Svendborg is a Danish port and shipping town on southern Funen.
With 27,068 inhabitants (2020), it is Funen's second largest city
after Odense. Svendborg is the capital of Svendborg Municipality and
belongs to the Region of Southern Denmark. Svendborg is an old
market town and has even in modern times preserved its older city
center with narrow streets, squares and courtyards. The city was
founded in the 13th century and in 2003 celebrated its 750th
birthday.
Svendborg is located on a hillside by the waters of
Svendborgsund. The town is connected to Tåsinge via the
Svendborgsund bridge and to Thurø via the Thurø dam. Svendborg is
also the terminus for the railway line, the Svendborg line, which
goes to Odense via Ringe. From Svendborg Harbor there are ferries to
Ærø, Drejø, Skarø and Hjortø.
Svendborg has always been
characterized by shipping. The town's golden age was in the 19th
century, when the location by Svendborgsund at a relatively short
distance from the western Baltic cities' other port towns meant a
flourishing in trade and shipbuilding. Even today, Svendborg is
enterprising in shipping - with many shipyards, resident ships and
shipping companies.
Svendborg is a commercial, educational
and cultural center for South Funen. The city has several
educational institutions and a rich city and nightlife. In 2008,
Svendborg was included in the international collaboration of
cittaslow cities, which among other things focus on sustainability
and the use of local food.
City life, nature and access to
the South Funen Archipelago have meant that tourism is today an
important part of the city's business life.
Where the name comes from is not known, perhaps from "Svin". Of other older forms are mentioned Swineborg, Suyneborgh and Swynborch; only in the 15th century do forms such as Sweneborgh, Suenneborgh and Suenborg appear. The form Svendborg did not arise earlier than the 17th century. It is believed that Swineburg means "the castle with pigs", understood as a locality with particularly many domestic pigs within the walls or wild boar outside. It is also possible that allusions are made to the porpoise whale.
Origin
In the 12th century, a castle was built by the strait and a
small fishing village gradually grew up around it. In the 13th century
it had grown into a proper city.
The Middle Ages (1200 - 1536)
Svendborg was already in the Middle Ages an important maritime, trading
and craft town. The town benefited from the herring fishery in the
Øresund, which lasted until the middle of the 16th century.
In
1229, the town was mentioned for the first time, when Valdemar Sejr in a
letter to his son Valdemar the Young approved that the son should give
Svendborg and southern Funen as a gift to his wife Princess Eleonora.
After Valdemar Sejr's death, Svendborg and Rudkøbing were inherited
by his son Hertug Abel, later King Abel of Denmark. Abel came into
conflict with his brother Erik Plovpenning, who captured and burned the
city in 1247.
In 1253 Erik's son Christoffer 1 took the town and
destroyed the castle. However, he ceded it again to Abel of Denmark's
son, junker Abel, who died here in 1279 and was buried in the town's
Gray Friars monastery.
On 25 February 1253, Svendborg was granted
its market town rights by Christoffer 1. The town then became an
important market town with good access to the sea. The rights were
confirmed and extended in 1280, 1305, 1409, 1444, 1480, 1504, 1517 and
1562.
However, it was not peace that characterized Svendborg in
the following years. In 1289 the city was besieged by Marsk Stig, and in
1293 the Norwegian king Erik Præstehader ravaged the city with looting
and burning down several quarters. The two episodes happened as part of
a series of military campaigns against Denmark that came in the wake of
the murder of Erik Klipping in 1286. Marsk Stig and several other nobles
were convicted of the murder, after which they went into exile with the
Norwegian king.
In 1302 Erik Menved held Danehof in Svendborg.
In the autumn of 1316, the city was invaded and plundered by Hertug
Christoffer, the later King Christoffer 2. He was Erik Menved's
rebellious brother and had joined forces with German troops during the
attack.
A good 30 years later in 1348, the plague, also called
the Black Death, ravaged. It cost a large part of Svendborg's population
their lives.
In 1389, Svendborg was attacked by the Hanseatic
fleet in the war between Queen Margrethe I and the Swedish king Albrecht
of Mecklenburg.
In the Middle Ages, the city was fortified and surrounded by a moat.
Remains of the rampart and the moat can be seen in Skt. Nicolai Street
and Krøyer's Garden.
At the city's south-west border was the
Skattertårnet at the end of Skattergade. The construction of the tower
is attributed in tradition to Valdemar Sejr. According to a local
account, the Treasure Tower played a role as a defensive tower during
the Count's Feud. The tower was probably demolished during the Swedish
occupation in 1658-59.
East of the city center was Ørkild Castle, which was built in the
13th century, presumably by Valdemar the Great. The castle was
originally built of wood, but was later rebuilt in monk's stone.
The castle was owned by the bishopric of Odense until 1534, when it was
burned down by citizens from Svendborg.[8] During the Count's Feud, the
townspeople supported Christian II, and they believed that the castle
had a negative impact on the town's business life through illegal trade
and sailing. After the burning, the rebels continued to Odense, where
they looted the bishopric. It ended with the rebels being defeated
during the Battle of Øksnebjerg by Johan Rantzau's army in 1535.
Svendborg was subsequently plundered by Rantzau's vassals.
Today,
Ørkild Voldsted is a green area.
In the Middle Ages, Svendborg
had a Sankt Knudsgilde, first mentioned in 1337, a Sankt Johannes
Baptistæ Gilde and a Sankt Anne Gilde, which was founded by the
merchants in 1444. Its charter (statute) was confirmed by Christian I in
1477.
In the center of Svendborg are two medieval churches: Sankt Nicolai
Kirke, begun approx. 1180 and Church of Our Lady approx. 1250.
West of the city at Svendborgsund, a leprosy hospital, called a Sankt
Jørgensgård, was built with a church. Saint Jørgen's Church is today the
country's only preserved leprosy church.
Gråbrørdeklosteret was founded by Franciscan monks in 1236. The
building site in the eastern part of the city was donated by Astrad
Frakke, who was a courtier (burgher) in Svendborg and formerly drost
(supreme advisor) to Valdemar Sejr. In 1267, Odense Bishop Regner gave
it a further plot of land in the city as well as some books. In 1472,
the convent, as the second monastery in the country, adopted the
stricter discipline, the observant.
