port and seaside resort, Denmark, lying on both sides of the narrow Als Sound. It was founded in the mid-13th century around Sønderborg Castle and chartered in 1461. King Christian II was a prisoner at the castle 1532–49. The city was razed in 1864 during a Prussian assault on Danish trenches near Dybbøl. Dybbøl Mill, site of heroic Danish resistance, became a symbol of national unity. Sønderborg passed to Germany and, as a part of the North Slesvig region, was restored to Denmark by a plebiscite in 1920. Sønderborg Castle now houses a museum. The city's chief products are electronics and agricultural machinery. Pop. (2008 est.) city, 27,286; mun., 76,459.