Marstal
Encyclopedia
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...
, located in Ærø municipality
Ærø municipality
Ærø Municipality is a municipality occupying the island of Ærø in southern Denmark. The municipality belongs to Region of Southern Denmark....
on the island of Ærø
Ærø
Ærø is one of the Danish Baltic Sea islands, and part of Region of Southern Denmark. The western portion of the island was the municipality of Ærøskøbing; the eastern portion of the island was the municipality of Marstal...
. Marstal has a population of 2,347 (1 January 2011) and is the largest town on Ærø. It was in the abolished Marstal Municipality
Marstal municipality
Marstal municipality, is a former municipality in Funen County on the island of Ærø in southern Denmark. Since January 1, 2006, it has been part of Ærø municipality. Its territory included the islands of Birkholm and Halmø, and covered an area of 17 km². In 2005, it had a total population of...
.
Marstal has a long maritime history. For centuries Marstal vessels have sailed the seven seas, and even today the town is the home port for a considerable number of coasters. Shipping is still the nerve of the town with its dockyards, its shipping companies and its maritime school which for more than a century has trained navigators for the Danish merchant fleet.
Marstal is the economic center of Aeroe and the main industries are tourism, small industry and service. The town has an international reputation for shipbuilding.
Marstal is home to one of Northern Europe's largest solar power complexes, using solar power to heat water for the local District heating
District heating
District heating is a system for distributing heat generated in a centralized location for residential and commercial heating requirements such as space heating and water heating...
.
Marstal is twinned
Town twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with Eksjö
Eksjö
Eksjö is a locality and the seat of Eksjö Municipality, Jönköping County, Sweden with 9,676 inhabitants in 2005.-History:The city of Eksjö most likely appeared sometime in the medieval ages when it was the centre for the thing, a regional council. Its first mentioned is from the 14th century...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Elsfleth
Elsfleth
Elsfleth is a town in the district of Wesermarsch, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated at the confluence of the Hunte with the Weser, on the left bank of the Weser, on the railway Hude-Nordenham. It has an Evangelical church, a school of navigation , a harbour and docks.Elsfleth offers many...
in Germany
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...
.
Church of Marstal
Built in 1738, - once in 1772 by adding an extension and later in 1920 with a tower to commemorate the reunification of southern JutlandSouthern Jutland
Southern Jutland is the name for the region south of the Kongeå in Jutland, Denmark. The region north of the Kongeå is called Nørrejylland . Both territories had their own ting assemblies in the Middle Ages . South Jutland is mentioned for the first time in the Knýtlinga saga.In the 13th century...
with Denmark. Seven votive ships indicate the growth of shipping in the town from the 18th to the 20th century. The font dates from the Middle Ages, and the blue color of the benches symbolizes the sea and eternity, whereas the red colors of the altar and pulpit evoke the blood shed by Christ. Red is also the color of love. Carl Rasmussen, a maritime artist who usually specialized in the motifs of Greenland, painted the 1881 altarpiece, depicting Christ stilling a storm. In the old churchyard are memorials and tombstones honoring the sailors of Marstal who died at sea during two world wars.
History
Marstal is a shipping town founded in the 16th century. During the 17th and 18th centuries its living depended predominantly on the building and sailing of wooden ships. In the harbour is a small island Frederiksøen, which today is called the Lime Kiln (Kalkovnen). The impressive fieldstoneFieldstone
Fieldstone is a building construction material. Strictly speaking, it is stone collected from the surface of fields where it occurs naturally...
pier at the island was built in 1825 by local seamen on a voluntary basis. The island was in use as a repair yard for ships, until in 1863 it was rented out for lime burning.
The town did not grow around a square or a church, its houses were simply erected along the paths leading upwards from the jetties. As the town grew transverse ring-roads were added, and the narrowness of the settlement often meant that the houses were placed somewhat coincidentally.
The First World War put an end to optimism and changed the glorious maritime traditions of Marstal. 42 ships from Marstal were sunk at the loss of 53 seamen. The Second World War deprived the small naval community of 80 of its young boys and seamen.
Tourism
You can arrive at Marstal by using the ferry from RudkøbingRudkøbing
Rudkøbing is a town on the island of Langeland in Denmark with a population of 4,697 belonging to Langeland municipality .-References:...
, Langeland
Langeland
Langeland is a Danish island located between the Great Belt and Bay of Kiel. The island measures 285 km² and, as of 1 January 2010, has a population of 13,277. The island produces grain and is known as a recreational area. A bridge connects it to Tåsinge via Siø - a small island with a...
, or you can take the ferry from Svendborg
Svendborg
Svendborg is a town on the island of Funen in south-central Denmark. The town is in Svendborg municipality . Svendborg is the second-largest city on Funen and has a population of 27,009 ....
to Ærøskøbing
Ærøskøbing
Ærøskøbing is a town in central Denmark, located in Ærø Municipality on the island of Ærø. The suffix -købing means a trade town in the languages that derive from Old Norse....
and then drive from Ærøskøbing to Marstal. There is also a ferry from Fåborg to Søby on Northern Ærø. And ultimately there is a ferry from fynshav on Als
Als
Als is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea. It lies east of the Jutland peninsula of Denmark at the town of Sønderborg, and north of the German coast at Schleswig. Covering an area of 321 km² , the island has a total population of 51,322 as of 1 January 2010...
to Søby.
The camping site, the youth hostel and the hotels provide accommodation for the many visitors.
Eriks Hale, the strip that jots into the sea south of the town, has a very fine beach for swimming and bathing, and while there you can see the picturesque little huts and the open sea.
The maritime Museum gives an impression of the towns seafaring history.
Eriks Hale, south of the town, has a beach for swimming and bathing.
Notable people from Marstal
- Carsten JensenCarsten JensenCarsten Jensen is a Danish author and political columnist. He was born on 24 July 1952 in Marstal. He first earned recognition as a literary critic for the Copenhagen daily, Politiken. His novels, including I Have Seen the World Begin , deal with knowledge of the world...
is a Danish author and political columnist. He was born on July 24, 1952 in Marstal. His 2006 epic novel We, the DrownedWe, The DrownedWe, the Drowned is a 2006 novel by Danish writer Carsten Jensen. It was first published in English on April 1, 2010, by Harvill Secker in the United Kingdom; it was first published in the United States on February 9, 2011, by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt....
is set in Marstal. - Erik KromannErik KromannErik Kromann is a Danish author, museums director for Marstal Maritime Museum since 1980 and a local politician. Kromann has also assisted in many TV-broadcasts and TV-shows about Maritime History. He was born in the town of Marstal, on Aeroe....
, head of the Marstal Maritime Museum - Jesper LangeJesper LangeJesper Lange is a Danish professional football forward, who currently plays for the Danish Superliga side Esbjerg fB.-External links:*** at Danmarks Radio...
, a Danish football player currently playing for Esbjerg fBEsbjerg fBEsbjerg forenede Boldklubber also referred to as Esbjerg fB or simply EfB is a professional Danish football club from the port city of Esbjerg in West Jutland. The club was formed in 1924, as a merger between Esbjerg Boldklub af 1898 and Esbjerg Amatørklub af 1911. The club has training facilities...
.