Svendborg () is a town on the island of Funen in south-central Denmark, and the seat of Svendborg Municipality. With a population of 27,300 (1 January 2022), 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 ( da, Danmarks Statistik) is a Danish governmental organization under the Ministry of the Interior and Housing and which reports to the Minister of Economic and Internal Affairs. The organization is responsible for creating st ...

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 southwest of Copenhagen, 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. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...

, south of Odense, and 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 (), also known simply as Maersk (), is a Danish Freight transport, shipping company, active in ocean and inland freight transportation and associated services, such as supply chain management and Port operator, port operation. Maersk was the l ...

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 Valdemar (28 June 1170 – 28 March 1241), later remembered as Valdemar the Victorious (), was the King of Denmark (being Valdemar II) from 1202 until his death in 1241. Background He was the second son of King Valdemar I of Denmark and Sophi ...

, 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 Christ Church Greyfriars, also known as Christ Church Newgate Street, was a church in Newgate Street, opposite St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London. Established as a monastic church in the thirteenth century, it became a parish church af ...

in Svendborg was established. The

Greyfriars Greyfriars, Grayfriars or Gray Friars is a term for Franciscan Order of Friars Minor, in particular, the Conventual Franciscans. The term often refers to buildings or districts formerly associated with the order. Former Friaries * Greyfriars, Be ...

would be part of the city for the next 300 years, until the Protestant reformation 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 market town privileges by King Christopher I. 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 ("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 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. 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 This is a list of wars involving the Kingdom of Sweden. There are legendary accounts of Swedish kings well into prehistory and they are mentioned by Tacitus in his '' Germania'', but St. Olof Skötkonung (995–1022) was the first ruler docume ...

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 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. 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. 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 professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...

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 Copenhagen, south of Odense, southeast of Middelfart, and south-southeast of Faaborg. The Port of Svendborg is accessed by several channels, feeding through the islands of Tåsinge 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. 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 container ship company in the world,

has its origins in Svendborg, in the "Villa Anna". The company remained in the hands of Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller until his death in 2012 at the age of 98. The

Mac Baren The Mac Baren Tobacco Company, formerly Harald Halberg, Tobaks- og Cigarfabrik, is a Danish manufacturer of tobacco products. The company manufactures a range of pipe tobaccos, rolling tobaccos and smokeless tobaccos in their factory in Svendborg. ...

tobacco 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 Hvide's House ( da, Anne Hvides Gård) is a two-storey, half-timbered building in Svendborg on the Danish island of Funen. One of the oldest houses in the town, it was built in 1560 by Anne Hvide, a widow of noble descent. It was used as an in ...

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

Hesselagergård Hesselagergård (or Hesselager Manor), located near Gudme in the southeast of the Danish island Funen, is the oldest Renaissance building in Denmark. It was built by Johan Friis, one of the most powerful men in Denmark during the reigns of Christia ...

, a historic manor to the north of Svendborg.

Education

A branch of University College Lillebaelt ( da, University College Lillebælt) can be found in Svendborg. Svendborg is also the home of

Svendborg Gymnasium Svendborg Gymnasium & HF is one of the largest Upper Secondary Schools in Denmark with 1,000 students and 100 teachers. The school has two academically oriented general upper secondary programmes: * the 3-year Upper Secondary School Leaving Exam ...

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 Hans Gaas ( c.1500 – 17 September 1578) was a Danish-Norwegian clergyman. He was Bishop of the Diocese of Nidaros in the aftermath of the introduction of Lutheranism into Norway. Gaas was born in Svendborg on the island of Funen in Denmark. ...

( 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 (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 (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 Leif Bjørnø (30 March 1937 – 24 October 2015) was born on 30 March 1937 in Svendborg, Denmark. Son of Svend Aage Valdemar and Elna Marie Jensen. Leif Bjørnø, professor and well known acoustician. Named Knight of the Order of Dannebrog, He ...

(1937 in Svendborg – 2015) professor and well known acoustician * Inge Prytz Johnson (born 1945 in Svendborg) a lawyer, Senior United States District Judge *

Jesper Lützen Jesper Lützen (born 8 October 1951 in Svendborg) is a Danish historian of mathematics and the physical sciences. Biography Lützen graduated in mathematics (with a minor in physics) in 1976 from Aarhus University, where he also earned his PhD in ...

(born 1951 in Svendborg) an historian of mathematics and the physical sciences * Annette Vilhelmsen (born 1959 in Svendborg) a politician, member of Folketing 2011-2015 *

Rune Bech Rune Bech (born 26 June 1966, in Denmark) is a serial digital entrepreneur living between Britain and Denmark, and a former foreign correspondent, broadcast journalist and television executive. In 1998 he was one of the early internet pioneers i ...

