Mindesten ved Jels Kirke

In the northern corner of the cemetery of Jels Church and right next to the square in Jels stands a large memorial stone sheltered by evergreen yew bushes. 

The memorial stone was erected in 1921 and all the names on the stone are of the men from Jels Parish who were killed as German soldiers in World War 1. Because Jels is located south of the Kongeå, which was the border between Denmark and Germany, Jels was part of Germany in the period from 1864 to 1920. The area that we today call Southern Jutland was then called Schleswig. The World War lasted from 1914 to 1918 - and Germany recruited its soldiers throughout the German Reich - despite the fact that some in the peripheral areas felt Danish at heart and with the Danish language. It is expressed in the text around the golden sword at the top of the stone: The Sons of Schleswig fell on foreign soil at a foreign command. The 45 fallen from Jels, who are commemorated on the rest of the stone, participated and fell in a war that they did not want to be a part of. 

The memorial stone for the fallen in Jels was designed by architect Andreas Dall from Flensburg and grew up in Jels. The stone and its installation were financed by voluntary contributions from the local population of Jels.

Distance to the Ancient Road:
Hiking route 0 km
Cycling route 0 km