Svendborg () is a town on the island of

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 ...

in south-central

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

, 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 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 rural ...

. By road, Svendborg is located southwest of

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 ...

, 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 northwe ...

, south of

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (behind Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2022, the city proper had a population of 180,863 while Odense Municipality had a population of 20 ...

, 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 Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body via 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 proc ...

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 intermoda ...

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 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, Bed ...

would be part of the city for the next 300 years, until the

Protestant reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...

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 late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, 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 ( da, Grevens Fejde), also called the Count's War, was a war of succession that raged in Denmark in 1534–36 and brought about the Reformation in Denmark. In the international context, it was part of the European wars of relig ...

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

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen regnant, queen, which title is also given to the queen consort, consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contempora ...

. 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 Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

, 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 was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

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

, Faaborg and

Nyborg Nyborg is a city in central Denmark, located in Nyborg Municipality on the island of Funen and with a population of 17,525 (2022). 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 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 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, 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 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 ...

pass the smaller islands of

Drejø Drejø () is a Danish island south of Funen with 72 inhabitants, located in Svendborg municipality. The island covers an area of , and is long and wide at the widest place. A ferry plies between Svendborg, Skarø Skarø () is a Danish isla ...

, 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

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 Tobacco is the agricultural product of the leaves of plants in the genus ''Nicotiana'', commonly termed ''tobacco plants''. All species of ''Nicotiana'' contain the addictive drug nicotine—a psychostimulant alkaloid found in all parts of the ...

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 Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

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 collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, climatology, and more. ...

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 University Hospital (OUH) is the largest and most specialized hospital in Southern Denmark. OUH is both Odense's and Funen's largest single workplace (Odense Municipality employs significantly more, but they are spread over many addresses ...

, Odense Universitetshospital - Svendborg Sygehus. It also contains the Svendborg Museum. Attractions close to Svendborg include Egeskov, the best preserved

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

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 Christ ...

, 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 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 (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 Pet ...

(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 * Inge Prytz Johnson (born 1945 in Svendborg) a lawyer, Senior United States District Judge * Jesper Lützen (born 1951 in Svendborg) an historian of mathematics and the physical sciences *

Annette Vilhelmsen Annette Lilja Vilhelmsen (born 24 October 1959) is a Danish politician who served as chairperson of the Socialist People's Party from 2012 to 2014. She served as Minister for Social Affairs and Integration from August 2013 to February 2014 and ...

(born 1959 in Svendborg) a politician, member of

Folketing The Folketing ( da, Folketinget, ; ), 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 ...

2011-2015 * Rune Bech (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 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 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 b ...

(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, when ...

, acted for Nordisk Film * Kai Nielsen (1882 in Svendborg – 1924) a Danish sculptor *

(1898–1956), a German playwright and poet; lived in Svendborg 1933/1939. *

Miskow Makwarth Miskow Makwarth (5 November 1905 – 13 December 1992) was a Danish film actor. He appeared in 30 films between 1937 and 1976. Filmography *'' Provinsen kalder'' - 1935 *''Inkognito'' - 1937 *'' Flådens blå matroser'' - 1937 *'' Mordets ...

(1905 in Sørup, near Svendborg – 1992) a Danish film actor 1937 to 1976 *

Bent Mejding Bent Mejding (born 14 January 1937) is a Danish actor, stage director and theatre manager. He won a Danish Film Academy Award in 1985 and 2007. He is married to the actress Susse Wold. Career Mejding had his debut at Folketeatret Folketeate ...

(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 (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 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 Magda ...

(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 ( 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, b ...

* 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 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 sec ...

Troels Bech Truls or Troels is a Nordic masculine given name. Truls is mainly used in Norway, and to a lesser extent in Sweden. Troels is predominantly used in Denmark. It is a short form of ''Torgils'', derived from Old Norse ''Þórgísl'' (Old Danish ''Thr ...

(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 pr ...

* 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 ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway betw ...

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