(born 1966) Danish journalist turned digital entrepreneur, lives in Svendborg *

Inger Klein Thorhauge Inger Klein Thorhauge is a Faroese cruise ship captain for Cunard Lines. When she was named Captain of MS ''Queen Victoria'' in 2010, she became the first female Captain in the history of the cruise line. She has since become Captain of MS ''Quee ...

(born 1970) a Faroese cruise ship captain for Cunard Lines, lives in Svendborg. *

Trine Bramsen Trine Bramsen (born 26 March 1981 in Svendborg) is a Danish politician of the Social Democrats, who has been a member of the Folketing since 2011. She served as minister of transport from February to December 2022, and minister of defence from 201 ...

(born 1981 in Svendborg) a Danish politician and Government minister

The Arts

* Elisabeth Meyer (1859 in Svendborg - 1927) a Danish composer * Johannes Jørgensen (1866 in Svendborg – 1956) a writer of biographies of Catholic saints, nominated for the

Nobel Prize in Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

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

silent era A silent film is a film with no 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 *

Kai Nielsen Kai Nielsen is the name of: * Kai Nielsen (footballer) * Kaj Nielsen (footballer) * Kai Nielsen (sculptor) (1882–1924), Danish sculptor * Kai Nielsen (philosopher) (1926–2021), American, Canada-based professor of philosophy * Sixten Kai Niel ...

(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 * Zindy Laursen (born 1970 in Svendborg) a Danish American singer, songwriter and actress *

Maren Louise Käehne Maren Louise Käehne (born 7 November 1976) is a Danish screenwriter. Käehne was born in Svendborg, Denmark and graduated from the Danish Film School in 2009. She has written various episodes of the acclaimed Danish dramas ''Borgen'' and ''The B ...

(born 1976 in Svendborg) screenwriter of episodes of '' Borgen'' and ''

The Bridge The Bridge may refer to: Art, entertainment and media Art * ''The Bridge'' (sculpture), a 1997 sculpture in Atlanta, Georgia, US * Die Brücke (''The Bridge''), a group of German expressionist artists * ''The Bridge'' (M. C. Escher), a lithograph ...

'' * Johnson (rapper) (born 1979 in Svendborg) stage name of ''Marc Kwabena Johnson'', a Danish rapper *

UFO (musician) Kristian Humaidan (born 1981, Svendborg, Denmark), better known by his stage name UFO, is a Danish singer, rapper and hip hop artist. He was part of the rap duo UFO Yepha before splitting-up and going solo. With the split, UFO is noticeably b ...

(born 1981 in Svendborg) stage name of ''Kristian Humaidan'', a Danish rapper *

Sarah-Sofie Boussnina Sarah-Sofie Boussnina (born 28 December 1990) is a Danish actress, best known to international audiences for the TV series '' The Bridge'' and ''1864'' (2014). Career In 2018, Boussnina appeared as Martha in Helen Edmundson's film ''Mary Magdale ...

(born 1990 in Svendborg) a Danish actress IMDb Database
retrieved 13 May 2020 *

UFO & Yepha UFO Yepha is a famous Danish music duo made up of Kristian Humaidan (born in 1981) known by his stage name UFO and Jeppe Bruun Wahlstrøm (born in 1983) known by his stage name Yepha. The duo was from Svendborg, then Aarhus finally moving to ...

(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 ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, be ...

Per Rasmussen Per Rasmussen (born 2 February 1959 in Svendborg Svendborg () is a town on the island of Funen in south-central Denmark, and the seat of Svendborg Municipality. With a population of 27,300 (1 January 2022), Svendborg is Funen's second la ...

(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 also 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 secon ...

* 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 professional association football club based in Brøndbyvester, Capital Region of Denmark. The club was founded in 1964 as a merger between two local clubs and was p ...

Thomas Augustinussen Thomas Augustinussen (born March 20, 1981) is a retired Danish professional footballer. He began his career as a striker, but moved gradually into the holding midfielder position. He made his senior debut with AaB, with whom he played 420 games ...

(born 1981 in Svendborg) a retired footballer, 350 caps for AaB *

Christian Holst Christian Lamhauge Holst (born 25 December 1981) is a retired Danish/ Faroese football player and is currently working as specific coach at BK Frem. He played for the Faroe Islands national football team. Club career A striker, Holst started hi ...

(born 1981 in Svendborg) a retired Danish/Faroese football player, over 340 team caps and 50 for the Faroes

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