Town in Southern Denmark, Denmark
Svendborg
(
Danish:
[?sven?p??]
ⓘ
) is a town on the island of
Funen
in south-central
Denmark
, and the seat of
Svendborg Municipality
. With a population of 27,594 (1 January 2023), Svendborg is Funen's second largest city.
[1]
In 2000 Svendborg was declared "Town of the year" in Denmark, and in 2003 it celebrated its 750th anniversary as a
market town
. By road, Svendborg is located 195 kilometres (121 mi) southwest of
Copenhagen
, 183 kilometres (114 mi) south of
Aarhus
, 44.2 kilometres (27.5 mi) south of
Odense
, and 28.5 kilometres (17.7 mi) east of
Faaborg
.
Svendborg is home to "Danmarks Forsorgsmuseum" social history museum and "Naturama" natural history museum. The latter holds a wide variety of
taxidermy
from whales and bears to birds and Foxes.
The largest
container ship
company in the world,
A.P. Møller-Mærsk
has its origins in Svendborg, in the "Villa Anna".
[3]
History
[
edit
]
Anne Hvides Gaard
(
c.
1560) is Svendborg's oldest residential building, now Svendborg Museum
Early history
[
edit
]
In the light of archaeological discoveries, Svendborg appears to have been established in the first half of the 12th century or even earlier.
[4]
Located at the head of a bay, the natural harbour encouraged seafaring and trade.
[5]
The first recorded mention of Svendborg occurred in 1229 in a deed of gift by
Valdemar the Victorious
, where he refers to the fortification as Swinæburgh.
[6]
The name is thought to consist of the elements "svin" meaning "pig" and "borg" meaning "fortification".
[4]
In 1236, the
Greyfriars monastery
in Svendborg was established. The
Greyfriars
would be part of the city for the next 300 years, until the
Protestant reformation
in 1536.
[7]
The ruins of the monastery were partly excavated beside the railway in 2007.
[8]
Middle Ages
[
edit
]
Svendborg Theatre
Svendborgsund Bridge
In 1253, the city was granted
market town
privileges by
King Christopher I
.
[9]
In the
Middle Ages
, the city was fortified with walls and moats. The defense system also included a few of forts. Most historical facts about the medieval defense system, including the locations of fortifications, are disputed, as little archaeological evidence has been generated. In spite of this, it is a popular theory that the three towers in the coat of arms are the three fortifications ("Skattertarnet", "Kyseborg" and a third one unnamed).
[10]
Thanks to its seafarers, in the late Middle Ages Svendborg became one of the most important trading centres in Scandinavia.
[11]
16th and 17th centuries
[
edit
]
During the time of the
Protestant reformation
and the
Count's Feud
in the 1530s, the citizens of Svendborg joined forces with the
King
. Ørkild Castle, located just east of Svendborg, was property of the bishop of
Odense
, who was less than popular among the citizens of the city. The tension resulted in the castle being seized and burned down by an angry mob in collaboration with the King's forces. The King's forces would later, after ending their north-going campaign on Funen, return to pillage and plunder Svendborg.
[12]
After 1536, Svendborg went through a brief period of progress becoming the islands main port. But it would not last for long. In the following 250 years, the city faced various setbacks in its development, such as
plague
, a major fire, and the effects of the
Swedish wars
when Svendborg's ships were destroyed.
[5]
Industrial development
[
edit
]
It was not until the end of the
war with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
and the
Industrial Revolution
in the early 19th century that the city returned to a period of increasing prosperity. The population grew from a mere 1,942 people in 1801 to more than 11,500 in 1901. This development was followed by improvement of the infrastructure, such as rail links with
Odense
,
Faaborg
and
Nyborg
, improvement of the local roads and the establishment of a real harbour suited for extensive trading, since goods could now easily be transported there. In the middle of the 19th century an explosion of industrialization happened, and all kinds of factories, from engineering to breweries were established together with modern gas and water systems.
[5]
In the late 19th century, with industry well established, it was necessary to accommodate the growing population. This led to numerous new schools being founded. Furthermore, a hospital was established in 1871 and expanded in 1891.
[13]
20th century to present
[
edit
]
Svendborg Harbour
The rapid increase in population continued at the beginning of the 20th century as Svendborg developed into an even more important industrial and educational centre. The food and metallurgy sectors became well established. The port prospered with new facilities, including shipyards such as Svendborg Skibsværft which was established in 1907 on an artificial island. On the educational front, a number of maritime and navigational schools were established. The shipyard, which had employed up to 800 in the 1980s finally closed in 2001, some of the facilities being taken over by
Vestas
. In recent years, there has been a marked transition from industry into the service sector, the hospital now being one of the principal employers. Tourism has also prospered, especially for those arriving in pleasure boats.
