Ærø () is one of the Danish

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

islands, and part of the Southern Denmark Region. Since 1 January 2006 the whole of Ærø has constituted a single

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

, known as Ærø Kommune. Before that date, there were two municipalities on the island: Ærøskøbing Kommune in the west and Marstal Kommune in the east. This merger was part of a reform of the public sector with the laws being effective as of 26 June 2005. This merger was allowed to happen one year before the other municipalities merged as there had already been an island-wide referendum with a majority of voters for the merger.

Geography

* Population (in 2020): 5,956 (island of Ærø only);5,964 (municipality). * Area: 88 km² (island); 91 km² (municipality) * Length of coastline: Ærø measures roughly 20 km from northwest to southeast and varies in width from around 4 to 8 km. There are three small towns on the island in 2020: the largest is

Marstal Marstal () is a town in southern Denmark, located in Ærø Municipality on the island of Ærø. Marstal has a population of 2,120 (1 January 2022)Ærøskøbing Ærøskøbing () is a town in central Denmark, located in Ærø Municipality on the island of Ærø. The suffix - købing means a trade town in the languages that derive from Old Norse. Ærøskøbing's houses and streets are delicately restored ...

has 942 inhabitants and Søby 438. Fourteen villages and a number of farms complete the island's pattern of settlement. Ærøskøbing, with its narrow lanes and picturesque 18th-century houses was historically Ærø's chief town, and remains the primary port for ferry connections. Marstal, also known as the "skipper village", from its being the home of so many sailors and captains, is the island's largest town today and is its principal commercial and shopping centre. The countryside is for the most part gently undulating, and there is a several-kilometre-long stretch of 33-metre-high cliffs at Voderup Klint on the west coast. With its generally low traffic density, Ærø is a popular destination for

hikers Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histo ...

and

cyclists Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

. The island's beaches also attract anglers and

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

s. As one of the islands making up the South Funen Archipelago, Ærø is favoured by particularly fine weather. It enjoys a higher number of sunshine hours than the average for the rest of Denmark, and the year-round temperature is also a few degrees above the national average. At Olde Mølle, at one of Ærø's highest points and near the centre of the island, the

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

Erik Brandt has created a "peace bench", conceived with the intention of providing people with an opportunity to survey the island and its surrounding sea, whilst pondering on the theme of world peace.

History

Archaeological excavation In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

s provide evidence of settlements going back to before 8000 BC. There are some

burial mound Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

s on the island, as well as an old

Ting Ting may refer to: Politics and government * Thing (assembly) or ting, a historical Scandinavian governing assembly * Ting (administrative unit) (亭), an administrative unit in China during the Qin and Han Dynasties * Ting (廳,厅), an administ ...

place. Relics of antiquity are found all over the island.

Burial mound Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

s, passage graves, and dolmens bear witness of human activity through more than 10,000 years. As for its more recent history, the period of the duchies is of special interest. During this period — from the 14th century to the year 1864 – Ærø was united and separated, alternately, into a number of enclaves. Ærø was outside the tariff wall of the Kingdom, leading to flourishing smuggling which was a way of living for many of Ærø's inhabitants. In 1629 the main town of Ærøskøbing burnt down in a great fire. There was no other disaster of comparable scale. In 1750 the island, previously split into

exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

s of numerous duchies, was united as single administrative district. Until 1864, Ærø was part of the Danish

Duchy of Schleswig The Duchy of Schleswig ( da, Hertugdømmet Slesvig; german: Herzogtum Schleswig; nds, Hartogdom Sleswig; frr, Härtochduum Slaswik) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km ...

– the area of

Schleswig The Duchy of Schleswig ( da, Hertugdømmet Slesvig; german: Herzogtum Schleswig; nds, Hartogdom Sleswig; frr, Härtochduum Slaswik) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km ...

Southern Jutland Southern Jutland ( da, Sønderjylland; German: Südjütland) is the name for the region south of the Kongeå in Jutland, Denmark and north of the Eider (river) in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The region north of the Kongeå is called da, Nør ...

is now divided between Denmark (''Northern Schleswig'') and Germany (''Southern Schleswig''). King

Christian IV Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the longest of Danish monarchs and Scandinavian monar ...

