Svendborg
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FunenSituationThe port of Svendborg lies in the southeast of the island of Funen, on the banks of Svendborg Sound. A ferry links the town with the island of Ærø to the south. Off the coast is a nature reserve.HistoryThe town's oldest charter dates from 1253. In the Middle Ages Svendborg had trade links with the Hanseatic towns and with the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. During the "Counts' Wars" (1534-6) Ørkid Castle in the east of the town was burned down. In the 17th C. Svendborg suffered great destruction as a result of the wars with Sweden. The 19th C. was a period of prosperity. In 1966 the bridge across Svendborg Sound was completed. Until 1970 Svendborg was a district headquarters; subsequently the two districts of Funen were amalgamated and the administrative offices were henceforth in Odense.The German poet and dramatist Bertolt Brecht and his wife Helene Weigel lived from 1933 until 1939 as emigrants in Svendborg. During this time Brecht wrote, among other works, the "Svendborg Poems".EconomyImportant industries include shipbuilding, engineering, tobacco, wood-working and food-processing.
Related Attractions
St Nicholas' Church
There are still a number of old houses to be found in Svendborg. South of the marketplace stands St Nicholas' Church (Skt. Nicolai Kirke), built of brick in 1220 in the Romanesque style and restored in 1892. Note particularly the granite font. In front of the church stands the sculpture "En lille pige" ("A Little Girl") by Kai Nielsen.
Church of Our Lady
A brick building in the center of Svendborg which is worthy of note is the Church of Our Lady (Vor Frue Kirke). It was restored in Neo-Gothic style in the 19th C. There is a carillon in the tower and the altar-piece ("Gethsemane") is by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg.
Toy Museum
In 1993 a Toy Museum was opened at Skt. Nicolaigade 1B in Svendborg, with Danish and foreign toys from the last 100 years, especially the period 1925-75. Special mention must be made of the interesting collections of dolls, tin-soldiers, wooden and lead toys; there is also a model railroad, together with children's books and puzzles.
Svendborg (Omegns Municipal Museum)
The Municipal Museum is exhibits in two buildings - in Anne Hvides Gård, at Fruestræde 3, the oldest secular building in Svendborg, dating from 1560 (renovated in 1976), and also in the Viebæltegård, a former poor-house at Grubbemollevej 13 on the northern outskirts of town. As well as documents covering the history of the town and natural history and historical collections, works by the sculptor and painter Kai Nielsen (1882-1924), a native of Svendborg, are on display; statues by him can be seen at various locations in Svendborg, including near the library and at the swimming pool.In the former iron foundry of L. Lang and Co. on Vestergade there is a museum exhibiting stoves manufactured between 1850 and 1984.
Naturama (formerly Zoologiske Museum)
Naturama at Dronningemæn 30 is worth a visit to see its collections of mammals, insects and North European birds. In the Whale House in the inner courtyard can be seen the skeleton of a baleen whale 17m/56ft long which was stranded near Troense in 1955.The museum hosts a permanent water, land and air exhibition.
Hvidkilde Manor
A few miles west of Svendborg lies Hvidkilde Manor; the Baroque palace of 1742 was converted from a Renaissance building. About 300m/330yd west of the manor an avenue leads to a parking lot from where visitors can walk in the woods along marked pathways.
Northern Surroundings
The northern surroundings of Svendborg offer historic mansions and castles and Ice Age remains.
Hesselagergård Castle
There are some interesting places to be found north of Svendborg. 12 km/7.25 mi along road No. 163 to Nybor a minor road branches off to the seaside resort of Lundeborg, and in another 2 km/1.25 mi a road bears off to Hesselagergård Castle, 1.5 km/1 mile distant. The castle was built in 1538 by Johann Friis, the Chancellor of Christian III. The round gable, modeled on a Venetian predecessor, was added in 1550. Some of the interior fittings have been preserved, and the chalk drawings of deer are especially worthy of note.Further north in a meadow can be seen a boulder at least 12m/40ft high and 46m/150ft in diameter. It is the "Damestenen", which was deposited here from Norway during the Ice Age and is believed to be Denmark's largest erratic boulder.The casstle is not open to the public.
Rygard - Glorup Manor
Near Rygard north of Svendborg stands Glorup Manor, rebuilt in the Baroque style in 1743 and surrounded by a beautiful large park. In the park can be found several statues and a "Tuscan"Temple of Love.The park houses one of the earliest Romanesque gardens in Denmark. Here, the nature lover can find a variety of flowers and fruit trees.
Langå - Rygård Manor
North of Svendborg along road No. 163, near the village of Langå, a side road to the left leads to Rygård Manor, built on piles in the 16th C.
Southern Surroundings
The southern surroundings of Svendborg can be visited on a driving tour.
Thurø Island
To the east of the bridge over Svendborg Sound a causeway leads from Funen to the little island of Thurø, which has a beautiful church and is a popular seaside resort. The sea south of Funen is ideal for a sailing holiday, because it is normally not far to the nearest harbor, with anchorage, a restaurant or shopping facilities.
Tåsinge Island
From Svendborg a massive bridge 1,200m/1,300yd long and with a clear height of 33m/108ft crosses Svendborg Sound to the island of Tåsinge (area 70sq.km/27sq. mi). Southeast of Vindby lies Troense, with a picturesque village street; the collections in the Maritime Museum, housed in an old half-timbered building, reflect the history of seafaring from the 17th C. until the present day.
Troense - Valdemar Palace
Less than a mile south of Troense stands Valdemarsslot (Valdemar's Palace), one of the most beautiful Late Baroque palaces in Denmark. Christian IV had it built in 1639 for his son Count Valdemar Christian. The estate later passed to the maritime hero Niels Juel; it is now a museum with exhibits illustrative of the manorial culture of Funen (entry times given).The palace has some very tastefully furnished rooms; these include the Royal Room with portraits of Danish kings and princes, other rooms with priceless tapestries, the Library with several thousand volumes, the Knights' Hall and the Palace Church. Restaurants with plenty of atmosphere - "Den graa Dame" (The Gray Lady) and "Æblehaven" - and a tea-pavilion will entice the visitor to tarry awhile.
Bregninge
From the tower of the village church in Bregninge (the porch dating from around 1500 and the north wing from around 1700) there are panoramic views of Funen and its archipelago, and the local museum contains a section devoted to the tragic love affair of Count Sparre and Elvira Madigan, both of whom are buried in Landet cemetery, as well as model ships and a 19th C. sailor's home.
Copenhagen
Odense
Roskilde
Helsingor
Nyborg
