Funen, Zealand & the Islands Aug 22-
FUNEN ISLAND
This island with 470,000 citizens sits between Jutland and Zealand. Odense is famous as the birthplace of Hans Christian Anderson.
Aarup Mölle. Another windmill in the Nomad Mania “windmill” series, it is about half way between Vejle and Odense. It has a stone base, green shingles and a black cap. It was closed and appears it is not possible to visit as there were no signs or information available.
ODENSE (pop 173,000)
The capital of Funen and one of Denmark’s largest cities, it has a lovely core just north of a stream surrounded by parks.
Kunstbygningen Filosoffen. This art gallery (everything has a price and is for sale) SW of he centre, has many nice pieces – I especially liked the bronzes by Pere Sala. Free
Brandts. This sprawling art center in a converted textile mill is Odense’s premier art gallery. The permanent collection traces 250 years of Danish art from classic to modern and has a good section on international photography. The 3rd floor has the history of Danish media primarily in Danish. DK125
Jernbanemuseet. The Danish Train Museum has a well-done display of 10 locomotives and several passenger cars – the most interesting was the Interliner with a great display on backpacking through Europe with many testimonials. The Royal Saloon car of King Christian IX was beautiful. The museum is located behind the train station. DK100
Møntergården. This museum on Funen history is an eclectic display in a seemingly random order. I didn’t find it so interesting. DK 100
Hans Christian Anderson Hus. (1805-75) This small house sits in the miniaturized streets of the old poor quarter. Wander through the tiny rooms that give his family history (his mother was an alcoholic who died of delirium tremens). His achievements are put into an interesting historical context. One display is on his height – he was a full 25cms taller than the national average at the time. DK125
There is also a large museum on HC Anderson nearby in the previous Carl Nielsen Museet (a Danish composer) attached to the opera house. This whole section of Odense is a massive construction project including a new HC Anderson museum under construction set amongst a park of hedges.
St Canute’s Church. This church serves as both the parish church and cathedral of the Funen diocese. In 1086, King Knud (Canute) was slain during a peasant revolt along with his brother Benedikt and 17 retainers in the nearby Church of St Alban’s. In 1100, he was then canonized, the first saint in Denmark. Benedictine monks from England built a travertine church, the only remains can be seen in the crypt. The present gothic building dates to about 1300 with multiple extensions that now make it 62m long and a 20m high nave. There is a 1620bronze/brass baptismal font and the highlight 1523 altarpiece, on of the most beautiful medieval works of art in Denmark. 16 side panels surround a large Christ on the cross surrounded by many saints, all 23-carat gold leaf. The crypt contains the tombstones of Danish kings and queens from 1455-1559 and two famous reliquaries containing the exposed skeletal remains of King Knut and Benedict. Next to the casket it the 1100 silk Eagle tapestry. Free
Bunker Museum of Odense. In a neighbourhood about 3kms SE of the city centre this large WWII German bunker sits under the cover of plants. DK50
NYBORG
Funen is connected at Nyborg to Zealand by the Storebælts Forbindlesen (Great Belt Bridge), an impressive 18km span. There is a costly toll each way: small/medium/large car DK 125/235/360.
Nyborg Castle. This castle was the ancient seat of the Royal Court but Nyborg was transformed in the last years of the 17th century into a fortified garrison town. The fortifications were removed in 1861 and the castle is in the process of being totally restored to what it looked like in 1850. It was completely covered in scaffolding but I walked along the high embankment to a round town with cannon.
EGESKOV SLOT
Originally built as a fortification in 1554, it has been owned by the Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille family since 1784. In 1883, it was restored with tower roofs and crenellated gables as a mix of Gothic and Renaissance architecture. The slot sits on massive oak pilings in the middle of a lake so entirely moated. It is a living house and home for the same family. Count Michael Ahlefeldt smiles at you as you enter. In the late 90s, it was converted from a primarily agricultural enterprise into a tourist mecca. The castle exteriors are the best features. The interior is heavily Victorian in its furnishings and hunting trophies of now-rare animals. Cross the moat to a small guardhouse full of women’s fashion, accessories for both men and women and the clothing worn by all the servants of the house. It is UNESCO World Heritage listed.
The castle’s expansive 15-hectare park has at least 12 gardens most surrounded by 4m hedges. The entire estate is a sculpture park with pieces randomly spread around especially in the gardens. The west side of the estate is a handful of first-class museums: vehicles form 1890-1910 and classic cars to the 70s including Cadillacs, a 1955 Buick, Rolls Royce, Aston Martin, Thunderbird and many others including a fighter jet are in tow separate buildings. Another has many motorcycles. One of the most entertaining was an old store packed with old products. Falck, a Danish company that supplies emergency services throughout Denmark occupies another hangar.
Egeskov is SE of Odense about 2kms west of the small town of Kværndrup. Buses run form Faaborg.
DK220 for house and gardens, 190 for everything but the castle.
