Great Belt

On February 9, 1658, the Swedish king Charles X Gustav , having captured almost all of mainland Denmark by that time, crossed the Small Belt on the island of Brandse with his army (3,000 cavalrymen and 9,000 foot soldiers). Having defeated the Danish detachment besieging them at the very exit to the island of Funen, the Swedes captured this island in a few days. Success prompted Karl to cross over and Greater Belt to capture the island of Zealand. After examining the state of ice, the Swedes chose a farther, but less dangerous route through the islands of Tasinge, Lange Land, Laland and Falster; On February 16, they took possession of Laland, on the 19th - Falster and on the 22nd - Zealand. This passage through both Belts forced Denmark to conclude a peace treaty on March 8, 1658, according to which to abandon all of its possessions on the northern side of the Sound and give Sweden the island of Bornholm ^[1] .

Greater Belt is the largest of the three Danish straits that connect Kattegat and the Baltic Sea . The length of the strait is about 60 kilometers, the width is 18 - 30 kilometers. smallest width of 3.7 kilometers. A ship channel of more than 20 meters deep passes through the strait, which is the most important sea route to the Baltic Sea.

The other two straits are Öresund and Lesser Belt .

There are two islands in the strait: Sprogo in the north and Langeland in the south. Directly divides the Great Belt into the East and West canals. Through them is built a two-part Big Belt Bridge . There is also a railway tunnel under the Eastern Canal.

• Belt // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.