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 of 2020. Funen's main city is
Odense, which is connected to the sea by a seldom-used
canal
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface f ...
. The city's shipyard,
Odense Steel Shipyard
Odense Steel Shipyard ( da, Odense Staalskibsværft) was a Danish shipyard company located in Odense. It was best known for building container ships for its parent group, A.P. Moller – Maersk Group, including the Mærsk E class in 2006 wh ...
, has been relocated outside Odense proper.
Funen belongs administratively to the
Region of Southern Denmark. From 1970 to 2006 the island formed the biggest part of
Funen County, which also included the islands of
Langeland,
Ærø,
Tåsinge, and a number of smaller islands.
Funen is linked to Zealand, Denmark's largest island, by the
Great Belt Bridge, which carries both trains and cars. The bridge is in reality three bridges; low road and rail bridges connect Funen to the small island of
Sprogø in the middle of the
Great Belt, and a long road
suspension bridge (the second longest in the world at the time of opening) connects Funen the rest of the way to Zealand, paralleled by a rail tunnel.
Two bridges connect Funen to the Danish mainland,
Jutland
Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...
. The
Old Little Belt Bridge was constructed in the 1930s shortly before World War II for both cars and trains. The
New Little Belt Bridge, a suspension bridge, was constructed in the 1970s and is used for cars only.
Apart from the main city, Odense, all major towns are located in coastal areas. Beginning in the north-east of the island and moving clockwise, they are
Kerteminde (NE),
Nyborg (E),
Svendborg (S),
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 ...
(SW),
Assens (W),
Middelfart (NW) and
Bogense (N).
The populations of the major cities and towns are, as of 1 January 2018:
*
Odense: 178,210
*
Svendborg: 27,324
*
Nyborg: 17,164
*
Middelfart: 15,246
*
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 ...
: 7,065
*
Assens: 6,209
*
Kerteminde: 5,914
*
Ringe: 5,912
*
Otterup
Otterup is a town in central Denmark, located in Nordfyn municipality on the island of Funen with a population of 5,269 (1 January 2022). Between 1889 and 1994 the Schultz & Larsen rifle factory was working from this small town.
Notable peop ...
: 5,227
*
Bogense: 3,891
Funen was the birthplace of
Hans Christian Andersen, the composer
Carl Nielsen,
American War of Independence
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
combatant
Christian Febiger
Hans Christian Febiger (or Fibiger) (October 19, 1749, in Fåborg, Denmark-Norway – September 20, 1796, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was an American Revolutionary War commander, confidant of General George Washington, and original memb ...
, pop singer
MØ
Karen Marie Aagaard Ørsted Andersen (; born 13 August 1988), known professionally as MØ (), is a Danish singer and songwriter. She signed a recording contract with Sony Music Entertainment in 2012, releasing her debut extended play, '' Bikin ...
and international footballer
Christian Eriksen.
The highest natural point on Funen is
Frøbjerg Bavnehøj.
Politics
Funen (Folketing constituency)
Viking Age
In 2018, at the highest point in Funen, known as
Munkebo Bakke, the archaeologists have found a giant Viking hall that dates back more than 1.000 years, to around 825 – 1.000 CE.
According to the Funen museum experts, this Viking hall is bigger than anything found on Funen before.
Galgedil is a Viking Age cemetery located in the northern part of Funen. Excavations at the local site revealed 54 graves containing 59 inhumations and 2 cremation burials.
See also
*
Broholm
Broholm is an estate and manor house in the parish of Gudme, some northeast of Svendborg, on the Danish island of Funen. The private estate has 591 ha, 168 ha being arable, 395 ha being forest and 28 ha in meadows. There are ten rental proper ...
*
Den Selvforsynende Landsby
*
Egeskov Castle
*
Fynske Livregiment
*
Horne Church
Horne Church ( da, Horne Kirke) was established in the Late Middle Ages on the southwest part of the island of Funen, Denmark. This church, founded as a Catholic place of worship, is situated in the village of Horne. The church no longer serves ...
*
Hvedholm Castle
*
Korshavn, Denmark
Korshavn Bay is a bay of northeastern 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 ...
*
Skrøbelev Gods
*
The Funen Village an open-air museum.
*
Funen brachteate in the collections of the National Museum of Denmark.
References
External links
Official tourist information site for Funen
{{Authority control
Islands of Denmark
Region of Southern Denmark