Svendborg () is a town on the island of

Funen Funen (, ), is the third-largest List of islands of Denmark, island of Denmark, after Zealand and North Jutlandic Island, Vendsyssel-Thy, with an area of . It is the List of islands by area, 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in th ...

in south-central

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, and the seat of

Svendborg Municipality Svendborg Municipality () is a ''Municipalities of Denmark, kommune'' in the Region of Southern Denmark on the southeast coast of the island of Funen, as well as on the islands of Drejø, Hjortø, Skarø, Thurø, and Tåsinge off Funen's southeast ...

. With a population of 27,616 (1 January 2025), Svendborg is Funen's second largest city.BY3: Population 1st January by urban areas, area and population density
The Mobile Statbank from

Statistics Denmark Statistics Denmark () is a Danish governmental organization under the Ministry of the Interior and Housing, reporting to the Minister of Economic and Internal Affairs. The organization is responsible for creating statistics on the Danish society ...

In 2000 Svendborg was declared "Town of the year" in Denmark, and in 2003 it celebrated its 750th anniversary as a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

. By road, Svendborg is located southwest of

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, south of

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus municipality, Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and app ...

, south of

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (after Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2025, the city proper had a population of 185,480 while Odense Municipality had a population of 210, ...

, and east of

Faaborg Faaborg or Fåborg () is an old port town located on Faaborg Fjord in Faaborg-Midtfyn municipality on the island of Funen in Denmark. By road, Faaborg is located southwest of Odense, west-northwest of Svendborg, and roughly southeast of Midde ...

. Svendborg is home to "Danmarks Forsorgsmuseum" social history museum and "Naturama" natural history museum. The latter holds a wide variety of

taxidermy Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body by mounting (over an armature) or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study. Animals are often, but not always, portrayed in a lifelike state. The word ''taxidermy'' describes the proces ...

from whales and bears to birds and Foxes. The largest

container ship A container ship (also called boxship or spelled containership) is a cargo ship that carries all of its load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. Container ships are a common means of commercial intermodal ...

company in the world, A.P. Møller-Mærsk has its origins in Svendborg, in the "Villa Anna".

History

Early history

In the light of archaeological discoveries, Svendborg appears to have been established in the first half of the 12th century or even earlier. Located at the head of a bay, the natural harbour encouraged seafaring and trade. 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. The name is thought to consist of the elements "svin" meaning "pig" and "borg" meaning "fortification". 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 The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

in 1536. The ruins of the monastery were partly excavated beside the railway in 2007.

Middle Ages

Svendborgsund Bridge-view towards Taasinge island

In 1253, the city was granted

privileges by King Christopher I. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, 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 ("Skattertårnet", "Kyseborg" and a third one unnamed). Thanks to its seafarers, in the late Middle Ages Svendborg became one of the most important trading centres in Scandinavia.

16th and 17th centuries

During the time of the

and the

Count's Feud The Count's Feud (), sometimes referred to as the Count's War, was a Danish war of succession occurring from 1534 to 1536, which gave rise to the Reformation in Denmark. In the broader international context, it was a part of the European wars of ...

in the 1530s, the citizens of Svendborg joined forces with the

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

. Ørkild Castle, located just east of Svendborg, was property of the bishop of

, 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. 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.

Industrial development

It was not until the end of the war with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

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

and

Nyborg Nyborg is a city in central Denmark, located in Nyborg Municipality on the island of Funen and with a population of 17,990 (2025). It is the easternmost settlement on Funen. By road, it is located 34 km east of Odense, 35 km north of ...

, 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. 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.

20th century to present

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 Vestas Wind Systems A/S is a Danish manufacturer, seller, installer, and servicer of wind turbines that was founded in 1945. The company operates manufacturing plants in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Taiwan, India, Italy, Romania, the Un ...

. 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. The German writer

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

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).

Geography

Svendborg lies on the south coast of Funen. By road, Svendborg is located southwest of

, south of

, southeast of

Middelfart Middelfart is a town in central Denmark, with a population of 16,749 . The town is the municipal seat of Middelfart Municipality on the island of Funen (). Etymology The name Middelfart, first recorded as "Mæthælfar" in Valdemar's Census Book ...

