Ærø Museum
Welcome to the museum in Ærøskøbing
Ærø Museum is open all year round
Explore Ærøskøbing’s attractive old sheriff’s house from 1775 and learn more about Ærø’s highly distinctive history. Ærø Museum tells the story of life on Ærø, both then and now.
Next to the museum you will find a town garden containing plants and trees, giving you an idea of what a garden would look like around 1920. Don’t miss out on a walk in the garden during your visit to Ærø Museum.
For children (4–8 years) and their adults, we also have a free Cat Treasure Hunt.
An island in the border country
Ærø is a rather special place in Denmark. Not only because it is a delightful island, but also because it is located in what was once the border country between the Kingdom of Denmark and the Duchy of Schleswig.
Until the war in 1864 (the Second Schleswig War), Ærø was part of the Duchy of Schleswig. It was not until the time of the peace settlement that Ærø became a Danish island, while most of the rest of Schleswig became part of the German Empire.
Ærø’s location in both the Baltic Sea and the South Funen Archipelago has meant that people on the island have leaned towards both Schleswig and Denmark.
In its own way, the border has acted as a resource and created opportunities for trade and shipping. In the exhibition, you will see various weights and measures, as well as coin finds from Ærøskøbing that bear witness to the trading relations throughout the Baltic.
For long periods, however, Ærø’s association with the Duchy also led to a number of decidedly complex administrative situations.
Ærø became Danish for the first time in 1867
From 1460, the Danish kings were also dukes of Schleswig, while at the same time younger sons and their descendants were also granted the title of duke. The dukes were ruling princes in matters relating to their own territories. However, in matters relating to the Duchy of Schleswig as a whole, they owed allegiance to the Danish king in his capacity as Duke of Schleswig.
For the inhabitants of Ærø, this meant that for almost 400 years the island was passed down, traded, exchanged and shared among various lines of dukes.
The period from 1634 to approx. 1700 was particularly chaotic, as Ærø was split into three mini-duchies under the rules of the Dukes of Plön, Glücksborg and Sønderborg, respectively.
In 1749, Ærø was brought together as one under King Frederik V, though the island remained part of Schleswig. It was not until 1867 that the island became Danish.
The effect of the border area
Although Ærø was located in Schleswig, the churches belonged to the Diocese of Funen. For this reason, the island’s clergy were educated in Copenhagen and sermons were held in Danish. Other officials were educated in the duchies and were therefore German-speaking.
The day-to-day language of the inhabitants of Ærø was insular Danish, with a variety of Ærø dialects. The various commercial and cultural relationships left their mark on the dialects.
The Western Ærø dialect reflected the close relationship with Als and the South Funen islands, while Eastern Ærø revealed links to Langeland and Lolland.
In the exhibition, you will be able to see examples of how the border area has influenced building practices and the island’s food culture.
The Sheriff’s house
As you walk around the museum, take note of the many fine building details. Brogade 3–5, where the Ærø Museum is housed, was bulit by Ærø’s first “landfoged” or sheriff Johan Heinrich Prehn.
The position of Sheriff was created in 1773. The Sheriff was the Royal Representative on the island, a position also known from the Faroe Islands and Danish West Indies.
Prehn was born in Flensburg and educated at the University of Halle. He arrived in Ærøskøbing with his wife in the autumn of 1773 and set about finding a house that was suitable as both an office and a home. Unable to find a building, he bought 2–3 smaller houses at the corner of Brogade and Nørregade and built a new one.
Prehn left the island as early as 1784, becoming Mayor of Sønderborg.
Museum since 1955
The next Chief of Police was not interested in taking over, instead building ‘Dommergården’ in the Town Square. Today, this is the museum’s administrative building.
After Prehn, the house was the residence and office of varying officials and their families, including acting as a post office and district tax office.
Around 1840, the house was divided into two units for land registration purposes. This explains why the building has two main doors and two staircases to the first floor.
Brogade 3–5 gained protected status in 1919, and since 1955 the house has formed the framework for Ærø Museum’s exhibitions.