's cousin, also named Christian, was the Duke of Ærø from 1622 to 1633, and lived with his concubine Cathrine Griebels at Gråsten Manor House. When the Duke died, a banner was found at Gråsten composed of nine pieces of cloth and in three colours – body colour, sea green, and golden yellow. This banner has provided the inspiration for the flag of Ærø which is seen today all over the island. When Duke Christian died, Ærø was distributed among four of his brothers, and this offers one explanation of why two towns developed in the island,

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

and later on

Marstal Marstal () is a town in southern Denmark, located in Ærø Municipality on the island of Ærø. Marstal has a population of 2,120 (1 January 2022) The name of Gråsten is still alive today in the farmhouse that stands almost on the same spot as the ducal manor. Gråsten of today offers bed and breakfast accommodation. In 1750, Ærø was united, and has not since been separated. This is marked by the memorial stone at Olde Mølle (English = Ancient mill). At the union, the old '' Code of Jutland'' from 1241 was applied and even today some of those rules are still valid. In recent history, the preservation of the area's local heritage has been paramount among residents. This passion for Ærø was demonstrated in 2000 when the Marstal Maritime School was ordered to close. More than 2,000 islanders (a third of the island) traveled to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan a ...

to protest the closing of the historic school. Ultimately, the government allowed the Maritime School to remain open. File:Marstal-badehus.jpg, Beach hut, Marstal File:Ommel Strandbyen Havn.jpg, Strandbyen harbour, Ommel File:Voderup klint Ærø.jpg, Voderup Klint cliffs

Renewable Energy & Technology

Ærø is endeavouring to become self-sufficient in energy, its initiatives in renewable energy technologies gaining international recognition for the island as one of the world's leaders in this field. Already in 2002, three modern wind turbines had been erected with turbines whose wingtips reach above the ground. making the island around 40% self-sufficient in renewable energy. As of January 2013, the area of the island's large

solar power Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovolta ...

plant was expanded from 18,365 m² to 33,300 m² as a result of an extension under the Sunstone 4 project. Ærø's three

district heating District heating (also known as heat networks or teleheating) is a system for distributing heat generated in a centralized location through a system of insulated pipes for residential and commercial heating requirements such as space heating ...

systems of solar collectors have won international acclaim. With the recent expansion, the system in Marstal is now the world's largest solar collector system for heating. From August 2019, the island has been served by the , an innovative low weight ferry for cars and passengers, powered by green electricity stored by on-board batteries. Built by Søby Værft, the ferry's design is well beyond state-of-the-art in terms of charging power and operating distance. It was partly funded by a €17 million grant through the EU's

Horizon 2020 The Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development, also called Framework Programmes or abbreviated FP1 to FP9, are funding programmes created by the European Union/European Commission to support and foster research in the Europea ...

scheme.

Transport

Ærø is the only island among the larger Danish Baltic Sea islands that is not connected with a bridge, and road traffic is generally low. There are car ferry lines on four routes. Ferries from Fynshav (on

Als Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most comm ...

) and

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 Midd ...

Funen Funen ( da, Fyn, ), with an area of , is the third-largest island of Denmark, after Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy. It is the 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 469,947 as o ...

arrive at

Søby Søby is a Danish surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Egil Søby (born 1945), Norwegian sprint canoeist * Frode Søby (born 1935), Danish chess master * Nina Søby (born 1956), Norwegian former professional racing cyclist * T ...

near Ærø's northwestern tip. Twin ferries M/F Ærøskøbing and M/F Marstal operate on the route from

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 largest city.Ærøskøbing Ærøskøbing () is a town in central Denmark, located in Ærø Municipality on the island of Ærø. The suffix - købing means a trade town in the languages that derive from Old Norse. Ærøskøbing's houses and streets are delicately restored ...

. The route between

Marstal Marstal () is a town in southern Denmark, located in Ærø Municipality on the island of Ærø. Marstal has a population of 2,120 (1 January 2022)Rudkøbing Rudkøbing is a town in Denmark, on the western coast of the island of Langeland. It is the seat of Langeland Municipality, in the Southern Denmark Region. The town is located southeast of Svendborg and is connected to Siø through the Siø ...