The monastery was closed in
the years after the Reformation in 1536. The exact year of the closure
of the monastery is not known. Already in 1530 and 1532, Svendborg
townsmen had received a royal letter stating that they had to convert
the monastery church into the parish church monastery and the other
monastery into a hospital when the monks left it. It wasn't until 1541
that they got a final title deed to it. The northern and eastern wings
were bought by Mrs. Helvig Hardenberg and were converted into a
hospital. After the closure of the Latin school in 1740, the western
wing housed the Danish school. The chapel was demolished in 1828,
however, there were still ruins of it in 1860. The northern wing stood
as a hospital building until 1870, the eastern wing, on the other hand,
seems to have disappeared earlier. The western wing and Klostergården
were demolished in 1875.
The monastery was located where
Svendborg Station is today. There are no visible parts of the monastery
preserved, but it can be found in the names Klosterplads and
Klosterstræde. In 2020, parts of the lay cemetery, which was adjacent to
the monastery, were excavated in connection with construction work. 64
intact graves were found, including double graves, a grave with a mother
and infant and three individuals buried with rosaries.
The
Renaissance (1536 - 1660)
After the Count's Feud, the city slowly
began to get back on its feet. In the 16th century and the first half of
the 17th century, Svendborg became the leading maritime town on Funen
with the right to upland trade on the southernmost Funen, Tåsinge and
the smaller south Funen islands. In particular, there was an increased
trade in fat products.
During this prosperous period, the city's
oldest secular building, Anne Hvides Gård, was built in 1560 by the
noblewoman Anne Hvide, who had become a widow. She had lost her husband
Jesper Friis, landowner at Rødkilde, four years earlier.
The good
times came to an abrupt end with the Swedish Wars. In 1658-59 the Swedes
occupied the town and left behind many destroyed ships, houses and
farms.
Dictatorship (1660 - 1848)
After the ravages of the
Swedes, many inhabitants emigrated from Svendborg and in 1672 the town
had only 1,000 inhabitants. However, it slowly improved in the 18th
century, although the market town was hit by large fires in 1749 and
1749. In 1769, there were 1714 inhabitants.
After a period of
stagnation, the city began to assert itself as a maritime city again in
the late 18th century. After a longer absence of war, significant
shipbuilding was established at the beginning of the 19th century and
shipping saw a noticeable upswing - especially the grain trade.
During the wars with England, after the loss of the fleet in 1808,
so-called gunboat wars were fought in Danish waters. The war also
affected Svendborgsund. In the spring of 1808, Avernakø was plundered
and in June two English warships and two Danish gunboats collided off
Bjørnø. In 1808, French and then Spanish troops were lodged in Svendborg
and other places on South Funen. They were to secure the island against
a landing by the English and support a future invasion of Sweden. The
townspeople considered the French troops troublesome, while the Spanish
were more exciting and compliant. The Spanish troops were billeted at
Farvergården by Mølledammen, from where they marched every evening
across Tullebrinke along Møllergade to worship in the square. However,
the invasion never came to fruition and the auxiliary troops quickly
disappeared again.
In 1845, mail began to run from Nyborg to
Svendborg twice a week.
The early industrialization (1848 - 1900)
In the second half of the 19th century, Svendborg Harbor developed into
one of the country's most enterprising commercial ports with several
shipyards and a large resident merchant fleet. From 1870 to 1910,
approx. 370 ships. Together with purchased ships, this meant that
Svendborg Customs District (Svendborg, Tåsinge and Thurø) was the
country's second largest shipping area.
In the same period, the
first metal industry was established in Svendborg, and since then a
large number of companies emerged within the food industry. Railways
were built and steamship connections established to the surrounding
islands.
In 1853, a violent cholera epidemic ravaged the city.
In 1865, Svendborg Navigation School was built on Færgevej.
Navigation education in Svendborg had already started in 1820, but the
exams were taken at the navigation school in Tønning, which in 1850
moved to Flensburg. In 2001, Svendborg Navigationsskole merged with
several other maritime educational institutions under the name SIMAC.
In 1872, the Viebæltegård workhouse was established, which today
houses Denmark's Welfare Museum.
In 1876, a railway line from
South Funen to Odense was built. The Svendborg-Nyborg Railway was built
in 1897 and the Svendborg-Faaborg Railway in 1916. The latter two have
since been closed again.
A central hospital was built in 1891.
Svendborg Hospital is today part of Odense University Hospital.
Three newspapers were published in Svendborg at the turn of the century:
Svendborg Amtstidende, Svendborg Avis (Sydfyns Tidende) and Folkebladet
for Svendborg County. Only Svenborg Avis has survived to this day, now
under the name Funen Amts Avis.
The town holds 8 markets
annually: 1 in February with horses, 2 in March, 1 in May and 1 in July
with horses and cattle, 1 in October and 1 in November with horses,
cattle and sheep, and 1 in November with horses and cattle. Torvedag was
every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month.
Svendborg Harbor was continuously expanded in line with the growing
trade and transport.
The harbor was originally a natural harbor
protected by the roughly four-acre sandy ground, Koholmen, today
Frederiksø. The site was later dammed and filled in, on which two
anchorages and a shipbuilding site were built.
At the beginning
of the 19th century, the official harbor only consisted of a single
ship's bridge at the end of Brogade and a number of mooring posts at
Koholmen and Rasmus Møllers Plads, today Hudes Plads. In addition,
several major merchants and shipbuilders had built private jetties. In
1854, the harbor was extended to the southeast with a 58 m long wooden
steamship bridge. This meant that goods and passengers no longer had to
be landed with small boats. In 1868, a port facility with a 90 m bulwark
was built in the northern part of the port. The official name was
Nyhavn, but popularly it was called Cikoriebroen. It was due to the
newly built chicory factory, which today houses the town's Catholic
church.
After the establishment of the railway connection to
Odense, the port was expanded again. In 1875-77, a new quay called
Jessen Mole was built and in 1891-93 new expansions followed to the
north by filling in and constructing bulwarks. The new facility was
called Nordre Havn.
