Fehmarn Belt (German pronunciation) (Danish: Femern Bælt, former spelling Femer Bælt; Low German: Femernbelt) is a strait connecting the Bay of Kiel and the Bay of Mecklenburg in the western part of the Baltic Sea between the German island of Fehmarn and the Danish island of Lolland. Ferries operated by Scandlines connect Puttgarden and Rødby on the two islands.

Fehmarn Belt
The Fehmarn Belt. The German island of Fehmarn is located to the south and the Danish island of Lolland to the north
Fehmarn Belt is located in Germany
Fehmarn Belt
Fehmarn Belt
Coordinates54°34′N 11°17′E / 54.567°N 11.283°E / 54.567; 11.283
Typestrait
Basin countriesGermany
Denmark
Max. length25 km (16 mi)
Min. width18.6 km (11.6 mi)
Max. depth30 m (98 ft)
Location of the ferry route.

The strait features an 18-kilometre-wide (11 mi) wide area with depths of 20–30 metres (66–98 ft). Currents in the strait are weak and mostly dependent on wind.

Swimming

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It was initially swum across by Christof Wandratsch.[1]

Tunnel

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The Danish and German governments agreed on 29 June 2007 to build a fixed link to replace the ferry route. It is to save an hour on crossing the strait, and provide more crossing capacity.

In 2011, the Danish parliament voted overwhelmingly (with seven of eight parties supporting) for the €5.1 billion project that was intended to open in 2020.[2] The tunnel is to have three separate bores, two containing two motorway lanes each, and one with a double-track railway line.[2] Construction started on 1 January 2021.[3]

Famous shipwrecks

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The Daily News of Open Water Swimming: Bruno Baumgartner Busts Fehmarn Belt Record". dailynews.openwaterswimming.com. Archived from the original on 8 September 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Dänemark baut Supertunnel nach Deutschland". Der Spiegel, online edition (in German). 1 February 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  3. ^ "Nu starter anlægsarbejdet på Femern Bælt-forbindelsen".