Middelfart is a market town on Funen, with 15,922 inhabitants (2020). The city is located in Middelfart Municipality and belongs to the Region of Southern Denmark. The old name Melfar means "the water you travel between" or "the middle crossing" and thus refers to the ferry traffic between Jutland and Funen. The city is located between the Little Belt Bridge and the old Little Belt Bridge at the narrowest point of the Little Belt. The city coat of arms depicts a ship from Middelfart. From Middelfart there are 11 kilometers to the north to Fredericia, 34 km to Assens to the south and almost 46 km to Odense to the east.
Middelfart is mentioned in King Valdemar's Land Book — Mæthlæfar and Mæthælfar — as the king's property (Middelfart Sund is already mentioned in the Knytlingesaga, when the farmers from Jutland set over it after the fleeing king, Canute the Holy). The name comes from the fact that the place was the middle of the 3 crossing points over the Little Belt: Strib, Middelfart and Fønsøre. The current spelling's final -t is due to Low German influence.
In the time of King Valdemar II, there must have been a royal estate ("Gormsborg"), of which remains have been found - boulders, monk stones, an old paving, etc. - by digging in a field by the cemetery; in a priest's report from 1623 it is also stated that "the western end of Medelfart must be the oldest, in which there must have been a manor in the past, called the castle". The beginning of the town has probably been a small fishing village.
As early as 1362 councilors are mentioned and in 1425 a byting. In 1496, King Hans gave the city the same privileges that Odense and Assens had received from previous kings; later they were confirmed in 1540, 1569 and 1596, among other places. The town is mentioned several times in medieval history. In 1287 it was burned by the assassins. In 1296 there were negotiations here between Erik Menved and Erik Præstehader and in 1306 and 1310 between the king and the brothers Duke Valdemar IV of Southern Jutland and Duke Erik of Langeland. At the beginning of 1359, 3 Jutland nobles, Niels Bugge to Hald, Ove Stisen to Eskebjærg and Peder Andersen (Hvide) on their way to Margaard on the way home from Slagelse, where they had negotiated in vain with Valdemar Atterdag, were murdered in Middelfart by some fishermen; but the suspicion of the murder fell on the king, though he solemnly abdicated. The residents of the houses in Vestergade, where the perpetrators lived, had from that time to pay an annual fee in land debt or blood money, the so-called "Bug money" (49 shillings instead of the odious three-mark fine), a tax which was not abolished until 1874.
Middelfart has probably always belonged to Funen's smaller towns, but its location as a crossing point has still given it some significance. On the other hand, this location also posed a danger to the city in times of war, such as in the Count's Feud, when it had to settle 600 lots of silver and later 1,000 guilders, in the Swedish War, when the Allied troops in November 1659 went over to Funen near the city, and in the First Schleswig War, when the Prussians bombed on May 8, 1848, though it was an open and defenseless city. Whether it has ever been fortified is not known; according to Christian IV's ordinance of 1628, it was to be surrounded by ramparts and tombs; no traces of fortifications are seen on Resens Atlas. Like Funen's other cities, it was a bit strong during the Swedish War.
In
1672, Middelfart had 756 inhabitants. In the 18th century it went
back even further for the city, to which great fires and plague
contributed; 1746 burned part of the town (25 houses in Søndergade),
in 1761 it was ravaged by bloodshed (1769: 735 Indb.), And on June
2, 1791, 14 farms and houses burned.
The town has had a Latin
school, which had premises in Brogade in a building which has later
been used as a warehouse. The school probably existed before the
Reformation, as already in 1507 schoolchildren are mentioned; it was
repealed in 1740.
The town has had a guinea pig trapping law,
whose law or slant is from 1593, but which is believed to be much
older (1541 a dispute was filed between Middelfart and Gamborg
townsmen about the guinea pig catch). It drove the hunt in Gamborg
Fjord, in which the animals are hunted. Even in the second half of
the 19th century the catch could be 7-800 pieces a year, but
sometimes it was much larger, so in the winter of 1854-55, when 1742
pieces were caught. In the late 1800s, the catch ceased altogether
and the layer was dissolved.
In the wars against the Germans
in 1848 and 1864, Middelfart was a bastion in the defense of Funen
that was subjected to a bombardment from the Jutland side by German
cannons.
In the 18th century, the harbor was very bad and
unsafe, as it only consisted of a ship's bridge, which was unusable
in severe weather, and the town's vessels had to search under Fænø
in the winter. A new port was built in 1834-36.
Middelfart's population was increasing in the late 1800s and early
1900s: 1,633 in 1850, 1,840 in 1855, 2,123 in 1860, 2,336 in 1870, 2,345
in 1880, 3,078 in 1890, 4,469 in 1901, 5. 162 in 1906 and 5,716 in 1911.
Until the 1860s, the ferry operation was the lifeblood of the city.
Fishing, among other things for porpoises, is also an important
occupation. The city only really grew again after the mental hospital
was completed in 1888, and with the beginning of industrialization.
At the turn of the century, there were factories and industrial
plants: 1 iron foundry and machine factory (employing approximately 100
workers), 2 tobacco factories, 2 brandy distilleries, 1 dyehouse and
"Nordiske Kabel- og Traadfabrikker" (a joint-stock company established
in 1898, share capital DKK 750,000).
In Middelfart, 7 markets
were held: 1 in February, 2 in March, 1 in April, 1 in July and 1 in
September, all with horses and cattle, 1 in November with cattle and
sheep. There was market day every Tuesday and Friday, the 1st Tuesday of
every month with live cattle.
