AABENRAA - WHERE CULTURE BLOOMS!

Aabenraa is an active and exciting city with a difference. Flanked by hilly, wooded terrain, and with a panoramic view of Aabenraa Fjord, its location is unrivalled.

Duke Valdemar granted a municipal charter to the city in 1335. From humble beginnings as a small fishing village, Aabenraa grew into a large shipping town in the 18th and 19th centuries. Its vessels sailed worldwide and returned with unusual cargoes and riches, especially from the East. Aabenraa’s many beautiful old houses and the large captains’ manor houses on the Løjt Land peninsula, built during this period, testify to the prosperity generated by these voyages.

Aabenraa boasts Denmark’s 7th largest harbour and is, despite its population of only 22,000 the central administrative city in Southern Jutland and a center for culture, trade and industry. There is a big city atmosphere here with a wide selection of shops, many of which line one of Denmark’s longest and most appealing pedestrian streets.

Stress has been placed on maintaining the town’s old atmosphere while making way for progress. On exploring the narrow side streets west of the pedestrian street, one suddenly finds oneself in the lovely old part of town, with cobblestone streets and beautifully preserved houses, and one’s thoughts are quickly transported back to the charming age of crinolines, horses and carriages. Suggestions for a walking tour of old Aabenraa can be oblained at the Tourist Office.

Welcome to a city filled with surprises.