The harbor was also deepened so that it was
20 feet at the steamship bridge and 22 feet at the eastern entrance
between Frederiksø and Hudes Plads. The size of the harbor calculated
from the southern tip of the bridge and Frederiksø and from the island's
northwestern corner to Hudes Plads was approximately 216,000 square
meters. Excluding private bulwarks and construction bridges, the bulwark
length was approximately 2,950 feet. The port authority is managed by
the port committee under the supervision of the city council. It remains
so to this day.
A final extension was completed in 1901. The new
quay was named Østre Havn. Since then, the port's output has not changed
significantly, although the activities at the port have changed.
In 1850, Langes Jernstøberi was founded, which eventually became one
of the city's largest workplaces. The factory produced, among other
things, tiled stoves. The company closed in 1984 when it was no longer
profitable to produce iron stoves.
Of factories and industrial
facilities, the city had at the turn of the century: 3 machine factories
and iron foundries, namely Svendborg (located outside the city,
transferred to a joint-stock company in 1896, approximately 70 workers),
Axelsens (joint-stock company, established in 1899, 60 workers), and L.
Lange & Co. (stock company, established 1898, with shops in Svendborg
and Aarhus, employing approximately 250 workers), 2 Bavarian and white
beer breweries, namely Svendborg Bryghus (stock company, established
1899) and Concordia, 2 brandy distilleries, 1 steam distillery with
yeast factory, 1 clothing factory ( approximately 100 workers), 1
asphalt and roofing felt factory, 1 cement foundry, 2 machine looms, 3
steam looms, 1 hat factory (joint-stock company, established 1898), 1
cooperative pig slaughterhouse (joint-stock company from 1897), 1 joint
dairy, 1 margarine factory (workers' joint-stock company from 1897), 1
carriage factory, 1 chicory factory, 1 vinegar brewery, 1 lithography, 1
stone and sculpture, 2 Viennese furniture factories, 1 oil mill, 3 steam
mills, among others Svendborg Dampmølle (joint-stock company,
established 1875) and Svendborg Øksenbjærg Dampmølle, 1 brickworks,
several tobacco factories, mineral water factories, sawmills, dyers,
tanneries and leather tanneries (partly in connection with glue
factories), book printers, Arbejdernes Fællesbakery, etc.
Christiansminde was a popular excursion destination already in the
19th century. In the 1820s, the first tractor sites were built and in
1852 a dance hall was put into use. In the decades that followed, a
hotel opened with a restaurant and dance hall as well as a beach hotel.
The former was a favorite excursion destination for the townspeople,
while the beach hotel was for tourists. In the 1900s, the bathing hotel
was first converted into a care home then apartments. The old hotel has
been demolished and replaced by the new Hotel Christiansminde.
In
1866, the businessman Theobald Weber arrived in Svendborg, where he
planted an orchard in Gammel Hestehave. Over time it grew into a
substantial business selling apples, must, wine, cider and jam. The
Weber family lived in Christiansminde, where several villas, a park, a
boat bridge and various business enterprises were built. Theobald's sons
were also enterprising. For example, the son Sophus Weber built the
Svendborg Cycle Track in 1886, which was the first of its kind in the
country.
Svendborg Sommerevy, Rottefælden, had its first
performance in 1881 in Christiansminde. In 1883 the revue moved to
Rottefældeskoven, where it has been held every year since. This makes it
Denmark's oldest revue.
Svendborg's population was increasing in the late 1800s and early
1900s: 4,556 in 1850, 5,280 in 1855, 5,537 in 1860, 6,421 in 1870, 7,184
in 1880, 8,755 in 1890, 11,543 in 1901, 11,766 in 1906 and 12,667 in
1911.
As early as 1890, almost half of the city's inhabitants
supported themselves by industry and crafts. The composition of the
population by means of livelihood was in 1890: 790 lived from
non-material activities, 4,068 from craft and industry, 1,886 from trade
and turnover, 592 from shipping, 37 from fishing, 233 from agriculture,
843 from various day laborers, 254 from their means, 49 poverty alms,
and 3 were in prison. According to a census in 1906, the population was
11,766, of which 815 supported themselves by non-material activities,
456 by agriculture, forestry and dairying, 21 by fishing, 5,822 by
crafts and industry, 2,256 by trade and more, 1,385 by transport, 502
were shopkeepers, 297 lived on public support and 202 on other or
unspecified business.
In the 20th century, Svendborg developed into an important industrial
and educational city, but retained the traditionally strong connection
to the sea. In particular, the food, iron and metal sectors became
important businesses and the city had several maritime educations.
Svendborg Shipyard was founded in 1907 on Lake Frederiksøen. The
shipyard was expanded and for many years was the city's largest
workplace, until an economic crisis set in in the 1990s. The shipyard
closed in 2001. There were similar shipyards at Thurø Bund bay.
During the occupation, Sydfyn had relatively little importance as a
military area and only a modest amount of German soldiers were
stationed. The Germans' primary focus was to secure the harbor and the
food supply, especially after the first defeats on the Eastern Front.
Nevertheless, a number of resistance groups were established and approx.
30 acts of sabotage against the occupying power and several sting
liquidations. Nazi terrorist groups responded again with terrorist
bombings of, among other things, Svendborg Avis and the murder of two
members of the Halberg family, known for Halberg's tobacco factory. The
day of liberation on the 4th-5th May 1945 passed without blood.
Economic development stagnated during World War I, the Depression of the
1930s, and World War II.
The strong population growth continued,
although at a slower pace than in the previous century: In 1916 the city
had 12,991 inhabitants, in 1921 14,210 inhabitants, in 1925 14,419
inhabitants, in 1930 14,392 inhabitants, in 1935 19,161 inhabitants and
in 1940 19,978 inhabitants. In 1931, Sørup and Sct. Jørgen's
municipalities incorporated into the then Svendborg Municipality.
At the census in 1930, Svendborg had 14,392 inhabitants, of which
1,037 supported themselves by non-material activities, 5,705 by craft
and industry, 2,488 by trade etc., 1,751 by transport, 616 by
agriculture, forestry and fishing, 1,171 by housework, 1,514 were out of
business and 110 had not stated the source of income.
