Geopark: Ærøskøbing købstad
Ærøskøbing was found at some unknown time during the Middle Ages
The first issued privilege as a market town is dated 1522. During the flourishing period from the middle of the 1700s, the town developed into a significant shipping town that handled the freight of goods between various destinations in the Baltic Sea, The South Fyn Archipelago, Norway, and England. In 1852, the town had 107 vessels and was thereby the fourth largest shipping town of the Schleswig Duchy, only surpassed by Flensburg, Aabenraa, and Marstal.
The shipping industry culminated around 1870; however, the town still earned a lot on commerce and shipping until the beginning of the 1900s. A part of this wealth was invested in substantial new constructions and the addition of brick walls to existing buildings. Sixty percent of the houses in the historic city of Ærøskøbing were built during the second golden age 1840–1910. However, the town has still conserved two of its Schleswig gable houses from the 1600s in addition to several half-timbered houses and a number of farms and houses in the characteristic Baroque style.
After World War I, the fleet of the town was a mere shadow of its former self. As a consequence of low freight rates and dangerous sailing routes, Ærøskøbing now put its hope into commerce and increasing tourism. This resulted in a redefining and marketing of the town as an “Eventyrby” (fairy tale town) up through the 1900s, and the solid character of the town and its beautiful houses were utilised.