: The Neptunus sets sail as the first ship from Flensburg to the Caribbean. Flensburg and St. Croix — both Danish. Between 1775–1806 and 1820–1840 the golden age of Flensburg overseas trade unfolds: more than 200 rum houses in the city. Flensburg becomes a more important trading place than Copenhagen itself. The merchants' houses that still line the harbour today were built with rum money. Financed by the Caribbean trade Christian V had set in motion a century earlier. 4. 1864 German ### Prussia takes over 1864: Denmark loses the war against Prussia. After 580 years, Flensburg becomes Prussian-German. The link to the Danish Caribbean colonies is cut. From now on, rum comes from Jamaica, and Flensburg's craft of refining is applied to Jamaican distillate. The Flensburg rum blend (Rumverschnitt) is born. Of all things, the loss of the Danish connection created what makes Flensburg unmistakable — the rum blend as an independent product category. 5. 1920 Referendum ### The vote: Flensburg stays German — narrowly 1920: Referendum on Schleswig after the First World War. The northern part votes Danish, the southern German. Flensburg: roughly 75% for Germany. Today's border is born — Flensburg lies 7 km south of it. To this day, it is the only major German city with an active Danish minority of its own (schools, libraries, churches). The border runs straight through the identity of the city. And through its rum history. ![Antique-style map of Schleswig showing the 1920 referendum zones — northern zone in red (Danish), southern zone in blue (German)](/assets/journal-1920-referendum-map-B0Dank7A.webp) The 1920 Schleswig referendum drew today’s German-Danish border — Flensburg, just 7 km south, narrowly remained German.Stylised cartographic illustration · Christian V Rum Journal The man behind the name ![Baroque portrait of King Christian V of Denmark and Norway, born 1646 in Flensburg](/assets/journal-christian-v-portrait-wWnZcBSE.webp) ## Christian V — Flensburg child, Danish king Born 15 April 1646 in Flensburg. The first hereditary king of Denmark. Took the throne in 1670 at the age of 24. Granted the Danish West India Company its Caribbean trading privilege in 1671. Issued the Danske Lov in 1683 (the unified Danish code, parts of it still in force today). Died 1699 in Copenhagen — never lived to see the rum boom his policy had set in motion. 1646 Born in Flensburg 1671 Caribbean privilege 1755 First rum voyage 200+ Rum houses at the peak The connection in the glass ## Why this story is in every sip Christian V Rum doesn't carry its name by accident. It is named after the only Danish king born in Flensburg — and the one who set in motion the history that would make Flensburg Europe's rum capital. The rum in the glass is the distilled result of 350 years of trade policy, shifting borders, seafaring and craft. It is Danish in origin, North-German in its making, global in its inspiration — just like the city it comes from. > “Flensburg was for a time the rum capital of Europe — a city that was never quite German and never quite Danish.” Period Character Rum significance 1284–1864 Danish ~580 years Foundation for the Caribbean trade 1646–1699 Christian V — born in Flensburg Starts West India Company in 1671 1755–1864 Danish · golden age Neptunus, 200+ rum houses 1864–today German with Danish minority Flensburg rum blend emerges 1920 Referendum: 75% for Germany Flensburg remains a rum city Christian V Rum is more than a drink. It is a stance — towards origin, towards history, towards what arises when two cultures meet and create a third thing that belongs to neither alone. [Discover Christian V Rum →](/en) ## Continue reading in the Journal Dive deeper with these related stories from our journal: - [The History of Flensburg Rum – From the Caribbean to the Baltic Sea How a small Danish port city became Germany's rum capital: the Neptunus, the Danish West Indies, over 20 rum houses, and 250 years of rum tradition. ](/en/journal/history-of-flensburg-rum) - [Flensburg Between Two Nations – One City, Two Identities How Flensburg switched between Denmark and Germany, why the border region remains bilingual today – and what the lion and eagle in the Christian V crest have to do with it. ](/en/journal/flensburg-german-danish-border-region) Share article [](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=A%20City%20Between%20Two%20Worlds%20%E2%80%94%20CHRISTIAN%20V%20%26%20the%20History%20of%20Flensburg&url=https%3A%2F%2Fchristian-v-rum-legacy.lovable.app%2Fen%2Fjournal%2Fflensburg-history-german-danish-rum "X")[](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fchristian-v-rum-legacy.lovable.app%2Fen%2Fjournal%2Fflensburg-history-german-danish-rum "Facebook")[](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchristian-v-rum-legacy.lovable.app%2Fen%2Fjournal%2Fflensburg-history-german-danish-rum "LinkedIn")[](https://wa.me/?text=A%20City%20Between%20Two%20Worlds%20%E2%80%94%20CHRISTIAN%20V%20%26%20the%20History%20of%20Flensburg%20https%3A%2F%2Fchristian-v-rum-legacy.lovable.app%2Fen%2Fjournal%2Fflensburg-history-german-danish-rum "WhatsApp")[](mailto:?subject=A%20City%20Between%20Two%20Worlds%20%E2%80%94%20CHRISTIAN%20V%20%26%20the%20History%20of%20Flensburg&body=A%20City%20Between%20Two%20Worlds%20%E2%80%94%20CHRISTIAN%20V%20%26%20the%20History%20of%20Flensburg%0A%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fchristian-v-rum-legacy.lovable.app%2Fen%2Fjournal%2Fflensburg-history-german-danish-rum "E-Mail") [ ![Christian V Rum](/assets/label-illustration-Cyp6PahL.webp) In the glass ### Christian V – Flensburg Rum Triple distilled in Angeln, three years in sherry oak at the Flensburg harbour. 0.5 l · 42 % vol · 49.90 € View in the shop ](/en#shop) More Stories [ ![Premium rum in a crystal glass with antique pot still and oak casks – still life](/assets/journal-rum-legenden-KcsJ99xt.webp) History ### Legends of Rum – The Personalities and Brands That Shaped a Spirit ](/en/journal/famous-rum-personalities-and-brands)[ ![Classic rum cocktails – daiquiri, mojito, dark and stormy and a glass of neat premium rum](/assets/journal-rum-cocktails-BWZtgJom.webp) Lifestyle ### The Most Famous Rum Cocktails in the World – and How to Enjoy Premium Rum Neat ](/en/journal/famous-rum-cocktails-and-neat-tasting) [Christian V](/en) Long Live the King [About the Rum](/en)[Journal](/en/journal)[FAQ](/en/faq)[Shop](/en#shop) Distilled & bottled in Flensburg, Germany © 2026 Christian V Rum. 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