The Storm Surge Memorial Stone on Varnæsvej
A reminder of the forces of nature
On the night of 12–13 November 1872, Aabenraa was hit by the most severe storm surge ever recorded in the area. After several days of strong winds, the wind suddenly shifted to the northeast and intensified into a hurricane. Enormous volumes of water were pushed back through the Baltic Sea and towards the Danish coasts. In Aabenraa, the water level rose to around 3.38 metres above the normal water level – higher than during any previously recorded storm surge in the fjord.
Image by G. N. Christensen from the book *Stormfloden den 13de November 1872: en samlet Beretning* by Julius Schytte, 1873.
The storm surge on 13 November 1872 at Schiffbrücke in Flensburg. (Flensburg City Archives and the Archives of the Danish Central Library for Southern Schleswig)
A town in devastation
The storm surge changed life along Strandgade within a matter of hours. Two fishermen’s houses were completely destroyed, a smithy was swept away, and both the road and the shoreline disappeared beneath the sea. After the disaster, the houses were rebuilt further up along Strandgade, and a new coastal road had to be constructed. Rebuilding was a major financial burden, but it was made possible with support from both the local municipality and the German Empress.
A disaster that affected thousands
The storm surge affected the entire Baltic Sea region. Along the coasts of Denmark, Germany and Sweden, more than 300 people lost their lives, more than 15,000 people were left homeless, hundreds of ships were wrecked, and fields and livestock were lost. For many families, the storm surge meant the loss of their homes, livelihoods and means of support. The 1872 storm surge therefore remains the most severe storm surge disaster in the modern history of the Baltic Sea.
The photograph taken by Fr. Brandt shows the destruction in Flensburg Harbour in the aftermath of the storm surge.
The image of the storm surge at Sydfalster on 13 November 1872 is from *Illustreret Tidende*, published the same year.
The memorial stone commemorating the 1872 storm surge can be seen on Varnæsvej.
A memorial looking towards the future
The memorial stone reminds us of a disaster that does not belong only to the past. During the storm surge in October 2023, a water level of 2.16 metres above the normal water level was measured in Aabenraa – the highest since the beginning of the 20th century, but still more than 1.2 metres lower than during the 1872 storm surge. Standing by the stone today, you can imagine the sea reaching almost one and a half metres higher than during the 2023 storm surge. The stone is therefore both a historical memorial and a reminder that the forces of nature continue to be part of life along the fjord.
In Denmark, you can find more than 50 memorials and stones erected by local communities to mark the extreme water level reached in 1872.