Schleswig-Holstein is one of the 16 federal states of Germany’, that country’s northernmost. It is located between the North and Baltic Seas.

Capital city: Kiel.

Annexation: Control over the area has been disputed until at least the 20th century, and the state and its culture are deeply intertwined with that of Denmark. Following the Austro-Prussian War in 1866, which ended in Austrian defeat, the largely German-speaking duchies of Schleswig and Holstein were annexed by decree of the King of Prussia on 12 January 1867. The province was created in 1868, and it incorporated the Duchy of Lauenburg from 1876 onward.