Svendborg- Gateway to an Archipelago
View over Svendborg from the ferry
“…authenticity is the gateway to all good things.” – Renae A. Sauter
In a maritime country like Denmark, which has 8750km (5440 miles) of coastline and countless harbors, large and small, Svendborg is arguably the country’s maritime capital. Located on the southern tip of the island of Funen (Fyn), it is also the capital of the South Funen Archipelago. Svendborg was settled in the early 1100s at the head of a bay with a protected harbor that naturally supported seafaring and trade because the harbor is accessible via several channels that feed through the more than 55 offshore islands. The first documented mention dates to 1229, when King Valdemar the Victorious referred to the town fortification as Swinæborg.
Granted market privileges in 1253, Svendborg was one of the most important trading centers in all of Scandinavia until the Reformation. Thereafter, the town faced 250 years with only brief periods of prosperity, interspersed with longer periods of civil war, plague, devastating fires, and the Swedish Wars, when all the ships were destroyed. The Industrial Revolution finally brought an improvement in the town’s land-based infrastructure, population growth, and factories, including the shipyard, founded in 1907. A.P. Møller-Mærsk, one of the largest container ship companies in the world today, also had its origins in Svendborg during that era.
Today, maritime life is still authentic and evident everywhere in Svendborg. Wooden tall ships moor along piers bordered by ancient warehouses, ferries commute daily to the islands, and all types of sailing events fill the summer calendar. On the harbor island of Frederiksøen, the historical center of shipbuilding and repair, a new urban playground has arisen among old shipyards. Former industrial workshops have become entrepreneurial workspaces, galleries, and concert spaces, even featuring summer opera. Outside, beach bars share space on the wharf with street food carts. Some traditional maritime businesses remain on Frederiksøen alongside the Danish Yachting Museum, which exhibits 150 years of Danish maritime history.
Svendborg is a joy to experience on land as well as on the water. Just a five-minute walk uphill from the harbor, the vibrant old town reveals cobblestone streets lined with ancient and pretty half-timbered houses and glimpses into inviting courtyards. It’s worth taking an unhurried stroll to appreciate the ancient architecture and old-town ambiance and to uncover treasure among the small shops that sell regional specialties from the fields, orchards, and breweries or distilleries of the region. Unique treasure is also on offer in artisans’ workshops hidden from first glance in back courtyards, where individual owner-creators include glassblowers, silversmiths, potters, gallery owners, and an artisanal baker. If the weather permits, locals prefer to lounge in a comfy café chair and watch the bustle along the main pedestrian street that leads uphill from the harbor to the square.
On the main town square, the weekly Saturday market takes place from 9:00-14:00 and features local produce, flowers, and, of course, fish, all under the watchful presence of the Church of Our Lady. Built on the town’s highest point inside the city walls in the 13th century as a late Romanesque long church of red brick, its current form includes later Gothic additions. Nearby stands Svendborg’s oldest residential building, the two-story half-timbered Anne Hvide’s House, built by a widow of noble descent in 1560. The building now serves as a special exhibition space of the Svendborg Museum for local culture, history, and archeology.
Don’t Miss:
Getting out on the water on a Schooner trip or take a ferry to one of the islands.
Serendipity:
Locals along the way- When the hotel receptionist recommends seeking out a hidden gem: Restaurant Børsen, which celebrates the cult Danish maritime movie “Marta” on their second floor in a re-created interior of an old freighter.
Lunch Tip:
Restaurant Svendborgsund for delicious and hearty traditional Danish food.
Bedtime:
Hotel Ærø Svendborg, a family-owned hotel overlooking the harbor, with a nautical, beachy flair.
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*All photographs are mine, taken with my Nikon D3100 or iPhone 12 Pro.*