As in the rest of Denmark, the welfare sector in Svendborg was
greatly expanded in the post-war period. Among other things, the city's
hospital and gymnasium were expanded.
Svendborg celebrated its
700th birthday in 1953, and the regular bus station was inaugurated.
From 1954 until the turn of the millennium, the city government was
under social democratic leadership.
In the 1960s, the city was
expanded with new residential areas and the old business areas by the
harbor were supplemented with an industrial area to the northwest.
In 1966, the Svendborgsund Bridge was inaugurated, which thus became
Denmark's first stilt bridge. The bridge exists to this day and is 1220
meters long, and from the top there is a wide view over the entire
Svendborgsund area. This bridge extended Svendborg's catchment with
Tåsinge and Langeland, since the Langelands Bridge had been completed in
1962.
After the Second World War, Svendborg continued its
population development. In 1945 there were 21,356 inhabitants in the
market town, in 1950 23,069 inhabitants, in 1955 23,766 inhabitants, in
1960 23,892 inhabitants and in 1965 5,196 inhabitants. At the same time,
the suburb of Tvedvej developed, and a suburban area, Skovsbostrand in
Egense Municipality, was created.
In the 1970s, many creative and innovative young people moved to
Sydfyn and Svendborg. These young people had a great influence on the
city's cultural and urban life for the next few decades. A number of
collectives and several left-wing and/or alternative cultural and
educational institutions were established, such as Den Røde Højskole,
Kloster Moster and BaggårdTeatret.
In the 1990s, Svendborg was
hit by an economic crisis. Several of the city's large workplaces
closed, and many citizens became unemployed. The workplaces were i.a.
Svendborg Shipyard and Svendborg Buckwheat & Oat Mill, where Kellogg's –
Cornflakes were produced. This gave Svendborg a forced image change from
a shipyard and factory town to more of a trade, school and tourist town.
This continues to be the city's role today.
In 2001 SIMAC was
founded as a merger between Kogtved Maritime School, A.P. Møller Maersk
workshop school, Svendborg School of Mechanical Engineering and
Svendborg Navigation School. Until the summer of 2008, teaching
continued in Kogtved, but the entire education now takes place at
SIMAC's three addresses in Svendborg.
In 2003, Svendborg
celebrated its 750th birthday.
In 2007, the structural form came
into effect. Svendborg Municipality was formed by merging old Svendborg
Municipality, Egebjerg Municipality and Gudme Municipality. The County
of Funen was replaced by the Region of Southern Denmark.
Since
the turn of the millennium, the city government has, among other things,
focused on the development of the city's port, including the rethinking
of Lake Frederiksøen as a center for culture and maritime industry.
Svendborg has 27,300 inhabitants (2022). As in the rest of Denmark,
the proportion of elderly people is increasing, while the number of
people of working age is decreasing.
In 2019, non-Western
immigrants and descendants made up 5.7 per cent. of the population in
Svendborg Municipality. This is slightly lower than the national average
of 8.7 per cent.
Svendborg is located on southern Funen. The town has grown up around
a protected natural harbor at one of the narrowest places in
Svendborgsund. The town center is located on an approximately 20 meter
high moraine hill. The railway station and the harbor areas are built on
partially filled ground.
Svendborg is located approx. 50 km south
from Odense, approx. 30 km from the east of Faaborg, approx. 20 km north
of Rudkøbing and approx. 35 km. southwest of Nyborg.
Svendborg is
connected to Tåsinge via the Svendborgsund Bridge and to Thurø via the
Thurødæmningen.
In the center of Svendborg are Torvet and
Centrumpladsen, which make up the city's largest squares. The two
squares are connected by Ramsherred, where you will find Svendborg Town
Hall. The pedestrian street Gerritsgade leaves from Centrumplads, which
continues into the pedestrian street Møllergade. From here there are
several side streets and passages to Klosterplads, where Svendborg
Station is located. Further on from here you come to Svendborg Harbour,
from where Dronningemaen forms an inner ring road.
In the
municipal plan, Svendborg is divided into four districts: Svendborg
Bymidte, which corresponds to the old medieval town, the harbor and
newer city quarters to the north and west, Svendborg West incl. Kogtved
and Strandhuse, Svendborg East incl. Christiansminde and Svendborg Nord
incl. Two. In addition, the satellite towns of Thurø By, Vindeby,
Troense and Rantzausminde, the local towns of Vester Skerninge, Ollerup,
Kirkeby, Stenstrup, Gudbjerg, Gudme, Hesselager, Oure, Skårup, Landet
and Lundby as well as a number of villages, including Ballen, Bregninge,
Åbyskov, Hundstrup, Ulbølle and Lundeborg.
The South Funen Archipelago is a Natura 2000 area. Natura 2000 area
no. 127 covers the central parts of the archipelago from Thurø in the
north to Sydlangeland, Ærø and Marstal Bugt in the south. In total
approx. 450 km2.
Within the area there are five inhabited islets
and approx. 30 larger and smaller islets. On the coast there are large
salt marshes and many nor (lagoon lakes). The area has a rich flora and
fauna, including a large population of birds. The archipelago is an
important habitat for whoopers, harriers, grebes, common harriers,
terns, terns and pygmies and an important roosting and wintering area
for whooper swans, whooper swans, eiders and coots.
Svendborg is the largest city in Svendborg Municipality and belongs
to Region Southern Denmark. Svendborg City Council has 29 members. The
current town hall at Ramsherred is at least the fourth town hall in the
city. It was built in 1939 in a functionalist style.
Mayors
Bo
Hansen, Social Democrat, is mayor of Svendborg Municipality. He was
elected in 2018, and re-elected in 2021.
Svendborg's first
popularly elected mayor was Johannes Laccopian, the Conservative
People's Party, who was elected in 1921. Carl Tønnesen, the Social
Democracy, was elected in 1933, although the party did not have the
majority. He got the post because the Liberals and Conservatives
disagreed on a candidate. Ferdinand Jensen, Social Democracy, sat from
1938 to 1950 and again from 1954 to 1957. Einar Halberg, son of tobacco
manufacturer Harald Halberg, Conservative, was elected in 1950 and sat
until 1954. Svend Aage Andersen, Social Democracy, became mayor in 1957
and sat to 1978. Viggo Schultz, Social Democrat, sat from 1978 to 1984.