, and south-southeast of

. The Port of Svendborg is accessed by several channels, feeding through the islands of

Tåsinge Tåsinge () is a Danish island immediately south of Funen, opposite and facing Svendborg, divided from Funen by Svendborgsund.See detailed Denmark roadmap in References section. The island covers an area of circa . It is part of the South Funen ...

and Thurø. Svendborg Sund approaches the town from the southwest, along which ferries coming from

Ærøskøbing Ærøskøbing () is a town on the island of Ærø, Denmark. The suffix -købing means a trade town in the languages that derive from Old Norse. Ærøskøbing's houses and streets are delicately restored to retain the character of the olden days ...

pass the smaller islands of Drejø, Hjortø, and

Skarø Skarø () is a Denmark, Danish island south of Funen. The island covers an area of and has 26 inhabitants. It is one of the smallest islands in the South Funen Archipelago. Skarø was historically located within the Parish of Drejø. Today it i ...

. Between Tåsinge and Thurø is Thurø Sund, which passes Bregninge forest (Bregninge Skov) on the northeast coast of Tåsinge, approaching the port of Svendborg from the south. From the east, between mainland Funen and the island of Thurø, is the narrow Skårupøre Sund. To the west of Svendborg are several lakes, including Sørup Lake (Sørup Sø), northwest of the centre, and Hvidkilde Lake (Hvidkilde Sø), northwest of the centre of Svendborg. Several forested areas lie to the north-northwest of Svendborg, including Græsholmene, Løvehave, and Ravnebjerg Skov.

Economy

The largest

company in the world, A.P. Møller-Mærsk has its origins in Svendborg, in the "Villa Anna". The company remained in the hands of

Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Arnold Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller (; 13 July 1913 – 16 April 2012) was a Danish shipping magnate. He was a longtime figure at A.P. Moller–Maersk Group, which was founded by his father. Personal life Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller was born in He ...

until his death in 2012 at the age of 98. The Mac Baren

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

factory was established in Svendborg in 1887, under the name ''Harald Halberg Tobaks and Cigarfabrik.'' The company was renamed the ''Mac Baren Tobacco Company'' in 1995. The company employs 140 people, and exports tobacco products to 70 countries.

Landmarks

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. Naturama Svendborg 8497598374 ec2b1137a9 o

Naturama Svendborg 8497598374 ec2b1137a9 o

Anne Hvide's House (''Anne Hvides Gård''), 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. Naturama, established in April 2005, is a

natural history museum A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history scientific collection, collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, Fungus, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleo ...

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. A recent addition has been an exhibition depicting the world of spiders. 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 The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

water castle in Europe, Valdemar's Castle on the nearby island of

, and Hesselagergård, a historic manor to the north of Svendborg.

Education

A branch of UCL University College () 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

* Hans Gaas ( 1500 in Svendborg – 1578) a Norwegian clergyman and Bishop of

Nidaros Nidaros, Niðarós or Niðaróss () was the medieval name of Trondheim when it was the capital of Norway's first Christian kings. It was named for its position at the mouth (Old Norse: ''óss'') of the River Nid (the present-day Nidelva). Althou ...

Nielsine Nielsen Nielsine Nielsen (10 June 1850 – 8 October 1916) was the first female academic and physician in Denmark. She graduated in 1885 and in 1889 she established her own medical practice and worked as a general practitioner. She was active in the gende ...

(1850 in Svendborg – 1916) the first female academic and physician in Denmark * Christian Klengenberg (1869 in Svendborg – 1931) a whaler and trapper in Point Hope, Alaska *

Arnold Peter Møller Arnold Peter Møller (2 October 1876 – 12 June 1965), better known as A. P. Møller, was a Danish shipping magnate, businessman who was the founder of the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group in 1904. Biography A. P. Møller was the son of captain Pe ...

(1876–1965) a Danish shipping magnate and businessman who founded A.P. Moller-Maersk Group in 1904; lived in Svendborg * Grethe Meyer (1918 in Svendborg – 2008) an architect and designer of cutlery and dinnerware * Leif Bjørnø (1937 in Svendborg – 2015) professor and well known

acoustician Acoustics is a branch of physics that deals with the study of mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including topics such as vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician ...