[5]
The German writer
Bertolt Brecht
spent the first years of his exile from Nazi Germany in Svendborg. The town provided the title of a collection of Brecht's poems "Svendborger Gedichte" (Svendborg Poems).
[
citation needed
]
Geography
[
edit
]
Panorama of the coast of Svendborg
Svendborg lies on the south coast of Funen. By road, Svendborg is located 195 kilometres (121 mi) southwest of
Copenhagen
, 44.2 kilometres (27.5 mi) south of
Odense
, 85.8 kilometres (53.3 mi) southeast of
Middelfart
, and 28.5 kilometres (17.7 mi) south-southeast of
Faaborg
.
[14]
The Port of Svendborg is accessed by several channels, feeding through the islands of
Tasinge
and
Thurø
. Svendborg Sund approaches the town from the southwest, along which ferries coming from
Ærøskøbing
pass the smaller islands of
Drejø
,
Hjortø
, and
Skarø
.
[14]
Between Tasinge and Thurø is Thurø Sund, which passes Bregninge forest (Bregninge Skov) on the northeast coast of Tasinge, approaching the port of Svendborg from the south. From the east, between mainland Funen and the island of Thurø, is the narrow Skarupøre Sund.
[14]
To the west of Svendborg are several lakes, including Sørup Lake (Sørup Sø), 3.8 kilometres (2.4 mi) northwest of the centre, and Hvidkilde Lake (Hvidkilde Sø), 5.8 kilometres (3.6 mi) northwest of the centre of Svendborg.
[14]
Several forested areas lie to the north-northwest of Svendborg, including Græsholmene, Løvehave, and Ravnebjerg Skov.
[14]
Economy
[
edit
]
The largest
container ship
company in the world,
A.P. Møller-Mærsk
has its origins in Svendborg, in the "Villa Anna".
[3]
The company remained in the hands of
Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller
until his death in 2012 at the age of 98.
[15]
The
Mac Baren
tobacco
factory was established in Svendborg in 1887,
[16]
under the name
Harald Halberg Tobaks and Cigarfabrik.
[17]
The company was renamed the
Mac Baren Tobacco Company
in 1995.
[16]
[17]
The company employs 140 people, and exports
tobacco products
to 70 countries.
[18]
Landmarks
[
edit
]
Vor Frue Kirke
Vor Frue Kirke (Church of Our Lady) located on a hill north of the market square was established in the 13th century but was enlarged in the late Middle Ages with a
Gothic
chancel, transepts and tower. A spire was added in 1768. The oldest section is the red-brick,
Romanesque
nave. Today the church reflects the comprehensive restoration work undertaken by Ove Petersen in 1884. The altar, pulpit and other artefacts date from the 17th century.
[19]
[20]
Naturama
Anne Hvide's House
(
Anne Hvides Gard
), a two-storey, half-timbered building, is one of Svendborg's oldest houses. Anne Hvide, a widow of noble descent, had it built in 1560. It was used as an inn from 1837 to 1867. After being restored, it became the town museum in 1916. It still belongs to Svenborg Museum who use it for exhibitions on the history of Svendborg during the summer months.
[21]
Naturama, established in April 2005, is a
natural history museum
enhanced by means of various technological support features including light and sound, film, and expedition scenarios. It has a large collection of stuffed animals and birds in natural surroundings.
[22]
[23]
A recent addition has been an exhibition depicting the world of spiders.
[24]
Svendborg contains a branch of the
Odense University Hospital
, Odense Universitetshospital - Svendborg Sygehus. It also contains the Svendborg Museum.
Attractions close to Svendborg include
Egeskov
, the best preserved
Renaissance
water castle in Europe,
[25]
Valdemar's Castle
on the nearby island of
Tasinge
,
[26]
and
Hesselagergard
, a historic manor to the north of Svendborg.
[27]
Education
[
edit
]
A branch of
UCL University College
(
Danish
:
UCL Erhvervsakademi og Professionshøjskole
) can be found in Svendborg. Svendborg is also the home of
Svendborg Gymnasium
which is one of the larger upper secondary schools in Denmark with more than 1,000 students and around 100 teachers. Furthermore, it also has Svendborg Erhvervsskole, which is the largest educational institute in Southern Funen.
Notable people
[
edit
]
Leif Bjorno, 2014
The Arts
[
edit
]
Kai Nielsen, 1915
Thomas Augustinussen, 2010
Sport
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for
Svendborg
.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Svendborg
.
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Frederiksberg
,
Albertslund
,
Brøndby
,
Gentofte
,
Gladsaxe
,
Glostrup
,
Herlev
,
Hvidovre
,
Lyngby-Taarbæk
,
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,
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and
Vallensbæk
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Greve Strand
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