FAABORG (pop 7200)
In its 17th century heyday, Faaborg had one of the country’s largest commercial fishing fleets. Ferries leave here for Ærø Island.
Grubbe Mölle. A waterwheel has been here since 1599 and still operates today. The 1892 windmill operated until 1980. A hurricane destroyed it in 1899 but it was rebuilt. It is black shingle with a black cap sitting on a massive stone foundation.
SVENDOBORG (pop 27,000)
This town is the darling of the Danish yachting fraternity – it is a major sailing and kayaking centre. There are more Danish boats registered here than anywhere else beyond Copenhagen. It serves as the gateway to Funen’s beautiful southern islands. Although predominately a modern industrial town, it has some old buildings and a harbor packed with old wooden boats from across the Baltic.
Futurama. This natural history museum has 3 floors focusing on water, land and air stuffed animals, all of which I have seen. Whale skeletons are in the basement. Lighting, sounds and films change the atmosphere of each room. There was also an exhibit on Microsculpture – The Insect Photography of Leven Biss from the collections of Oxford University Museum of Natural History. DK140
Anne Hvides House. Anne Hvilde came from a well off family and built this half-timbered house in 1554, making it the oldest house on Funen. It had many owners over the years and functioned as a hotel for 30 years until 1867. As recently as 2013, it functioned as a museum for the city of Svendborg, but has been closed since. There are no signs on the building and I asked two local residents including the owner of the restaurant next door where the house was – nobody had every heard of it. I had to Google it and got a picture to make sure I had come to the place Google maps brought me to.
TÅSINGE ISLAND (pop 13,500)
Just over the bridge from Svendborg, its main village is Troense. Most of the rest of the island is agricultural and forest.
Valdemar’s Slot. This palace was built in 1639-44 by King Christian IV for his 17-year-old son Valdemar. Valdemar never really spent any time here as he preferred to fight wars and was killed in battle at age 34. It was awarded to naval hero Admiral Niels Juel and is used in the summer by his descendants who normally live in London. It sits on the water on the SW corner of Tåsinge.
The palatial interior is jammed with furniture and eccentricities: lavish Venetian glass, 17th century tapestries and a secret ammo store. Rooms include the King’s Room, 1780 dining room, empress bedroom, library with 5000 books, chapel bedroom with 4-poster beds, gallery with 6.5m ceilings and Great Hall (most recently used as a badminton court prior to restoration). The attic has big game trophies collected by hunter Børge Hinsch. On the grounds is mini-golf and mountain bike riding. DK105
The M/S Helge, a vintage boat that ferries passengers from Svendborg that makes 5 stops (Svendbor Sund campground on the north tip of Tåsinge, Christiansminde beach, Troense and Valdemars before turning around.
ÆRØ ISLAND (pop 6800)
Located in the south of Funen Archipelago, it is reachable only by ferry. 90 sq. kms in area, it is 30kms long and up to 9kms wide. The towns of Marstal (south end), Ærøskøbing (east side about ⅔ way down) and Søby are home to the majority of the 6,200 islanders. The climate is unusually mild with more sunshine hours than anywhere else. The island runs almost entirely on sustainable energy such as wind and solar.
Ferries: The island is served by 3 ferries: From south Jutland – Fynshav on Als Island to Søby (70 minutes), and from Funen – Fåborg to Søby (60 minutes) and from Svendborg to Ærøskøbing (75 minutes). The ferry had free, fast Wi-Fi.
Buses: The public buses running between all three towns and passing through most villages is free. Catch from in front of the harbor at Ærøskøbing on the half hour.
MARSTAL. The largest town was once one of Denmark’s biggest maritime centres, second only to Copenhagen. Shipping is still the lifeblood. It is a modern-looking town with busy shopping streets. The Maritime Academy educates and trains navigators for the Danish merchant fleet. The 1738 church has blue pews.
SØBY. On the north tip of the island, it is home to the island’s fishing fleet and shipyard. The harbor has a lighthouse and modern marina. The 1745 church on the top of the hill shapes the town and the 1881 windmill is the landmark of the town.
ÆRØSKØBING (pop 930). This is Denmark’s most well-preserved town from the 18th century dating back to the Middle Ages. It was a market town with shipping and trade supplemented by the farms inland. It is described as a Fairy-Tale Town with cobble streets, hollyhocks, climbing roses and small well-preserved houses. In 2002 it was awarded the Europa Nostra prize for preservation of European Cultural Heritage. The inhabitants make a concerted effort to preserve the town as it was.
I took the ferry from Svendborg to Ærøskøbing at 16:05 (departs hourly except at 18:05) for DK82 return and wandered around the small harbor and through the cobble streets – a collection of old, quaint houses, restaurants and stores. The hollyhocks had all finished blooming and were dried stalks. I actually ate my first meal out of the van on Ærø – flæskesteg (fish cake) with fries while waiting for the ferry and then returned on the 19:35 ferry.