Faaborg or Fåborg is an old port town located on Faaborg Fjord in Faaborg-Midtfyn municipality on the island of Funen in Denmark. By road, Faaborg is located 42 kilometres (26 mi) southwest of Odense, 27 kilometres (17 mi) west-northwest of Svendborg, and roughly 70 kilometres (43 mi) southeast of Middelfart, depending upon the route. It has a population of 6,867 (1 January 2024). With its busy port, narrow streets and attractive old houses, the town is popular with tourists, particularly in the summer months. Faaborg was formerly the seat of Faaborg municipality. The seat of the new municipality is Ringe. Both municipalities use(d) Faaborg’s medieval coat of arms.
The harbour, old streets, historic mansions and town houses all make Faaborg a pleasant city for visitors. Its many restaurants serve a wide variety of Danish and foreign dishes. Plougs Gård on Vestergade, built around 1790, is one of the finest buildings in the town with its Neoclassical facade. Jesper Ploug made his fortune in shipping during the American Wars of Independence (1776—1783).
Faaborg Church (Helligåndskirken) is an old monastery church dating from 1477. It formed the south wing of the now demolished Helligåndskloster belonging to the Order of the Holy Ghost from which it gets its name. Its considerable size makes it a local landmark: 46 m (151 ft) long by 19 m (62 ft) wide. The chancel and three-sided east gable were completed in 1490, the nave and southern aisle followed around 1510 and a northern aisle was added shortly thereafter. After its vaulting in 1681, it resembled a basilica. Restoration work was carried out in 1858 and 1902. The church has no tower but the tower of the now demolished Saint Nicholas Church (1450) serves as its belfry.
Faaborg Museum holds one of Denmark’s most important art collections with works by the Funen Painters including Jens Birkholm, Peter Hansen, Johannes Larsen, and Anna and Fritz Syberg. It also displays some of the finest works of sculptor Kai Nielsen. Den gamle Gård on Holkegade provides insights into the town’s cultural history, with exhibits depicting life in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Faaborg Harbour, with its centrally placed marina, attracts about 13,000 pleasure boats each year thanks to its attractive location for the South Funen Archipelago. It is frequently visited by vintage schooners and yachts of all sizes. The port is also used by fishing boats and commercial vessels.
A new waterpark, Faaborg Harbor Bath, was completed in 2014.
[caption id="attachment_161465" align="aligncenter" width="460"] William Shakespeare by John Taylor[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet, and the "Bard of Avon". His extant works, including collaborations, consist of approximately 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. Hi...
[caption id="attachment_27419" align="aligncenter" width="508"] Alexander Pushkin by Orest Adamowitsch Kiprenski[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin, born on 26 May 1799, was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era who is considered by many to be the greatest Russian poet and the founder of modern Russian literature.
Pushkin was born into Russian nobility in Moscow. His matrilineal great grandfather was Abram Gannibal, who was brought over as a slave from what is now Cameroon. Pus...