Holger Rasmussen, Social Democrat, was mayor from 1984 to 1998. Jørgen
Henningsen sat from 1998 to 2006. Lars Erik Hornemann, Left, became the
first mayor after the Municipal Reform in 2007. He sat until 2009 and
again from 2014 to 2017. Curt Sørensen, Social Democrat, sat from 2010
to 2013.
Town Arms
Svendborg's city coat of arms shows three
red towers above five white waves on a blue background. Above the towers
is a yellow new moon and a yellow six-pointed star. The town coat of
arms can be dated back to the 14th century.
Hospital and ambulance service
Svendborg Hospital is part of
Odense University Hospital. The hospital has, among other things,
anaesthesia, intensive care unit, medical department, neurology,
pathology, radiology, ear-nose-throat surgery and orthopedic surgery.
In Svendborg, the ambulance company Ambulance Syd, which is owned by
Region Southern Denmark, operates.
Police and courts
Police
duties in Svendborg are handled by the Funen Police. Svendborg Police
Station is located on Tvedvej in the former County Sheriff's residence
from 1870.
The court in Svendborg is located on Christiansvej in
the northern part of the city. The court covers the following
municipalities: Ærø, Langeland, Svendborg, Faaborg-Midtfyn and Nyborg.
Transportation
Collective transport
On Svendborgbanen, there
is a rail connection from Svendborg Station and Svendborg Vest Station
to Odense via Ringe.
There are scheduled bus connections to
Odense via Ørbæk, Ringe, Nykøbing Falster via Rudkøbing and
Spodsbjerg-Tårs, Faaborg and Nyborg.
Svendborg has city buses
that cover the eastern district, northern district, western district,
Egense, Rantzausminde, Thurø City, Grasten, Tved and Troense.
Ports
Svendborg Harbor is owned by Svendborg Municipality. The harbor
area has 2,000 meters of quay and water depths of up to 6.5 meters. The
harbor is used both for businesses, yachtsmen, ferries and cultural
offerings.
From the port there are the following ferry
connections:
Ærøskøbing with the ferries M/F Ærøskøbing and M/F
Marstal
Skarø and Drejø with the ferry M/F Højestene
Hjortø with
the ferry Hjortøboen.
In the summer months, there are also tourist
sailings with M/S Helge to Vindebyøre, Christiansminde, Troense, Grasten
on Thurø and Valdemars Slot.
In the center is Svendborg Yacht
Harbor, which has approx. 270 fixed places. There are also marinas in
Rantzausminde, Gambøt on Thurø, Vindeby and Troense.
Ways
The
Svendborg motorway (Primærrute 9) is a motorway that runs from Odense to
Svendborg, the motorway opened on 25 June 2009. As a country road,
Primærrute 9 continues through Svendborg over the Svendborgsund bridge
and on over Tåsinge and Langeland and following the ferry route
Spodsbjerg-Tårs all the way to Nykøbing Falster .
Ring Nord,
which is part of Sekundærrute 163, is a ring road north of the city that
relieves the center of heavy traffic.
Air traffic
From Sydfyn
Airport in Tåsinge there is a taxi flight connection to Ærø and
Copenhagen, among others. It takes just under an hour to Hans Christian
Andersen Airport north of Odense. It is two hours by car to Copenhagen
Airport, which is the largest in Scandinavia.
Supply and disposal
95 percent of the citizens in Svendborg Municipality are supplied with
drinking water from a public waterworks. Vand & Affald, which is owned
by Svendborg Municipality, operates six waterworks, which account for
2/3 of the water supply in Svendborg.
Vand & Affald is
responsible for handling waste water throughout Svendborg Municipality,
including the sewage system and six treatment plants.
Vand &
Affald is responsible for the handling of household waste and bulk waste
as well as the operation of environmental stations and the recycling
sites in Svendborg and Hesselager.
Svendborg Fjernvarme supplies
district heating to consumers in the city centre. Half of the heat comes
from Svendborg Power Plant, while the rest comes from biofuel, natural
gas or electricity production.
Svendborg's professional positions of strength are mainly within
maritime, food, environment/energy and tourism.
Svendborg has a
long tradition of shipping, shipbuilding, shipbuilding and various
industries that supplied here. To this day, the city is characterized by
a vibrant, maritime environment with pilots, shipbrokers, machine shops
and shipyards, including Petersen & Sørensen Motorworkshop and J.
Ring-Andersen Shipyard, which specializes in wooden ships. Companies
that supply products to the marine and off-shore industry include SH
Group and CC Jensen.
Denmark's largest company has its origins in
Svendborg, as Captain Peter Mærsk Møller and his son Arnold Peter Møller
bought a used steamship in 1904 and subsequently formed A/S
Dampskibsselskabet Svendborg. In 2003 it was merged with
Dampskibsselskabet af 1912 A/S and was named A.P. Møller-Maersk A/S.
Today, the group runs a training and education center in Svendborg.
Mac Baren Tobacco Company's history starts in 1887, when the
skipper's son Harald Halberg took over Svend Bønnelycke's tobacco
factory, which was later renamed Harald Halberg Cigar & Tobaksfabrik.
Mac Baren produces, among other things, pipe tobacco, rolling tobacco
and snuff and still has a factory and headquarters in Svendborg. The
company behind Mac Baren, Halberg A/S, also owns a capital fund and
three hotels, including Hotel Svendborg.
Svendborg Brakes was
founded in 1884 under the name Svendborg Maskinfabrik, and manufactures
brake systems for several different industries. In 1990, the company
changed its name to Svendborg Brakes. Today it is located in Vejstrup a
little north of Svendborg and in 2009 employed around 160 people.
Trade in Svendborg is centered around the pedestrian streets
Gerritsgade and Møllergade and the side streets to them, which both
offer chain stores, specialist shops, handicrafts and galleries.
In 1996, Svendborg Bycenter was built, and the large center today has 14
stores.
Every Saturday there is a market on Torvet. Here you can
buy cheese, fish, vegetables, flowers, meat etc.
