Ærø (from Danish Ær = maple and Ø = island) is one of the Danish Baltic Sea islands, and part of Funen County.
- Population: about 7.200
- Area: 88 km2
- Length of coast line: 167 km
Geography
Ærø's length is of about 30 km, its width up to 6 km. The landscape is dominated by hills, there are 3 small towns, 14 villages and a number of farms on the island.
Ærø is a nice place for hiking and cycling, and provides quiet beaches, which also attract fishermen and artists.
The town of Ærøskøbing represents the historic center of the island, with narrow lanes and picturesque houses from the 18th century. Main port is Marstal, the economic center of the island is Søby .
At the highest elevation of the island near Molde, there is the "peace bench" made by the sculptor Erik Brandt . It is intended to invite people to take a look about the island and the sea, pondering over world peace.
Technology and transport
Ærø has one of the world's largest solar power plants, with an area of 18.365 m2. It covers a third of Marstal's power consumption.
Ærø is the only island among the larger Danish Baltic Sea islands that is not connected with a bridge, and road traffic is generally low. There are car ferry lines to Als, Funen and Langeland. Ærø also lies within a popular sailing boat area, the dansk Sydhav (Danish South Sea). A small airport with grassed runways is located near Marstal.
History
Archaeological excavations prove settlements going back to earlier than 8000 BC. There are some burial mounds on the island, as well as an old Ting place.
In 1629 the main town of Ærøskøbing burnt down in a great fire. There was no other disaster of comparable scale.
In 1750 the island, previously split in exclaves of numerous duchies, was united as single administrative district. Until 1864 Ærø was part of Schleswig.
See also: List of islands of Denmark
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