* Inge Prytz Johnson (born 1945 in Svendborg) a lawyer, Senior

United States District Judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...

* Jesper Lützen (born 1951 in Svendborg) an historian of mathematics and the physical sciences * Annette Vilhelmsen (born 1959 in Svendborg) a politician, member of

Folketing The Folketing ( , ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature (parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark — Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands and Greenland. E ...

2011-2015 *

Rune Bech Rune Bech (born 26 June 1966, in Denmark) is a Danish digital entrepreneur, and a former foreign correspondent, broadcast journalist and television executive. In 1998 he was one of the early internet pioneers in Europe when he co-founded the i ...

(born 1966) Danish journalist turned digital entrepreneur, lives in Svendborg * Inger Klein Thorhauge (born 1970) a Faroese cruise ship captain for Cunard Lines, lives in Svendborg. * Trine Bramsen (born 1981 in Svendborg) a Danish politician and Government minister

The Arts

* Elisabeth Meyer (1859 in Svendborg - 1927) a Danish composer *

Johannes Jørgensen Jens Johannes Jørgensen (6 November 1866, in Svendborg – 29 May 1956) was a Danish writer, best known for his biographies of Catholic saints. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature five times. Early days Johannes Jørgensen was ...

(1866 in Svendborg – 1956) a writer of biographies of Catholic saints, nominated for the

Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...

five times * Alma Hinding (1882–1981) a Danish film actress of the

silent era A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, wh ...

, acted for

Nordisk Film Nordisk Film A/S () is a Danish entertainment company involved in film production and distribution and a subsidiary of Egmont Group. The multimedia entertainment company is also involved in television production, cinemas, computer games and ...

* Kai Nielsen (1882 in Svendborg – 1924) a Danish sculptor *

(1898–1956), a German playwright and poet; lived in Svendborg 1933/1939. * Miskow Makwarth (1905 in Sørup, near Svendborg – 1992) a Danish film actor 1937 to 1976 * Bent Mejding (born 1937 in Svendborg) a Danish actor, stage director and theatre manager * Maren Louise Käehne (born 1976 in Svendborg) screenwriter of episodes of '' Borgen'' and '' The Bridge'' *

Johnson (rapper) Marc Kwabena Johnson (born 1979), better known as Johnson, is a Danish rapper. Previously he was known as NiggerenISlæden (alias N.I.S.). Before his solo career, he was a member of the band B.A.N.G.E.R.S. and J.A.Z. and has collaborated with ...

(born 1979 in Svendborg) stage name of ''Marc Kwabena Johnson'', a Danish rapper * UFO (musician) (born 1981 in Svendborg) stage name of ''Kristian Humaidan'', a Danish rapper * Sarah-Sofie Boussnina (born 1990 in Svendborg) a Danish actress IMDb Database
retrieved 13 May 2020 * UFO & Yepha (active 2002–2011) a Danish hip-hop music duo Thomas Augustinussen

Sport

* Kai Jølver (1889 in Svendborg – 1940) a modern pentathlete, competed at the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 6 July and 22 July 1912. The opening ceremony was he ...

* Per Rasmussen (born 1959 in Svendborg) a rower, team bronze medallist at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

* Troels Bech (born 1966 in Svendborg) a former footballer with 177 caps; sports director for

Brøndby IF Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening (, usually abbreviated to Brøndby IF (), is a Danish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Brøndbyvester. Brøndby IF denotes the professional football section of Brøndbyernes ...

* Thomas Augustinussen (born 1981 in Svendborg) a retired footballer, 350 caps for AaB * Christian Holst (born 1981 in Svendborg) a retired Danish/Faroese football player, over 340 team caps and 50 for the

Faroes The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...

References

External links

Svendborg Municipality
official website {{Authority control Municipal seats of the Region of Southern Denmark Municipal seats of Denmark Cities and towns in the Region of Southern Denmark Svendborg Municipality Populated places in Funen