The composition of the population
by means of livelihood was in 1890: 302 lived from non-material
activities, 921 from crafts and industry, 445 from trade and turnover,
187 from shipping, 122 from fishing, 74 from agriculture, 40 from
horticulture, 556 from various day laborers, 65 from their funds, 17
enjoyed alms, and 349 were patients in the mental institution. According
to a census in 1906, the number of inhabitants was 5,162, of which 372
supported themselves by non-material activities, 152 by agriculture,
forestry and dairying, 104 by fishing, 2,491 by crafts and industry, 594
by trade and more, 378 by transport, 174 were shopkeepers, 853 lived on
public support and 44 on other or unspecified business.
Three newspapers were published in Middelfart: Middelfart Avis, Middelfart Dagblad and Middelfart Venstreblad, the latter being printed in Svendborg.
During the interwar period, Middelfart's population increased
slightly: in 1916 6,079, in 1921 6,870, in 1925 7,073, in 1930 7,480, in
1935 8,219, in 1940 7,841 inhabitants. At the same time, two suburbs
grew up, Nytofte in Kavslunde Parish and Staurby Strand in Vejlby
Parish.
At the census in 1930, Middelfart had 7,480 inhabitants,
of which 623 supported themselves by non-material activities, 3,416 by
craft and industry, 696 by trade etc., 588 by transport, 325 by
agriculture, forestry and fishing, 437 by housework, 1,302 were out of
business and 93 had not stated source of income.
From 1925 to
1935, a fixed connection was built between Funen and Jutland. It was no
easy task, as the seabed conditions off Middelfart and Snoghøj were not
the easiest to build such a large structure on, but in 1935 the
Lillebæltsbroen was completed. With the fixed connection, the ferry town
of Strib lost its importance, and the biggest development now took place
in Middelfart in the 20th century. The town was located on the central
Hovedvej 1 between Eastern and Western Denmark, and the station became a
stop on a railway connection that many thousands of Danes used annually.
Another small belt bridge was added in 1970, and although car traffic
was now diverted around Middelfart, the old market town held on to its
development. Today, Middelfart is first and foremost an important
tourist destination, which is visited by many yachtsmen who pass through
the Little Belt.
The post-war period
After the Second World
War, Middelfart continued its population development. In 1945 there were
8,089 inhabitants in the market town, in 1950 8,711 inhabitants, in 1955
8,883 inhabitants, in 1960 8,801 inhabitants and in 1965 9,057
inhabitants. Of great importance for the market town's population
development was the fact that the suburb of Stavrby Strand grew together
with the harbor town of Strib in 1955.
On 25 April, Middelfart Municipality was the first municipality on Funen and in the Triangular area to sign an agreement with Denmark's Nature Conservation Association to join the team of special climate municipalities in Denmark. Middelfart Municipality has undertaken to reduce CO2 emissions in the municipality. In 2009, the municipality undertook to reduce CO2 emissions by 7% per year until the end of 2019.
Middelfart Municipality has politically for many years been a Social Democratic-led municipality. But even so, the city has also been a radical stronghold for a century, as the Middelfart circle since the foundation of the Radical Left in 1905 until the election in 2015 has been continuously represented in the Folketinget Local politics, the radicals were represented for more than 40 years by Birgit Jensen, among others. 16 years as deputy mayor. The town's last surviving newspaper was radical, Middelfart Venstreblad, which in 1975 was merged with Fyens Stiftstidende, which was politically affiliated with the party Venstre.
The city's high school and HF course, Middelfart Gymnasium and HF course, has approx. 450 students. In addition, Middelfart has a lot of primary schools, such as Lillebæltskolen, Østre skole, Vestre skole, Hyllehøjskolen and others.
Middelfart has various cultural offerings. Among other things, in
August 2005 the city got a new cultural center, Kulturøen. The new
site was built along Middelfart's waterfront on an artificial island
in the Little Belt. It consists of a library, tourist information,
restaurant, cinema and space for lectures and concerts. From the
house, it is possible to view the two Lillebælt bridges from each of
its panoramic windows. Kulturøen is located next to Herman Jensen's
facility, which was built in memory of Middelfart's longtime mayor.
In connection with the cultural island, the privately owned Tel-Ka
Marina, now called Nyhavn1, was also built.
In addition,
Middelfart has two state-recognised museums. Middelfart Museum has
the cultural historical responsibility for Middelfart Municipality
and tells about the history of the town and the region from 1500 to
the present day and about the history of psychiatry at the former
psychiatric hospital in Teglgårdsparken. Clay Keramikmuseum Denmark
is a museum for ceramic art, handicrafts and design and has, among
other things, large collections from Royal Copenhagen.
In
2015, Bridgewalking was opened on the Lillebæltsbroen, where, as a
unique attraction among European bridges, it is possible to take a
guided walk on top of the bridge's iron structures 20 meters above
the roadway and thus a total of 60 meters above sea level.
The city contains a large number of pubs, considering the size of
the city, of which Guldkronen is the city's oldest. In addition,
there are several restaurants and cafes.
The town is known
for its golf club, Golfklubben Lillebælt, which is located down to
Fænøsund.
Every year on the second Saturday in June, Rock
under the Bridge is held on the large green square under the New
Little Belt Bridge. Around 20,000 guests come, making it Denmark's
largest one-day festival.
The nature park Hindsgavl Dyrehave
has a large population of fallow deer and fallow deer.