Marstal () is a town in southern

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 ...

, located in

Ærø Municipality Ærø Municipality () is a '' kommune'' occupying the 88 km² island of Ærø in Denmark in the Region of Southern Denmark as of 1 January 2007, and in 2006 in Funen County. The municipality also encompasses Birkholm and the uninhabited islands ...

on the island of

Ærø Ærø () is one of the Denmark, Danish Baltic Sea islands, and part of the Region of Southern Denmark, Southern Denmark Region. Since 1 January 2006 all of Ærø has constituted a single Municipalities of Denmark, municipality, known as Ærø M ...

. Marstal has a population of 2,077 (1 January 2024)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 ...

and is the largest town on Ærø. It was the municipal seat of the now abolished

Marstal Municipality Marstal municipality, is a former municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in Funen County on the island of Ærø in southern Denmark. Since 1 January 2006 it has been part of Ærø municipality. Its territory included the islands of Birkholm and Hal ...

. Marstal has a long maritime history. For centuries Marstal vessels have sailed the seven seas, and even today the town is the home port for a considerable number of coasters. Shipping is still the nerve of the town with its dockyards, its shipping companies and its maritime school which for more than a century has trained navigators for the Danish merchant fleet. Marstal is the economic center of Ærø and the main industries are tourism, small industry and service. The town has an international reputation for shipbuilding. Solar heating marstal

Marstal is home to one of Northern Europe's largest solar power complexes, using solar power to heat water for the local

District heating District heating (also known as heat networks) 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 heater, space heating and w ...

Marstal Church

Built in 1738, - once in 1772 by adding an extension and later in 1920 with a tower to commemorate the reunification of

southern Jutland Southern Jutland (; ) is 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 . Both territories had their own ting assemblies in the Mi ...

with Denmark. Seven

votive ship A votive ship, sometimes called a church ship, is a ship model displayed in a church (building), church. As a rule, votive ships are constructed and given as gifts to the church by seamen and ship builders. Votive ships are relatively common in ch ...

s indicate the growth of shipping in the town from the 18th to the 20th century. The font dates from the Middle Ages, and the blue color of the benches symbolizes the sea and eternity, whereas the red colors of the altar and pulpit evoke the blood shed by Christ. Red is also the color of love. Carl Rasmussen, a maritime artist who usually specialized in the motifs of Greenland, painted the 1881 altarpiece, depicting Christ stilling a storm. In the old churchyard are memorials and tombstones honoring the sailors of Marstal who died at sea during two world wars.

History

Marstal is a shipping town founded in the 16th century. During the 17th and 18th centuries its living depended predominantly on the building and sailing of wooden ships. In the harbour is a small island Frederiksøen, which today is called the Lime Kiln (Kalkovnen). The impressive

fieldstone Fieldstone is a naturally occurring type of stone, which lies at or near the surface of the Earth. Fieldstone is a nuisance for farmers seeking to expand their land under cultivation, but at some point it began to be used as a construction mate ...

pier at the island was built in 1825 by local seamen on a voluntary basis. The island was in use as a repair yard for ships, until in 1863 it was rented out for lime burning. The town did not grow around a square or a church, its houses were simply erected along the paths leading upwards from the jetties. As the town grew transverse ring-roads were added, and the narrowness of the settlement often meant that the houses were placed somewhat coincidentally. 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 ...

put an end to optimism and changed the glorious maritime traditions of Marstal. 42 ships from Marstal were sunk at the loss of 53 seamen. The

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

deprived the small naval community of 80 of its young boys and seamen.

Tourism

A traveler can arrive at Marstal via the ferry 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 27,616 (1 January 2025), Svendborg is Funen's second largest city.Ærøskøbing Ærøskøbing () is a town on the island of Ærø, Denmark. The suffix -købing means a trade town in the languages that derive from Old Norse. Ærøskøbing's houses and streets are delicately restored to retain the character of the olden days ...

and then driving from there. A ferry also exists from Fåborg to Søby on Northern Ærø. The camping site, the youth hostel, and hotels provide accommodation for the many visitors. Marstal-badehus

Eriks Hale, a strip that jots into the sea south of the town, is home to a beach often used for swimming and bathing.

Twin towns

Marstal is twinned with:

Notable people

Jens Erik Carl Rasmussen 1869 by Peter Most

* Carl Rasmussen (1841–1893) a Danish painter, in 1880, he married, bought a home and establish a studio in Marstal on Ærø * Sophus Black (1882 in Marstal – 1960) a Danish telegraph manager and art collector *

Hermann Møller Boye Hermann Møller Boye (5 July 1913 – 12 June 1944) was a member of the Danish resistance executed by the Nazi Germany, German occupying power. Biography In 1935 Boye graduated as a teacher from Nørre Nissum Seminarium and from that year he wa ...

(1913 in Marstal – 1944) a member of the Danish resistance executed by the German occupying power * Erik Kromann (born 1946 in Marstal) a Danish author, museums director, head of the Marstal Maritime Museum * Carsten Jensen (born in 1952 in Marstal) author and political columnist, his 2006 epic novel '' We, the Drowned'' is set in Marstal. * Jesper Lange (born 1986 in Marstal) a Danish football player, about 300 club caps, currently playing for

Esbjerg fB Esbjerg forenede Boldklubber (; commonly known as Esbjerg fB or EfB in short) is a Danish professional Association football, football club based in Esbjerg, West Jutland, Jylland, that plays in the Danish 1st Division, 1st division, the sec ...

References

External links

*
MARNAV
*
Marstal Maritime Museum, source

Marstal weather, live
{{Authority control Municipal seats of the Region of Southern Denmark Municipal seats of Denmark Cities and towns in the Region of Southern Denmark Ærø