Svendborg Municipality
Svendborg was the capital of what from Apr 1970 to Dec 2006?
Svendborg Svendborg ( ) is a town on the island of Funen in south-central Denmark , and the seat of Svendborg Municipality . With a population of 27,054 ( 1 January 2021 ) , Svendborg is Funens second largest city . In 2000 Svendborg was declared Town of the year in Denmark , and in 2003 it celebrated its 750th anniversary as a market town . By road , Svendborg is located southwest of Copenhagen , south of Aarhus , south of Odense , and east of Faaborg . Svendborg is home to Danmarks Forsorgsmuseum social history museum and Naturama natural history museum . The latter holds a wide variety of stuffed animals from whales and bears to birds and Foxes . The largest container ship company in the world , A.P . Møller-Mærsk has its origins in Svendborg , in the Villa Anna . History . Early history . In the light of archaeological discoveries , Svendborg appears to have been established in the first half of the 12th century or even earlier . Located at the head of a bay , the natural harbour encouraged seafaring and trade . The first recorded mention of Svendborg occurred in 1229 in a deed of gift by Valdemar the Victorious , where he refers to the fortification as Swinæburgh . The name is thought to consist of the elements svin meaning pig and borg meaning fortification . In 1236 , the Greyfriars monastery in Svendborg was established . The Greyfriars would be part of the city for the next 300 years , until the Protestant reformation in 1536 . The ruins of the monastery were partly excavated beside the railway in 2007 . Middle Ages . In 1253 , the city was granted market town privileges by King Christopher I . In the Middle Ages , the city was fortified with walls and moats . The defense system also included a few of forts . Most historical facts about the medieval defense system , including the locations of fortifications , are disputed , as little archaeological evidence has been generated . In spite of this , it is a popular theory that the three towers in the coat of arms are the three fortifications ( Skattertårnet , Kyseborg and a third one unnamed ) . Thanks to its seafarers , in the late Middle Ages Svendborg became one of the most important trading centres in Scandinavia . 16th and 17th centuries . During the time of the Protestant reformation and the Counts Feud in the 1530s , the citizens of Svendborg joined forces with the King . Ørkild Castle , located just east of Svendborg , was property of the bishop of Odense , who was less than popular among the citizens of the city . The tension resulted in the castle being seized and burned down by an angry mob in collaboration with the Kings forces . The Kings forces would later , after ending their north-going campaign on Funen , return to pillage and plunder Svendborg . After 1536 , Svendborg went through a brief period of progress becoming the islands main port . But it would not last for long . In the following 250 years , the city faced various setbacks in its development , such as plague , a major fire , and the effects of the Swedish wars when Svendborgs ships were destroyed . Industrial development . It was not until the end of the war with England and the Industrial Revolution in the early 19th century that the city returned to a period of increasing prosperity . The population grew from a mere 1,942 people in 1801 to more than 11,500 in 1901 . This development was followed by improvement of the infrastructure , such as rail links with Odense , Faaborg and Nyborg , improvement of the local roads and the establishment of a real harbour suited for extensive trading , since goods could now easily be transported there . In the middle of the 19th century an explosion of industrialization happened , and all kinds of factories , from engineering to breweries were established together with modern gas and water systems . In the late 19th century , with industry well established , it was necessary to accommodate the growing population . This led to numerous new schools being founded . Furthermore , a hospital was established in 1871 and expanded in 1891 . 20th century to present . The rapid increase in population continued at the beginning of the 20th century as Svendborg developed into an even more important industrial and educational centre . The food and metallurgy sectors became well established . The port prospered with new facilities , including shipyards such as Svendborg Skibsværft which was established in 1907 on an artificial island . On the educational front , a number of maritime and navigational schools were established . The shipyard , which had employed up to 800 in the 1980s finally closed in 2001 , some of the facilities being taken over by Vestas . In recent years , there has been a marked transition from industry into the service sector , the hospital now being one of the principal employers . Tourism has also prospered , especially for those arriving in pleasure boats . The German writer Bertolt Brecht spent the first years of his exile from Nazi Germany in Svendborg . The town provided the title of a collection of Brechts poems Svendborger Gedichte ( Svendborg Poems ) . Geography . Svendborg lies on the south coast of Funen . By road , Svendborg is located southwest of Copenhagen , south of Odense , southeast of Middelfart , and south-southeast of Faaborg . The Port of Svendborg is accessed by several channels , feeding through the islands of Tåsinge and Thurø . Svendborg Sund approaches the town from the southwest , along which ferries coming from Ærøskøbing pass the smaller islands of Drejø , Hjortø , and Skarø . Between Tåsinge and Thurø is Thurø Sund , which passes Bregninge forest ( Bregninge Skov ) on the northeast coast of Tåsinge , approaching the port of Svendborg from the south . From the east , between mainland