Rudkøbing

The first mention of Rudkøbing was in 1287, when it was given market town privileges by Duke Valdemar IV of Schleswig, who held the title of rigsforstander (da) under King Eric VI Menved. The original Rudkøbing Church was most likely built in the late 12th century or early 13th century.[3] During the Count's Feud (1534–1536) and again during the Dano-Swedish War (1658–1660), Rudkøbing was under siege by Swedish troops. Both times, the town's fortifications prevented Rudkøbing from immediately falling, but the town eventually had to give in to the Swedes. The town was hit by the Black Plague during the 16th and 17th centuries, and experienced fires in 1590 and 1610.

The Ørsted family, which most notably includes the brothers Hans Christian and Anders Sandøe Ørsted, has its origins in Rudkøbing. Their father was a pharmacist, and the brothers were born in the old pharmacy on Gåsetorvet. Across from their birth house is a statue of Hans Christian, and a statue of Anders is located at nearby Ørstedsparken, which is named in their honor. The old pharmacy remained in use until 2017.[4][5]

Rudkøbing got its first proper harbor in 1826 (it had previously only had a pier). In 1898, in a town of about 3,500 people, there were 152 ships based in Rudkøbing. Every year, over 2,500 ships (carrying over 18,000 metric tons of cargo) came in and over 2,800 ships (carrying over 11,500 metric tons of cargo) went out, mostly to and from elsewhere in Denmark. The town was connected by steam ferry routes to Copenhagen, Korsør, Marstal, and Svendborg.

The town's population was stable during the interwar period, hovering above 4,000, with the census in 1930 recording a population of 4,129. The population peaked at 4,541 in 1950, and by 1965, it had fallen to 4,204. Around this time a suburb developed in Skrøbelev Parish (da), which eventually grew together with Rudkøbing.

Each year since 1991, the town has hosted Langelandsfestivalen, a music festival which targets families.[6] Usually lasting 8 days, the festival has performances from both Danish and foreign musicians.

Rudkøbing was the seat of the former Rudkøbing Municipality in Funen County, and is the seat of the current Langeland Municipality in the Southern Denmark Region. When Rudkøbing was its own municipality, there were often negotiations with the two other Langelandic municipalities of Sydlangeland and Tranekær to merge. These plans were repeatedly abandoned due to a lack of public support. In the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform, the three were forced together, and Rudkøbing has since been the municipal seat.

Bridges connecting Rudkøbing and Svendborg were built throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s, finishing in 1966. The old ferry route between the two towns gradually lost popularity due to the bridges, and the route was eventually ended. The ferry route to Marstal, which had been active since 1866, was closed in 2013, so that the only ferry on this route could be moved to the busy route between Marstal and Svendborg. The ferry route between Rudkøbing and Marstal opened again in December 2019.

The Langeland Bridge was built between 1960 and 1962. It connects Rudkøbing and the rest of Langeland to the island of Siø. Siø is further linked by the Siøsund Bridge to Tåsinge, and Tåsinge is linked by the Svendborgsund Bridge to Svendborg on the mainland of Funen, making Rudkøbing accessible by road.[7]

From 1911 to 1962, Rudkøbing was the main station of the Langeland rail network, called Langelandsbanen (da). The network was connected to Svendborg in 1926, when a railway ferry route made it possible to move train wagons between Rudkøbing and the mainland of Funen.[8]

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  Statue of Hans Christian Ørsted on Gåsetorvet.
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  Closeup of the Ørsted statue on Gåsetorvet.
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  Map of Rudkøbing in 1900. Note the archaic spelling of the town's name.
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  The Langeland Bridge, as seen from Rudkøbing.
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  The old railway station in Rudkøbing.
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  Rudkøbing Church.

• Rudkøbing on danmarkshistorien.dk (in Danish)
• Dansk Center for Byhistorie – Rudkøbing