Norderstraße 40-44
The house and yard at Norderstraße 40-44, which today form a single unit, have played an important role in Flensburg's shipping history. The formerly four properties with running numbers 300-303 were owned by different skippers and ship craftsmen through the years, since the 16th and 17th centuries. For example, plot no. 302 belonged to the well-known Flensburg skipper Andreas Jordt between 1739 and 1782. His son, Hans Jordt (1737-1827), who grew up here and later became a skipper and elder of the Flensburg skipper's merchant (Schiffergelag), left us with an extensive and very valuable collection of maps.
The ship carpenter Peter Clausen lived on plot no. 301; he ran a ship’s-mast-making business here. The factory had direct access to the harbour via its courtyard in the back, and thus to the ships that landed here for repairs. Aptly, the long logs needed for the constructions could be landed by ship and logged through the courtyard, which was open to the harbour at the time. From there they could be transported directly to the hangers in the workshop area by a short route, and after completion they would be brought back to the ships in need of repair, just as quickly. In 1790, Peter Clausen’s neighbour, merchant Jürgen Andresen, bought up plot no. 301 and combined it with his own plot no. 300, which had also previously belonged to a skipper for a time, in order to form a merchant's estate.
Segelmacherstraße (Sailmaker's Street) adjoins the yard. It is a reminder of a maritime craft that was also practised here for centuries. The sails were the ship's engine and wings of their time. They enabled ships to use the power of wind to transport large loads over long distances that were insurmountable by land. The bulbous cutting of a sail that could hold the wind forces optimally, was an art that required a lot of experience. With good sails and advanced rigging, it was even possible to cross against the wind! However, sewing the sails was demanding work. When hemming the sails with the tension-absorbing bolt ropes and leeches, the coarse needles had to be pressed through the heavy cloth with the help of the sailmaker's glove - stitch by stitch.
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