The Baltic resort of Åbenrå lies surrounded by forests in the southeast of Jutland, on the west bank of the fjord of the same name.
History
In the year 1935 Åbenrå, the town with the largest harbor in South Jutland, was granted trading rights. In the 17th and 18th C. ships sailed from here to South America and the Far East. Many fine residences date from this period when the populace enjoyed considerable prosperity.
Economy
In addition to shipping and fishing, trade in cereals, cattle and timber is of importance. Industries include engineering and the production of animal foodstuffs. Organs are also built in Åbenrå.
Broager, a little town on the Broagerland Peninsula in South Jutland, between the Bay of Sonderborg and the Firth of Flensburg, has a 12th C. church with twin towers. The interior contains 13th and 16th C. wall-paintings and some beautiful 16th C. wood-carving. In the cemetery stands Denmark's tallest bell-tower (1650); war graves of 1848 and 1864 are reminders of the struggle for Schleswig.
To the south of Abenrå stands Brundland Castle (12th C.), which was rebuilt in 1411 under Queen Margarethe I and considerably restored between 1805 and 1807. It is surrounded by a moat.
Southeast of Åbenrå, on the Forth of Flensburg, lies the pleasant town of Gråsten, with its lively harbor. In the middle of the town stands the 16th C. castle, which was rebuilt after a fire in 1759. Today it is the summer residence of Queen Ingrid, the widow of Frederik IX, and can be visited when she is not in residence.
Some 18th C. residences, several with beautiful gables, survive in Slotsgade (Castle Street), in the south of Åbenrå. Of these the most attractive are No. 14 (1767), No. 15 (1713), No. 28 (1797) and No. 29 (1770). No. 20 Søndergade boasts a pretty Roccoco facade. Dominating the Vægterpladsen is a statue of a night-watchman.
The town center of Åbenrå lies to the west of the harbor area (Gammelhavn, Nyhavn etc.). Near the pedestrian precinct stands the Church of St Nicholas, originally a Late Romanesque single-aisle brick building which was restored in 1949-56. The interior is notable for its Romanesque font, a magnificent Baroque reredos of 1642 and a canopied pulpit.
The Town Hall on the main market square of Åbrenå is a two-storied building of yellow stone with a hipped roof; it was built between 1828 and 1830 by Christian Frederik Hansen, who was then the leading Danish architect. In the hall can be seen a collection of portraits of Danish kings and queens, including that of Caroline Mathilde, the wife of Christian VII, painted by the Danish artist Jens Juel.