Fanø () is a Danish island in the North Sea off the coast of southwestern Denmark, and is the very northernmost of the Danish Wadden Sea Islands. Fanø municipality is the municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') that covers the island and its seat is the town of Nordby.

Island

Fanø is separated from the mainland by the Wadden Sea over a span of approximately ., in the north at the closest point to the mainland 1.24 km. The island is long and wide, and it is located off the coast from the city of Esbjerg to which it is connected by ferry. The ferry ride takes 12 minutes. A variety of environments are to be found on Fanø. Not surprisingly, a very common one is sand. The island's whole western shore is one long beach. The island's northwestern corner is a vast sandbank called "Søren Jessens Sand". Søren Jessen was an entrepreneur and captain from Hjerting, today the westernmost suburb of Esbjerg and the bank is named after him because his ship, the "Anne Catriane", stranded here in 1712. The vegetation on Fanø is mainly heath and small pine trees, never growing tall because of the predominant strong westerly winds from the North Sea. DK Fanoe Nordy Museumofshipping

Fanø relies heavily on tourism and is visited by some 30,000 people each summer. The main attraction is the fine white sand beach, which is also a popular playground for all kinds of wind and water sports, such as kite flying, surfing and buggies. Long before paved roads, the beach - being long, straight and quite firm - hosted a yearly motorcycle and car racing event from 1919 and until 1923, where a tragic accident killed a local boy and put a stop to further events. Today is possible to drive your own car on the beach all the way from Sønderho to Fanø Vesterhavsbad. A public bus service is also operated on the beach. 1 January 2018 the municipality took over the responsibilities of public mass transit on the island from the Region of Southern Denmark. Also unique is the

Wadden Sea The Wadden Sea ( nl, Waddenzee ; german: Wattenmeer; nds, Wattensee or ; da, Vadehavet; fy, Waadsee, longname=yes; frr, di Heef) is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern conti ...

with seals and migrating birds, as well as the two sailor towns Nordby and Sønderho with their maritime history, once among the most wealthy and influential in Denmark, and their vernacular architecture consisting of thatched-roof houses all oriented west–east, again because of the westerly winds. During World War II, Fanø was part of the

Atlantic Wall The Atlantic Wall (german: link=no, Atlantikwall) was an extensive system of coastal defences and fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the coast of continental Europe and Scandinavia as a defence against an anticip ...

and the remains of the 300

bunkers A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs, artillery, or other attacks. Bunkers are almost always underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground. T ...

built by the Nazis can still be spotted along the coast line. A number of animals that are otherwise common in Denmark, such as vipers, squirrels, moles and badgers, are nonexistent on the island, whereas foxes, hedgehogs, roebucks, hares and especially rabbits exist in abundance. Fanø is known as a place of summer vacation homes for the well-to-do, and has maintained its population number in contrast to other small islands in Denmark.

Politics

Fanø's municipal council consists of 11 members, elected every four years.

Municipal council

Below are the municipal councils elected since the Municipal Reform of 2007.

Notable people

* Henriette Nielsen (1815–1900), Danish author and playwright. She used local costumes from Fanø. *

Ann Forrest Ann Forrest (known also by her birth name Anna Kromann and as Ann Kroman or Ann Kornan; 14 April 1895 – 25 October 1985) was a Danish-born American actress of Hollywood's silent films. Biography Forrest was born 14 April 1895 in Sønderho ...

(1895–1985), Danish-born American actress. Born in Sønderho. *

Lilian Brøgger Lilian Brøgger ( Brinch; born 1950) is a Danish illustrator known for illustrating children's books. Biography Born on 27 January 1950 in Nordby on the Danish island of Fanø, Brøgger was brought up in Copenhagen where she studied at the Danis ...

(born 1950), Danish illustrator. The first student to graduate as an illustrator from the Danish Design School in 1972. Born in Nordby. * Thomas Sneum (1917–2007), Naval pilot who helped deliver vital photographs of a Nazi radar installation on Fanø to British authorities by using a fragile and risky biplane. Born in Sønderho. * Tove Birkelund (1928=1986), historical geologist *

Eva Louise Buus Eva Louise Buus (born 1979) is a Danish artist. A graduate of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, she has exhibited in Denmark, Germany and Greenland. Her landscapes are principally concerned with the effects of light and darkness on the appeara ...

(born 1979), Danish artist. In 2015, she exhibited works in Fanø Museum. *

Jacob Bymar Jacob Dalsgaard Bymar (born 29 March 1982) is a Danish footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Ca ...

(born 1982), Danish footballer currently playing for B68. Born in Nordby.

Municipality

The municipality is in Region of Southern Denmark, and covers an area of . It has a total population of 3,404 (1 January 2019). Its mayor is Sofie Valbjørn. She is a member of The Alternative political party. The main town and the site of its municipal council is the town of Nordby. Other towns include Sønderho, Fanø Vesterhavsbad and Rindby. Fanø Municipality was not merged with any adjacent municipality under the municipal reform of 2007, as it agreed to enter into a "municipal cooperation agreement" with Esbjerg Municipality.

References

* Municipal statistics
NetBorger Kommunefakta
delivered fro
KMD aka Kommunedata (Municipal Data)
* Municipal mergers and neighbors
Eniro new municipalities map
* C.Michael Hogan. 2011
''Wadden Sea''. eds. P.Saundry & C.Cleveland. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment. Washington DC

External links

Municipality's official website

Tourist Information Office
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fano Municipalities of the Region of Southern Denmark Municipalities of Denmark Islands of Denmark