Faaborg

Sister cities

• Kappeln

History

Faaborg is first mentioned as Foburgh in a document located in the French National Archives in Paris dated 25 June 1229. It is a deed of gift that gives Faaborg and the south of Funen as a morning present to Eleanor of Portugal, from Valdemar II to his daughter-in-law. It is mentioned as a castle (Foburgh meaning Fox Castle), so it must have existed before this date. However, this date has been used as the birth date of Faaborg and thus the town celebrated its 775th anniversary in 2004. Although it is not known when the settlement was established, it appears Faaborg had already received privileges as a market town in the 13th century. Located on a promontory surrounded by water on three sides, the site was further protected by a moat and a town wall. Around 1477, a monastery was established which over the years acquired most of the property in the town and its surroundings. After the Reformation it was used for a time as a hospital until it was finally demolished. The monastery chapel became the parish church. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Faaborg had to compete with a considerable amount of illegal trading from other settlements along the coast. In the mid-17th century, it suffered even more from the effects of the Swedish Wars but it began to prosper as an important port in the 18th century. Corn was exported to Norway and trade increased with the Grand Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. By the 1890s, ships from Faaborg sailed as far as the Mediterranean. In the 19th century, the United Kingdom replaced Norway as the main trading partner and, in the second half of the century, trade extended to China and Australia. By the end of the century, there had been a huge increase in population (from 1,000 to 4,000) and a number of light industries had been established.…