Until January 1, 2007, Faaborg municipality or Fåborg municipality was a municipality (Danish

Danish language

Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...

, kommune) in Funen County

Funen County

Fyns Amt is a former county in central Denmark, comprising the islands of Funen, Langeland, Tåsinge, Ærø, and approximately 90 other islands, of which only 25 are inhabited. The county was formed on 1 April 1970, comprising the former counties of Odense and Svendborg. The county was abolished...

 on the southwestern coast of the island of Funen

Funen

Funen , with a size of 2,984 km² , is the third-largest island of Denmark following Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy, and the 163rd largest island of the world. Funen is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 454,358 inhabitants . The main city is Odense, connected to the...

 in central Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

. The municipality included the islands of Lyø

Lyø

Lyø is a Danish island south of Funen. The island covers an area of and has 140 inhabitants. The island can be reached by ferry from Faaborg and Avernakø....

, Bjørnø

Bjørnø

Bjørnø is a Danish island south of Funen. The island covers an area of 1.5 km² and has 40 inhabitants. The island can be reached by ferry from Faaborg....

, Avernakø

Avernakø

Avernakø is a Danish island south of Funen. The island covers an area of 6 km² and has about 100 inhabitants. The island can be reached by ferry from Faaborg and Lyø ....

, and Svelmø, and covered an area of 227 km². It had a total population of 17,325 (2005). Its last mayor was Britta Duelund, a member of the Social Democrats

Social Democrats (Denmark)

The Social Democrats , is a Danish political party committed to the political ideology of social democracy. It is the major coalition partner in Denmark's government since the 2011 parliamentary election, and party leader Helle Thorning-Schmidt is the current Prime Minister of Denmark...

 (Socialdemokraterne) political party

Politics of Denmark

The Politics of Denmark takes place in a framework of a parliamentary, representative democratic, constitutional monarchy, in which the Prime Minister is the head of government, and of a multi-party system...

. The main town and the site of its municipal council was the town of Faaborg

Faaborg

Faaborg or Fåborg is a Danish town with a population of 7,178 , located in Faaborg-Midtfyn municipality on the island of Funen. It was formerly the seat of Faaborg municipality. The seat of the new municipality is Ringe...

.

Faaborg municipality ceased to exist as the result of Kommunalreformen ("The Municipality Reform" of 2007). It was merged with existing Broby

Broby municipality

Until January 1, 2007, Broby municipality was a municipality in Funen County in central Denmark . The municipality covered an area of 100 km², and had a total population of 6,353 . Its last mayor was Erling Bonnesen, a member of the Venstre political party...

, Ringe

Ringe municipality

Until January 1, 2007 Ringe municipality was a municipality in the former Funen County on the island of Funen in central Denmark. The municipality covered an area of 154 km², and had a total population of 17,177 . Its last mayor was Bo Andersen, a member of Venstre...

, Ryslinge

Ryslinge municipality

Until January 1, 2007 Ryslinge municipality was a municipality in the former Funen County on the island of Funen in central Denmark. The municipality covered an area of 82 km², and had a total population of 6,924 . Its last mayor was Gunnar Landtved, a member of the Venstre political party...

, and Årslev municipalities to form the new Faaborg-Midtfyn municipality

Faaborg-Midtfyn municipality

Faaborg-Midtfyn or Fåborg-Midtfyn is a municipality in Region of Southern Denmark in Denmark. It covers an area of 638 km² and a total population of 51,950 ....

. This created a municipality with an area of 638 km² and a total population of 51,144 (2005). The new municipality belongs to Region of Southern Denmark.

The town of Faaborg

The town of Faaborg has a population of 7,251 (2003), and is located on Funen island's south coast at Faaborg Fjord. It is situated between hills, and in the strait

Strait

A strait or straits is a narrow, typically navigable channel of water that connects two larger, navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not...

s lie many small islands. The town has many old well-preserved houses.

History

The town is first mentioned in a document kept at the National Archives in Paris, dated June 25, 1229. In this document the town of Faaborg, among other areas, is given as a present to King Valdemar Sejr

Valdemar II of Denmark

Valdemar II , called Valdemar the Victorious or Valdemar the Conqueror , was the King of Denmark from 1202 until his death in 1241. The nickname Sejr is a later invention and was not used during the King's own lifetime...

's daughter-in-law. The town is described in the letter as a fortification

Fortification

Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...

, therefore it is assumed that the town had already existed for some time previous to 1229. This document is used as the basis for the town's age, and in 2004 the town celebrated its 775 year anniversary. The fortification is no longer extant; only the western gate remains to this day.