| Aabenraa (Åbenrå/Aabenraa) | |
| Apenrade | |
| Town | |
| Country | Denmark |
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| Region | Region of Southern Denmark |
| Municipality | Aabenraa Municipality |
| Coordinates | |
| Population | 15,760 |
| Timezone | CET (UTC+1) |
| - summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 6200 |
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| Website: www.aabenraa.dk | |
The city of Aabenraa or Åbenrå (German: Apenrade, pronounced [aːpənˈʁaːdə], Sønderjysk: Affenråe), with a population of 15,760 (1 January 2011),[1] is situated at the head of the Aabenraa Fjord, an arm of the Little Belt, in Denmark, 38 miles (61 km) north of the town of Schleswig. Its name originally meant "open beach" (Danish: åben strand). Aabenraa is located in Aabenraa Municipality.
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Aabenraa started growing in the early Middle Ages around Opnør Hus, the bishop's castle, and received status as a merchant town in 1240. During the Middle Ages the town was known for its fishing industry and for its production of hops.
Between 1560 and 1721 the town was under the rule of the Dukes of Holstein-Gottorp.
The town's glory days were during the period of the 1750s to c. 1864, when ship traffic was at a high growth rate with trade to the Mediterranean Sea, China, South America, and Australia. It possessed a good harbour, which afforded shelter for a large carrying trade, Aabenraa having the Danish monarchy's third-largest trade fleet, after Copenhagen and Flensborg. The city had a number of well-known shipbuilding yards, which were known for their fine ships. The most famous of these was the clipper Cimber, which in 1857 sailed from Liverpool to San Francisco in 106 days. Fishing and various small factories also provided occupations for the population.
From 1864 as a result of the Second War of Schleswig it was part of Prussia, and as such part of the North German Confederation, and from 1871 onwards, part of the German Empire. In the 1920 Schleswig Plebiscite that brought Northern Schleswig to Denmark, 55.1 % of Aabenraa's inhabitants voted for remaining part of Germany and 44.9 % voted for the cession to Denmark.[2]
After the 1948 Danish spelling reform, which abolished the digraph Aa in favor of Å, there was fervent resistance in Aabenraa. The town feared, among other things, to lose its status as first in international alphabetical listings. A later revision of the spelling rules allowed for retaining the Aa spelling as an option. While the municipality of Aabenraa and most local citizen use the Aa spelling, Åbenrå remains the option recommended by the Danish Language Board.[3]
The town has a 7.5 meter (25-ft) deep harbour, with a significant shipping trade. There is varied industry in the city, including Marcussen's Organ Building (Marcussens Orgelbyggeri) and Callesens Machineworks (Callesens Maskinfabrik). The city is the administrative center for the county. Danmarks Radio has an office in the city. A significant German minority live in Aabenraa and they publish "Der Nordschleswiger" newspaper in German.
Some significant buildings in the town are St. Nikolai Church (St. Nikolaj kirke) from the time of King Valdemar with construction beginning ca. 1250. Brundlund Castle (Brundlund Slot) was erected by Queen Margaret I around 1400. The town is a bathing resort, as is Elisenlund close by.
The city has several preserved neighborhoods from the 1800s including Slotsgade, Store Pottergade, Lille Pottergade, Nygade, Nybro, Skibbrogade and Gildegade.
A branch of University College South (Danish: University College Syd) can be found in Aabenraa.
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