In the center of the city there is a large number of cafes, bars and restaurants. According to reports, Svendborg has the largest number of pubs per inhabitant of Denmark.
Two regional newspapers are published in Svendborg. Funen Amts Avis,
which is part of Fynske Medier, covers southeast Funen in the
municipalities of Svendborg, Langeland, Ærø and Faaborg-Midtfyn
Municipality. The newspaper has its headquarters in Svendborg. In
addition, UgeAvisen Svendborg is published, published by Jysk Fynske
Medier.
The local radio station Radio Diablo, which covers South
Funen, has an address in Svendborg. There is also Svendborg Lokalradio,
which broadcasts on Sundays to listeners in Svendborg Municipality.
As the gateway to the South Funen Archipelago, the town has managed
to become a popular tourist town, especially for yachtsmen.
The
town has several hotels, including Missionshotellet Stella Maris, which
has 36 rooms, Hotel Svendborg (135 rooms) which is part of the Best
Western hotel chain, Hotel Ærø (56 rooms) on the harbor, whose history
dates back to 1860, and a hostel with 220 beds in 84 rooms, furnished in
the former Langes Jernstøberi.
There are several campsites around
the city, including Rantzausminde Camping, Skårupøre Camping, Svendborg
Sund Camping and Carlsberg Camping on Tåsinge as well as Thurø Strand
Camping and Møllegaardens Strand Camping on Thurø.
Svendborg has several different youth and higher education programs.
Higher education
University College Lillebælt (UCL) has a
department (campus) in Svendborg, which offers the two Bachelor of
Professions programmes:
Nurse
Pedagogue.
SIMAC (Svendborg
International Maritime Academy) is Denmark's largest maritime
educational institution. It offers three programs at professional
bachelor's level:
Engineer
Ship's officer
Master of the ship.
Youth education
Svendborg Gymnasium is one of the country's largest
high schools with 1,150 students in 2012 and 140 employees
Svendborg
Business School, which also includes Svendborg Technical High School
Social and Health School Fyn
HF & VUC Funen
FGU South and Midtfyn.
Primary schools, private schools and post-secondary schools
In the
city of Svendborg there are from the 2011/2012 school year:
Five
elementary schools
Two private schools: Ida Holst School and Haahrs
School
Svendborg Secondary School.
Other education
In
Svendborg, there is a wide selection of educational services for adults,
including several choirs, housework associations, evening schools, art
associations and local branches of the information associations AOF, LOF
and FOF. Svendborg Folkeuniversitet is based in AOF's buildings on
Vestergade and offers lectures in areas such as climate, health
sciences, history, cultural history, astrophysics and literature.
The municipal music school, Svendborg Music School, offers rhythm
and music lessons to the municipality's children and young people.
Svendborg Youth School is a youth school that offers free education
and leisure activities to young people between the ages of 13 and 18,
e.g. English, music, art and design, horse riding and e-sports.
Foreigners in the municipality can be offered Danish lessons at the
Lærdansk language center on the Viebæltet.
The nearest colleges
are Gymnastikhøjskolen in Ollerup and Oure Højskole, which focus on
sports and artistic subjects.
Svendborg is the cultural center of South Funen and has many venues, museums, theaters and sports clubs. The city is a member of the cittaslow network, which, among other things, focuses on culinary quality, sustainability and the use of local products.
Borgerforeningen - Kulturhus Svendborg - was founded in 1851. Today
it is a modern cultural center that offers lectures, theatre, dance,
stand-up as well as classical and rhythmic music. The Kulturhuset's café
and foyer are also used by Svendborg Theatre.
The town's
Gårdbutik in Vestergade sells local food and specialities. The house
also has a small café and book sale from the Literature House.
Svendborg Community Hall is a community center in the center of the city
that can be rented for both private parties and public events. The
house's user association also organizes repair café, children's flea
market, group singing, conversation salon etc.
Kultutten is a
citizen-run cultural center that has its home in the old shipyard
canteen on Frederiksø. The volunteers organize, among other things,
yoga, a creative workshop and a free recycling shop.
Svendborg
Library on Viebæltet is the main library in Svendborg Municipality. The
library offers a number of cultural events, e.g. readings, reading club,
children's theatre, board game café and lectures.
Svendborg has a
route in Danske Digterruter for Johannes Jørgensen.
The old shipyard lake Frederiksøen today contains a mixture of
culture and maritime industry. On the north side of the island are a
number of shipyards and workshops, while the former shipyard buildings
on the south side of the island house a number of cultural offerings,
including Denmark's Museum for Yachting, the venue and harbor bar
Kammerateriet, the cultural center Kultutten, a gallery and several
annual street food markets.
Maritimt Center Danmark is an
association that organizes sailing trips with old sailing ships in the
South Funen archipelago every year. The center is located in a harbor
warehouse from 1872 at Svendborg Harbour, which is worthy of
preservation.
Naturama is a natural history museum that exhibits a large collection
of stuffed animals in water, on land and from the air, as well as
special natural history exhibitions. The museum was founded in 1935 and
was known as the Zoological Museum until 2005.
Denmark's Welfare
Museum is a social history museum located in the old workhouse and
workhouse in the center of the city. It is part of the Svendborg Museum.
Svendborg Museum is a cultural history museum that works with South
Funen's local history, seafaring, welfare history and archaeology. The
museum was established in 1908 and, in addition to the welfare museum,
also operates Anne Hvides Gård, which is the oldest secular building in
the city, Egeskov Mølle in Kværndrup, Sehested's Oldsagssamling in
Broholm, two archives and seven maritime vessels.
Denmark's
Museum for Yachting tells the maritime cultural history of Denmark, and
was founded in 1996 at Valdemars Castle. In 2016 it moved to
Frederiksøen at Svendborg Harbour. It is the largest of its kind in the
Nordics, and contains exhibition boats, stories, effects, models and
much more from the last 150 years.
