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Svendborg

Northern Europe

Svendborg is a town on the island of Funen in south-central Denmark, in the Region of Southern Denmark, with an urban population of 27,593 as of January 2026. It is the seat of Svendborg Municipality and Funen second largest city, and it was granted market town privileges in 1253. The shipping company that became A.P. Moller-Maersk, the largest container ship operator in the world, traces its origin to the town.

Facts
Population
27,210 1
Founding Year
1229 2
Founding Year
1200 to 1299 3
Population Estimate Year
2019 1
Elevation (m)
14 1
Latitude
55.059722 degrees north 1
Longitude
10.61 degrees east 1
Elevation Band
Lowland 4
Climate Zone
Temperate 5
Time Zone
UTC+01:00 4
FAQs

What is the earliest record of Svendborg and where does its name come from?

The first record of Svendborg dates from 1229 and its name is thought to mean pig fortification.

The first recorded mention of Svendborg is from 1229, in a deed of gift by Valdemar the Victorious, who calls the fortification Swinæburgh. The name is thought to combine svin, meaning pig, and borg, meaning fortification.
Sources
1. Svendborg (Wikidata)
  • P1082 (population)
    population 27,210 (2019)
  • P625 (coordinate location)
    latitude 55.059722, longitude 10.61
  • P2044 (elevation above sea level)
    elevation 14 m
  • P1082 (population), P585 (point in time)
    population 27210 (2019)
View the Source
2. Svendborg (Wikipedia)
  • Source text, founding-year: 1229
    The first recorded mention of Svendborg occurred in 1229 in a deed of gift by Valdemar the Victorious, where he refers to the fortification as Swinæburgh.
  • In Group: Cities of Northern Europe (World), Wikipedia; part-of country and UN M49 subregion
View the Source
3. Wikipedia (Danish): Svendborg
Wikipedia (Danish)Article text: founding statement
Quote, Article text: founding statement
Byen blev grundlagt i 1200-tallet og fejrede i 2003 sin 750-års fødselsdag.
View the Source
4. GeoNames: Svendborg - GeoNames
GeoNames
  • cities500 record 2612045
    55.05982 10.60677 P PPLA2 DK 21 479 27300 14 Europe/Copenhagen
  • Place record, elevation
    Elevation ca. 14 m
View the Source
5. Koeppen-Geiger map (Kottek et al., University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna): World Map of the Koeppen-Geiger Climate Classification, present climate data
Koeppen-Geiger map (Kottek et al., University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna)Koeppen-Geiger-ASCII.txt grid cell 55.25, 10.75
Quote, Koeppen-Geiger-ASCII.txt grid cell 55.25, 10.75
55.25 10.75 Cfb
View the Source
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