Aarøsund
Encyclopedia
Aarøsund is a village in south-eastern Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

 situated in the region of Sønderjylland 15 kilometres east of Haderslev. It is also the name of the narrow strait between the village and the island of Årø
Årø
Årø is a small island in the Lillebælt in Denmark. It is due east of Haderslev and just offshore from Årøsund.It should not be confused with Ærø....

. It has a population of 286 (1 January 2011) and is part of the municipality of Haderslev
Haderslev
Haderslev is a town and municipality on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in south Denmark. Also included is the island of Årø as well as several other smaller islands in the Little Belt. The municipality covers and has a population of 56,414 . Its mayor is Jens Christian Gjesing,...

 and the regional entity Region of Southern Denmark, as well as the parish of Øsby.

In spite of its slight size, Aarøsund has a significant part in Danish history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...

. Archaeological surveys have shown the area to have been inhabitated since the Iron Age with the occurrence of an abundance of flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...

 tools suggesting an even earlier settlement here.

In 1231 King Valdemar's cadaster mentions the King's sovereignty of the ferry route between Aarøsund and Assens
Assens
Assens may refer to:* Assens, Denmark** Assens Municipality* Assens, Switzerland* Rafael Cansinos-Asséns , a Spanish poet, essayist, literary critic...

 on the island of Fyn
FYN
Proto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase Fyn is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the FYN gene.This gene is a member of the protein-tyrosine kinase oncogene family. It encodes a membrane-associated tyrosine kinase that has been implicated in the control of cell growth...

. In 1640 the Royal Danish mail services decided on the Assens-Aarøsund ferry service - instead of the ferry service connecting Middelfart
Middelfart
Middelfart is a town in central Denmark, with a population of 14,781 . The town is the municipal seat of Middelfart municipality on the island of Funen .-Overview:The Middelfart municipality has a population of 37,701 people as of 2011...

 and Snoghøj
Snoghøj
Snoghøj is a southern suburb of Fredericia, Denmark , between Erritsø and Middelfart that developed because of the Højskole that was built there. The town has a population of nearly 3000 people, 16 snow days per year, and 97 rain days throughout the year...

 - to be part of the most important, Danish postal route of its day, København-Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...

.

The ferry estate, situated close to the water front, has provided shelter for many a famous person waiting for a safe fare to Fyn
FYN
Proto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase Fyn is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the FYN gene.This gene is a member of the protein-tyrosine kinase oncogene family. It encodes a membrane-associated tyrosine kinase that has been implicated in the control of cell growth...

, not least many Danish Kings. Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...

, the world-famous writer of fairy tales, noted his stays in Aarøsund in his travel diaries .

At the end of the 16th century the Danish King, Christian IV
Christian IV of Denmark
Christian IV was the king of Denmark-Norway from 1588 until his death. With a reign of more than 59 years, he is the longest-reigning monarch of Denmark, and he is frequently remembered as one of the most popular, ambitious and proactive Danish kings, having initiated many reforms and projects...

, planned construction of a ship in Haderslev, but with the fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...

 being sanded up, he instead chose Aarøsund as the site of construction.

The landmark of the village is the lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....

, seen here on the right. The current lighthouse was constructed during the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 occupation of Sønderjylland 1864-1920, but the first lighthouse was set up as early as 1777.

Traditionally the village attracted scores of tourists in the summer, Danish and foreign alike (in particular German), due to its charming fishing village atmosphere, but numerous reconstructions of the habour has left the waterfront less attractive than before. It is still, however, considered a prime site for fishing among anglers.

A couple of kilometres south of the village itself Denmark's largest camping ground, Gammelbro camping, has room for around 900 guests. Aarøsund Badehotel is another, more luxurious option for an overnight stay. It was built in 1903, and underwent extensive renovation during the 1990s, meaning it appears virtually newly built. Scores of summer houses close to the beach and a newly established bed and breakfast (http://www.skillerbjerg.dk/) offer yet more options.

A marina
Marina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....

 was constructed just north of the old harbour in 1988 and has a capacity of 151 boats. In conjunction with the marina an old train engine shed houses Aarøsund Bådebyggeri, a small ship yard that vows to good worksmanship. The area is also home to a community center (http://www.aarosund.dk/medborgerhus/) and a fishing restaurant.

Midway between the old habour and the camping ground an old German bunker, constructed around the time of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, appears on the beach. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, it formed part of "Sicherungsstellung Nord", a German line of 900 bunkers spanning the region of Sønderjylland, constructed to halt an eventual English invasion via the coast of Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...

. In the local dialect, Sønderjysk, the bunker is called "Æ Unnestan".



Coordinates: Latitude 55.250, longtitude 9.717

External links

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