Johannes Jørgensen's Memorial
Rooms are set up in the writer and poet Johannes Jørgensen's childhood
home and residence of honor in Fruerstræde. He was born in Svendborg,
but traveled to Copenhagen when he was 16. In 1896 Johannes Jørgensen
converted to Catholicism, and in 1907 his famous biography of the saint
Francis of Assisi was published. In 1915 he moved to Assisi in Italy. He
lived here until 1952, when he moved back to his hometown. Johannes
Jørgensen's book collection, furniture and personal effects are
exhibited in the memorial rooms.
Svendborg County Art Association
(SAK) is located in SAK Kunstbygning in Vestergade. The museum has
changing exhibitions and a permanent exhibition with the sculptor Kai
Nielsen, who was born in Svendborg in 1882. In 1901 he moved to
Copenhagen and became associated with the Academy of Arts. Kai Nielsen
is known for his naturalistic and sensual works, which can be seen
around Svendborg and at the Glyptoteket, Enghaveparken and Blågårds
Plads in Copenhagen.
In Christiansminde is the old Smithy from
the 1840s. It is a working workshop where fittings for listed buildings
are manufactured, among other things. The idea is that through this work
you can preserve the craft of blacksmithing, by retired blacksmiths
teaching the craft to younger generations.
The Svend Prize is awarded in Svendborg every year at the end of
August. The Svendprisen is an audience award for the year's most popular
film and the best film actor performances.
Svendborg CREATE is an
annual festival within animation, games and comics.
Svendborg
Days with Brecht - Festival for Art and Politics is celebrated every two
years. The festival is named after the German playwright and poet,
Bertolt Brecht, who lived with his wife and their children in
Rantzausminde as a political refugee from the Nazi regime in 1933-39.
Their house is today an artistic refuge.
Culinary South Funen is
the Nordic region's largest food market. The association behind works to
make visible and market South Funen's raw materials, producers and
eateries.
Danish Bridge Festival has been held in Svendborg since
2014. The festival includes drop-in tournaments, DM finals, courses and
an introduction to bridge.
A number of annual music festivals are
held, including Hansted Live, Høje Bøge Open Air and Dansktop Festival.
Every year in the month of May, Store Martha Day is held to
celebrate the Danish folk comedy Martha, which was published in 1967.
The event is held in collaboration between the city's cinema, which
shows the film in their largest hall, and a restaurant on the pedestrian
street that has set up part of its serving area as the fair on board the
ship. There are a total of 260 seats each year, as this is the cinema's
capacity, and tickets are sold within a very short time.
Litteraturhuset organizes literary events in collaboration with various
partners.
Svendborg is known for its lively music scene and many live concerts.
Reportedly, more than 700 concerts a year are held in the city. Venues
include Harders, located in the old Ribers Gård, and Kammerateriet on
Frederiksø.
Svendborg is home to BaggårdTeatret and Svendborg
Teater, which perform performances from various theater tours throughout
the year.
From June to August, the summer revue Rottefælden is
held in BaggårdTeatret. It is Denmark's oldest operating revue, and one
of Svendborg's cultural characteristics.
The Scala cinema is
located next to Centrumpladsen, and it has four halls, the largest of
which has room for 260 guests.
Peder Most Garden is Svendborg's
city guard. Garden, which marches through the city's old streets every
Saturday in the summer, was founded in 1953 in connection with the
market town's 700th anniversary. It is named after the fictitious
Svendborg boy Peder Most, who was the main character in five boys'
novels written at the beginning of the 20th century by the author Walter
Christmas. He had some connection to the town, as he had been married to
a daughter of grocer Theobald Weber from Christiansminde.
Facilities
Høje Bøge Stadium is an athletics and football stadium
that is home to SfB-Oure FA. It is also used for athletics events and
for the annual festival Høje Bøge Open Air. The stadium is, as the name
suggests, surrounded by tall beech trees.
SG-Huset is a sports
complex with several halls, training facilities, dance studio, café etc.
The largest hall, HK Midt Arena, is the home ground for Svendborg
Rabbits and Svendborg Handball Club. Next to the SG house are also SfB's
training facilities, a tennis hall and 10 tennis courts. There is also a
smaller sports hall in the center of the city called Midtbyhallen.
The city has two swimming pools: The swimming pool on Centrumpladsen
and Svendborg Swimming Pool.
North of the city close to Hvidkilde
estate, Svendborg Golf Club has an 18-hole course.
Motorcycle
Clubben Svendborg has a motocross facility with both a large track and a
micro track.
Svendborg has a large number of sports and sports associations,
including Tved Boldklub, Svendborg Gymnastikforening (SG), Boxing Club
Rollo, Dykkerklubben Delfinen, Svendborg Cykle Club, Svendborg Kayak
Club, Svendborg Rowing Club and Svendborg Tennis Club.
Svendborg
forenede Boldklubber (SfB) is a football club that includes both junior
and senior football. The club was founded in 1901 under the name Union.
In 1915 the club changed its name to Svendborg Boldklub. In 1962, SfB
was formed by merging Svendborg Boldklub and Kammerateners Boldklub.
Since 1963, the club has primarily played divisional football, although
with occasional detours to the lower ranks. Since 2018, the club has
entered into a collaboration with Oure Fodbold Akademi on joint men's
senior, U19 and U17 teams under the name SfB-Oure FA. From the 2021-2022
season, the senior team plays in the Danmarksserien.
Svendborg
Rabbits is a professional men's basketball team that plays in the
Basketligaen. The parent club, Svendborg Basketball Club, was formed in
1958, and is therefore one of the country's oldest clubs. Rabbits have
won one Danish championship (2009/10) and three cup titles.
Svendborg Handball Club here won the Danish championship for men twice
in 1961 and 1979.
North-east of the city are the three small
towns Gudme, Oure and Gudbjerg, which are home to the successful
handball club GOG.
Svendborg provides harbor for a number of sailing events and races,
including Silver Rutter, Svendborg Classic Regatta and Fyn Rundt for
Ships Worth Preservation.
BISSEN MTB is an annual mountain bike
marathon with start and finish at Frederiksøen.
Svendborg hosted
the National Convention in 1994 and 2022.
Svendborg contains several forests, beaches and natural areas.
In the western part of the city are Sofielund Forest, Høje
Bøgeskoven, Christinedal and Lille Eng. In the north are Margrethelund
Forest and Gallows Hill, where the city's last execution took place in
1853.