Langeland Langeland (, ) is a Danish island located between the Great Belt and Bay of Kiel. The island measures 285 km2 (c. 110 square miles) and, as of 1 January 2018, has a population of 12,446.

was stopped for several years after January 2013 but since 2019 is once again operable using the M / F ÆrøXpressen. Ærø also lies within a popular sailboat area, the

South Funen Archipelago The South Funen Archipelago ( da, Det Sydfynske Øhav) is the popular name for the part of the Baltic Sea south of the ports of Faaborg and Svendborg on the Danish island of Funen. The depth of the sea is typically between 20 and 30 meters. The ...

. Near Marstal there lise the small Ærø Airport with grassed runways. File:MF Marstal.3.JPG, M/F ''Marstal'', 1999-

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 largest city.Søby Søby is a Danish surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Egil Søby (born 1945), Norwegian sprint canoeist * Frode Søby (born 1935), Danish chess master * Nina Søby (born 1956), Norwegian former professional racing cyclist * T ...

Fåborg 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 Mid ...

File:E-ferry Ellen.2.JPG, E-ferry Ellen, 2019-

-Fynshav on the island

File:MF ÆrøXpressen.1.JPG, M/F ÆrøXpressen, 2019-

Notable residents

Anders Arrebo Anders Christensen Arrebo (2 January 1587 in Ærøskøbing – 12 March 1637) was a Danish poet and Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century ...

(1587 in Ærøskøbing – 1637) a Danish poet and Lutheran bishop in the

Diocese of Nidaros Nidaros is a diocese in the Lutheran Church of Norway. It covers Trøndelag county in Central Norway and its cathedral city is Trondheim, which houses the well-known Nidaros Cathedral. Since 10 September 2017, the Bishop of Nidaros is Herborg ...

* Albert Heinrich Riise (1810 in Ærøskøbing – 1882) a Danish pharmacist, merchant, and manufacturer of rum on Saint Thomas in the

Danish West Indies The Danish West Indies ( da, Dansk Vestindien) or Danish Antilles or Danish Virgin Islands were a Danish colony in the Caribbean, consisting of the islands of Saint Thomas with ; Saint John ( da, St. Jan) with ; and Saint Croix with . The ...

* Claus Lauritz Clausen (1820 in Borgnæs – 1892) Lutheran clergyman, organizer of

United Norwegian Lutheran Church of America The United Norwegian Lutheran Church of America (UNLC) was the result of the union in 1890 of the Norwegian Augustana Synod (est. 1870), the Conference of the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (1870), and the Anti-Missourian ...

and missionary to America *

Carl Rasmussen Jens Erik Carl Rasmussen (31 August 1841 – 1 October 1893) was a Danish painter best known for his marine art and scenes of Greenland. Biography Rasmussen was born at Ærøskøbing in Ærø, Denmark. He was the son of Johan Aranth Rasmuss ...

(1841 in Ærøskøbing – 1893) a Danish painter of marine art and scenes of Greenland. * Povla Frijsh (1881 in Ærø - 1960) a Danish classical soprano and voice teacher Povla Frijsh
OxfordIndex, Retrieved 10 July 2017 * Hermann Møller Boye (1913 in Rolpested – 1944) a member of the Danish resistance executed by the German occupying power. * Erik Kromann (born 1946 in Marstal) a Danish author, museum director, and a local politician. *

Carsten Jensen Carsten Jensen (born 24 July 1952, Marstal, Denmark) is a Danish author and political columnist. He first earned recognition as a literary critic for the Copenhagen daily, ''Politiken.'' His novels, including ''I Have Seen the World Begin'' (199 ...

(born 1952 in Marstal) a Danish author and political columnist

Cultural references

*In his 2006 novel '' We, The Drowned'' – an epic tale spanning four generations, nearly one hundred years, and two world wars –

describes the maritime history of

Marstal Marstal () is a town in southern Denmark, located in Ærø Municipality on the island of Ærø. Marstal has a population of 2,120 (1 January 2022)List of islands of Denmark This is a list of islands of Denmark. Overview There are about 406 islands in Denmark, not including the Faroe Islands or Greenland. Some 70 of them are populated while the rest are uninhabited. Some of the uninhabited islands have only become u ...

* The Ærø League