Assens () is a town with a population of 5,952 (1 January 2025)BY3: Population 1. January by rural and 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 ...

on the west coast of 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 ...

on the eastern side of the

Little Belt The Little Belt (, ) is a strait between the island of Funen and the Jutland Peninsula in Denmark. It is one of the three Danish straits, Danish Straits that drain and connect the Baltic Sea to the Kattegat strait, which drains west to the Nor ...

in 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 ...

. By road, Assens is located southwest 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, ...

, northwest 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 ...

, and 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 ...

. Assens is the municipal seat of Assens Municipality in

Region of Southern Denmark The Region of Southern Denmark (, ; , ; ) is an administrative region of Denmark established on Monday 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform, which abolished the traditional counties ("amter") and set up five larger regions ...

. It was the birthplace of sculptor Jens Adolf Jerichau who married the well-known portraitist Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann; both artists' works are exhibited at the local art museum, Vestfyns Kunstmuseum.

Etymology

In the Danish Census Book from the 13th century, Assens is listed with the name ''Asnæs'', which means a

promontory A promontory is a raised mass of land that projects into a lowland or a body of water (in which case it is a peninsula). Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosive forces that have removed the s ...

overgrown with ash trees.

History

Assens is located on the site of an old ferry landing linking Funen and the south of

Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...

. A bay provided a natural harbour while the Little Belt encouraged trade and transport. It probably became 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 ...

in the 13th century. The ferry, which probably originated 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 ...

, became particularly significant in the 16th century with sizeable cattle exports. The town was hard hit by the Swedish Wars in the 17th century, causing a reduction in trade. It nevertheless continued to be the main ferry link between Jutland and Funen. Prosperity returned at the end of the 18th century, increasing in the 19th century after a new harbour was completed in 1822. However the railway to

in 1865 provided considerable competition but the town suffered above all from the discontinuation of the ferry service after Southern Jutland was lost to the Germans in 1864. At the end of the 19th century, there were few industries in Assens, the main source of income still being trade and crafts. In 1884, however, the railway to Tommerup linked Assens to

and in 1885, the harbour was extended with a new dock. A sugar factory was established, providing over 300 jobs by the end of the century. There was also a marked increase in population. With reunification after the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the ferry to Southern Jutland was reopened and ran until 1972. The sugar factory remained the main source of employment but a number of smaller metal foundries and food companies were established. Like most of Funen's other towns, Assens remained in the shadow of Odense, recording only modest growth. Its population grew only slightly, from around 4,600 in 1901 to 5,800 in 2004.

Economy

Today the town still has a small shipyard, a few metallurgical and chemical factories and the Vestfyen brewery. The sugar factory was closed in 2006. In 2007, the public sector benefited from Assens position as the seat of the new Assens Municipality. Companies headquartered in Assens Municipality include the Carl Hansen & Søn furniture manufacturer in Aarup.

Landmarks

Assens Church (''Vor Frue Kirke'') is the second largest church building on the island of Funen. Built in the 15th century on the site of a former Romanesque church, the red-brick building was comprehensively restored in the 19th century. It bears the influence of north German

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High Middle Ages, High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved f ...

. The tower with its octagonal base and spire is in height. The

altarpiece An altarpiece is a painting or sculpture, including relief, of religious subject matter made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting or sculpture, ...

and

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...

are from the 17th century. Willemoesgården, one of the oldest houses in the town, was the birthplace of Peter Willemoes (1783–1808) who became a celebrity after heroic action in the Battle of Copenhagen. The building is now a museum with exhibits on the history of the town and its seafaring heritage. Assens Marina with 600 berths including a quay for visitors is located next to the local camping facility and sports centre with shops and a restaurant. It is open from May until the end of August.

Notable people

* Peder Lauridsen Kylling (c. 1640 in Assens – 1696) a Danish botanist * Christian Thomsen Carl (1676 in Assens - 1713) a Danish naval officer * Hans Næss (1723 in Næs – 1795) a Danish neoclassical architect of manor houses * Steen Andersen Bille (1751 in Assens – 1833) a Danish naval officer, became an Admiral * Peter Willemoes (1783 in Assens – 1808) a Danish naval officer, said to be of indominitable good cheer, courage and good looks * Hans Brøchner Bruun (1793-1863) merchant and politician, chaired Town Council 1839/1857 * Carl Christian Rafn (1795 in Brahesborg, near Assens – 1864) a historian, translator and antiquarian. * Benny Cederfeld de Simonsen (1865 in Brahesborg, near Assens – 1952) a Danish peace activist. * John Eriksen (1957 in Assens – 2002) a Danish footballer, 479 caps and 17 caps for

The arts

* Jes Bundsen (1766 in Assens – 1829) a Danish landscape painter and etcher * Dankvart Dreyer (1816 in Assens – 1852) a landscape painter of the Copenhagen School * Jens Adolf Jerichau (1816 in Assens – 1883) a sculptor, moved away from

Neoclassicism Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative arts, decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiq ...

* Thorvald Niss (1842 in Assens – 1905) a landscape painter, joined the

Skagen Painters The Skagen Painters () were a group of Scandinavian artists who gathered in the village of Skagen, the northernmost part of Denmark, from the late 1870s until the turn of the century. Skagen was a summer destination whose scenic nature, local mi ...

* Kirsten Passer (1930 in Nårup – 2012) a Danish film actress IMDb Database
retrieved 09 May 2020 * Peter Brandes (born 1944 in Assens) a painter, sculptor, ceramic artist and photographer * Anne Øland (1949 in Assens – 2015) a Danish concert pianist and educator

References

External links

Assens municipal & CitySatellite map from Google Maps
{{Authority control Assens Municipality Municipal seats of the Region of Southern Denmark Municipal seats of Denmark Cities and towns in the Region of Southern Denmark Populated places in Funen