In the northeast lies the contiguous area of Ørkild
Voldsted, Rottefældeskoven and Musefældeskoven. Ørkild Fort is a large
fortress after an Ørkild Castle that was built in the 12th-13th century,
presumably by Valdemar the Great. The castle burned down in 1534 during
the Count's feud. Today, the site of the violence is kept free of
grazing sheep.
In the eastern part of the city there are
Christiansmindeskovene, Hallindskoven, Stevneskoven and Gammel
Hestehave. The latter is a green area with several smaller burial
mounds, where finds from the Stone and Bronze Ages have been made. In
the area there is also the Æbleskivestenen, a large stone from the
Bronze Age with many incised bowl marks. The bowl signs are bowl-shaped
petroglyphs that probably had a cultic significance.
From
Svendborg Harbor you can see Skansen on Tåsinge to the south. Skansen is
a grassy pasture that is grazed by cattle.
Since the 19th
century, Christiansminde Strand has been a popular excursion destination
for both the city's citizens and tourists. Today, the beach is equipped
with an ice house, mini golf course and ball fields. There is also a
jetty where the water ferry M/S Helge docks.
The Øhavsstien is a
hiking trail whose main line runs from Lundeborg on East Funen over
South Funen to Falsled on South West Funen. In Svendborg, the path goes
from Hallingskoven to Christiansminde, through the center and along the
coast to Kogtved. From here you are directed into the forest on the old
railway track to Faaborg until you reach Skovsbo, Hvidkilde and Egebjerg
Bakker.
At the foot of the Church of Our Lady is the square, which, among
other things, used for market days. The square is mentioned for the
first time in 1527, when the city council bought a farm from the church
to build a place for "axeltorv and general market". However,
archaeological excavations show that there has been trade in the area
since the beginning of the 13th century. On the square were the city's
two oldest town halls that we know of. The oldest known town hall on the
square was replaced by a new one in the same place approx. 1830. The
second town hall was used until 1882, when a new one was built further
west - the later courthouse. Both the first and the second town hall had
several functions. There were, for example, prisons in the basements,
and rooms for parties and theater performances.
The city's second
large square, Centrumpladsen, is home to Hotel Svendborg, a cinema, a
swimming pool, several sculptures, a fountain and the mural Penelope and
Odysseus by Peter Brandes.
Klosterplads by Svendborg Station is
named after the town's Gråbrøder monastery. There are three bronze
statues of Franciscan monks by Jens Galschiøt.
The city has
several parks and playgrounds. In the center is Krøyer's Garden, which
provides the framework for several annual events, e.g. the Workers'
International Day of Struggle. On the harbor is the playground and skate
park Prøveparken. There are nature playgrounds in Tankefuld on the
border with Sofielundskoven and on Dronningemaen close to Naturama.
The sculptor Kai Nielsen was born in Svendborg and several of his
works can be seen in the city. Leda with the Swan stands in front of the
SAK Art Building, Leda without the Swan by the library and Venus with
the apple in Krøyer's Garden.
Svendborg contains a number of listed buildings. In the old town
center are a number of old half-timbered buildings, including Anne
Hvides Gård, Krøyers Pakhus, Ebenezer and the three bay houses,
Bagergade 1-5. Listed buildings include Christiansmøllen, the former
poorhouse Viebæltegård, now Danmarks Forsorgsmuseum, the main building
of Langes Jernstøberi, the old fire station on Torvet, the Gatehouse to
Gammel Hestehave, which was owned by the influential Weber family, as
well as Baagøe & Ribers Plads, which houses both warehouses, warehouses,
administration building/residence, bulwark and harbor area for the
Baagøe & Riber grocery store.
In Svendborg's catchment area there
are a number of castles and manors, including Broholm, Hvidkilde,
Valdemars Castle and Egeskov Castle. Egeskov is one of Europe's
best-preserved water castles and a popular tourist destination.
The following folk churches are located in the city:
Saint Nicholas
Church
Our Lady Church
Saint George's Church
The Church of
Peace
Tved Church
Sørup Church
The city also has a Catholic
church, Saint Knud's Church, a mosque and several free churches.
In the middle of the city is Assistens Kirkegård.
Nielsine Nielsen (1850-1916), Denmark's first female academic and
doctor
Johannes Jørgensen (1866-1956), writer, appointed honorary
citizen of Svendborg in 1936
A. P. Møller (1876-1965), wholesaler and
ship owner
Kai Nielsen (1882-1924), sculptor
Tom Kristensen
(1893-1974), writer, appointed honorary citizen of Svendborg in 1970
Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956), German poet and writer, lived in Svendborg
1933-1939
Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller (1913-2012), shipowner, named
honorary citizen in 2001
Bent Mejding (1937), actor
Arne Hansen
(1938-1992), actor, known as Mr. Mortensen in Nissebanden
Folmer
Rubæk (1940-2016), actor
John Eriksen (1957-2002), footballer, active
for SfB, OB, various foreign clubs and the national team
Annette
Vilhelmsen (1959), politician, former chairman of SF
Mads
Barner-Christensen (1965), writer, lecturer and TV commentator
Tom
Buk-Swienty (1966), historian, journalist and author, known among other
things for his two books about the Danish-German war in 1864, born in
Eutin
Troels Bech (1966), soccer coach, former soccer player and
sports director
Jan Pytlick (1967), former national coach for the
women's national team in handball
Claus Holm (1970), chef, cookbook
author and lecturer, born in Vejle and living in Rantzausminde
Zindy
Laursen (1971), singer and songwriter
Jesper Wung-Sung (1971),
author, recipient of the Golden Laurels, born in Marstal
Nikolaj
Jacobsen (1971), former handball player and current national coach, born
in Viborg and living on Thurø
Thomas Bense (1974), TV host,
beatboxer, game expert and founder of Pixel.tv
Marc Johnson (1979),
rapper
Trine Bramsen (1981), social democratic politician and
minister
UFO (1981), rapper
Yepha (1983), rapper
Sarah-Sofie
Boussnina (1990), actress
Simone Tang (1990), actress, singer
Rasmus Brohave (1998), YouTuber