Funen and the island of Thurø , is the narrow Skårupøre Sund . To the west of Svendborg are several lakes , including Sørup Lake ( Sørup Sø ) , northwest of the centre , and Hvidkilde Lake ( Hvidkilde Sø ) , northwest of the centre of Svendborg . Several forested areas lie to the north-northwest of Svendborg , including Græsholmene , Løvehave , and Ravnebjerg Skov . Economy . The largest container ship company in the world , A.P . Møller-Mærsk has its origins in Svendborg , in the Villa Anna . The company remained in the hands of Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller until his death in 2012 at the age of 98 . The Mac Baren tobacco factory was established in Svendborg in 1887 , under the name Harald Halberg Tobaks and Cigarfabrik . The company was renamed the Mac Baren Tobacco Company in 1995 . The company employs 140 people , and exports tobacco products to 70 countries . Landmarks . Vor Frue Kirke ( Church of Our Lady ) located on a hill north of the market square was established in the 13th century but was enlarged in the late Middle Ages with a Gothic chancel , transepts and tower . A spire was added in 1768 . The oldest section is the red-brick , Romanesque nave . Today the church reflects the comprehensive restoration work undertaken by Ove Petersen in 1884 . The altar , pulpit and other artefacts date from the 17th century . Anne Hvides House ( Anne Hvides Gård ) , a two-storey , half-timbered building , is one of Svendborgs oldest houses . Anne Hvide , a widow of noble descent , had it built in 1560 . It was used as an inn from 1837 to 1867 . After being restored , it became the town museum in 1916 . It still belongs to Svenborg Museum who use it for exhibitions on the history of Svendborg during the summer months . Naturama , established in April 2005 , is a natural history museum enhanced by means of various technological support features including light and sound , film , and expedition scenarios . It has a large collection of stuffed animals and birds in natural surroundings . A recent addition has been an exhibition depicting the world of spiders . Svendborg contains a branch of the Odense University Hospital , Odense Universitetshospital - Svendborg Sygehus . It also contains the Svendborg Museum . Attractions close to Svendborg include Egeskov , the best preserved Renaissance water castle in Europe , Valdemars Castle on the nearby island of Tåsinge , and Hesselagergård , a historic manor to the north of Svendborg . Education . A branch of University College Lillebaelt ( ) can be found in Svendborg . Svendborg is also the home of Svendborg Gymnasium which is one of the larger upper secondary schools in Denmark with more than 1,000 students and around 100 teachers . Furthermore , it also has Svendborg Erhvervsskole , which is the largest educational institute in Southern Funen . Notable people . - Hans Gaas ( c.1500 in Svendborg – 1578 ) a Norwegian clergyman and Bishop of Nidaros - Nielsine Nielsen ( 1850 in Svendborg – 1916 ) the first female academic and physician in Denmark - Christian Klengenberg ( 1869 in Svendborg – 1931 ) a whaler and trapper in Point Hope , Alaska - Arnold Peter Møller ( 1876–1965 ) a Danish shipping magnate and businessman who founded A.P . Moller-Maersk Group in 1904 ; lived in Svendborg - Grethe Meyer ( 1918 in Svendborg – 2008 ) an architect and designer of cutlery and dinnerware - Leif Bjørnø ( 1937 in Svendborg – 2015 ) professor and well known acoustician - Inge Prytz Johnson ( born 1945 in Svendborg ) a lawyer , Senior United States District Judge - Jesper Lützen ( born 1951 in Svendborg ) an historian of mathematics and the physical sciences - Annette Vilhelmsen ( born 1959 in Svendborg ) a politician , member of Folketing 2011-2015 - Rune Bech ( born 1966 ) Danish journalist turned digital entrepreneur , lives in Svendborg - Inger Klein Thorhauge ( born ca . 1970 ) a Faroese cruise ship captain for Cunard Lines , lives in Svendborg . - Trine Bramsen ( born 1981 in Svendborg ) a Danish politician and Government minister The Arts . - Elisabeth Meyer ( 1859 in Svendborg - 1927 ) a Danish composer - Johannes Jørgensen ( 1866 in Svendborg – 1956 ) a writer of biographies of Catholic saints , nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature five times - Alma Hinding ( 1882–1981 ) a Danish film actress of the silent era , acted for Nordisk Film - Kai Nielsen ( 1882 in Svendborg – 1924 ) a Danish sculptor - Bertolt Brecht ( 1898–1956 ) , a German playwright and poet ; lived in Svendborg 1933/1939 . - Miskow Makwarth ( 1905 in Sørup , near Svendborg – 1992 ) a Danish film actor 1937 to 1976 - Bent Mejding ( born 1937 in Svendborg ) a Danish actor , stage director and theatre manager - Zindy Laursen ( born 1970 in Svendborg ) a Danish American singer , songwriter and actress - Maren Louise Käehne ( born 1976 in Svendborg ) screenwriter of episodes of Borgen and The Bridge - Johnson ( rapper ) ( born 1979 in Svendborg ) stage name of Marc Kwabena Johnson , a Danish rapper - UFO ( musician ) ( born 1981 in Svendborg ) stage name of Kristian Humaidan , a Danish rapper - Sarah-Sofie Boussnina ( born 1990 in Svendborg ) a Danish actress - UFO & Yepha ( active 2002-2011 ) a Danish hip-hop music duo Sport . - Kai Jølver ( 1889 in Svendborg – 1940 ) a modern pentathlete , competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Per Rasmussen ( born 1959 in Svendborg ) a rower , team bronze medallist at the 1984 Summer Olympics - Troels Bech ( born 1966 in Svendborg ) a former footballer with 177 caps ; sports director for Brøndby IF - Thomas Augustinussen ( born 1981 in Svendborg ) a retired footballer , 350 caps for AaB - Christian Holst ( born 1981 in Svendborg ) a retired Danish/Faroese football player , over 340 team caps and 50 for the Faroes External links . - Svendborg Municipality , official website