Aeroskobing

Aeroskobing grew on trade and shipping in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and then, when the sailing trade moved elsewhere, simply stopped changing, which is why it survives as one of the most complete small towns of its period in Denmark: cobbled lanes, hollyhocks, low houses in ochre, pink and green with carved and painted doors, many dated over the lintel, and gas street lamps still in use. Cars are discouraged in the centre. The town has several small museums including one dedicated to ships in bottles, holding a collection of over a thousand made by a single sailor. Aero itself is a farming island with a coast of beaches and the famous row of coloured bathing huts at Eriks Hale near Marstal.

History

From about 1250 Ærøskøbing was the commercial and maritime hub of the island of Ærø; the suffix -købing means a trading town. A great fire in 1629 destroyed many buildings, but the town revived, and old houses were rebuilt and larger new ones built in styles drawn from Funen, northern Germany and the duchy of Schleswig, to which Ærø belonged until it was officially transferred to Denmark in 1867. Most of the houses are one storey high, the oldest dating from 1645, and the work of the town's bricklayers, carpenters and blacksmiths survives throughout the old streets, which have been carefully restored; the town received the Europa Nostra prize in 2002 (Wikipedia, Ærøskøbing).

What to look for

• Carved and dated doors - eighteenth-century joinery along the lanes.
• Gas street lamps - still lit in the old town.
• The ship-in-bottle collection - over a thousand by one sailor.
• Coloured bathing huts - the row on the beach near Marstal.

When to go

May to September; much closes outside that and ferry frequency drops. Half a day for the town, better overnight to have it after the day boats leave. July is busy with Danish holidaymakers.

Good to know

The ferry is the only way in and it books out for vehicles in summer; foot passengers are easier. Accommodation is limited and expensive in season. The town is very small and quickly walked. Winter is largely shut.

Nearby

Marstal and the bathing huts are at the other end of Aero; Svendborg is across the water.

Key facts