Marstal municipality, is a former 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 island of Ærø

Ærø

Ærø is one of the Danish Baltic Sea islands, and part of Region of Southern Denmark. The western portion of the island was the municipality of Ærøskøbing; the eastern portion of the island was the municipality of Marstal...

 in southern 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...

. Since January 1, 2006, it has been part of Ærø municipality

Ærø municipality

Ærø Municipality is a municipality occupying the island of Ærø in southern Denmark. The municipality belongs to Region of Southern Denmark....

. Its territory included the islands of Birkholm

Birkholm

Birkholm is a small Danish island off the southern coast of Funen in Ærø Municipality. With an area of just 0.9 km2, as of 1 January 2010 it has a population of 10. The flat, low-lying island is just over 2 km long and 2 meters above sea level at its highest point, though the protective dykes are...

 and Halmø, and covered an area of 17 km². In 2005, it had a total population of 3,208. Its last mayor was Karsten Landro, a member of the Conservative People's Party

Conservative People's Party (Denmark)

The Conservative People's Party , also known as Conservatives is a Danish political party.-History:The party was founded 1915 based mostly on its predecessor, Højre , but also on the Free Conservatives and a moderate faction of Venstre , the liberals.The party has participated in several coalition...

 (Det Konservative Folkeparti) 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...

.

Its main town and site of its municipal council was the town of Marstal

Marstal

Marstal is a town in southern Denmark, located in Ærø municipality on the island of Ærø. Marstal has a population of 2,347 and is the largest town on Ærø. It was in the abolished Marstal Municipality.Marstal has a long maritime history...

.

Marstal municipality was the smallest municipality in Funen County. It was located on the eastern portion of the island of Ærø, plus on a number of small islands to the north. Neighboring municipalities were the former Ærøskøbing

Ærøskøbing municipality

Ærøskøbing Municipality is a former municipality in Funen County on the island of Ærø in southern Denmark. Since January 1, 2006, it has been a part of Ærø Municipality The municipality covered an area of 74 km², and had a total population of 3,731...

 to the west, and Sydlangeland

Sydlangeland municipality

Until January 1, 2007 Sydlangeland municipality was a municipality in the former Funen County on the island of Langeland in south-central Denmark. The municipality covered an area of 121 km², and had a total population of 4,288 . Its last mayor was Knud Gerther...

 on the island of Langeland

Langeland

Langeland is a Danish island located between the Great Belt and Bay of Kiel. The island measures 285 km² and, as of 1 January 2010, has a population of 13,277. The island produces grain and is known as a recreational area. A bridge connects it to Tåsinge via Siø - a small island with a...

 to the east, albeit separated from the municipality by the waters of Marstal Bay (Marstal Bugt), the Little Belt

Little Belt

The Little Belt is a strait between the Danish island of Funen and the Jutland Peninsula.The belt is about 50 km long and 800m to 28 km wide, the maximum depth is approximately 75 m, and contains numerous small Danish islands....

, and the Baltic Sea

Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...

.

Ferry

Ferry

A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...

 service connects Marstal with the town of Rudkøbing

Rudkøbing

Rudkøbing is a town on the island of Langeland in Denmark with a population of 4,697 belonging to Langeland municipality .-References:...

 on the island of Langeland.

On January 1, 2006 Marstal municipality ceased to exist as the result of Kommunalreformen ("The Municipal Reform" of 2007), and merged with Ærøskøbing municipality

Ærøskøbing municipality

Ærøskøbing Municipality is a former municipality in Funen County on the island of Ærø in southern Denmark. Since January 1, 2006, it has been a part of Ærø Municipality The municipality covered an area of 74 km², and had a total population of 3,731...

 forming a new Ærø municipality

Ærø municipality

Ærø Municipality is a municipality occupying the island of Ærø in southern Denmark. The municipality belongs to Region of Southern Denmark....

. The result was a municipality with an area of 91 km² and a total population of 6,939 (2005). The new municipality belonged to Funen County (in 2006) and is part of the new Region of Southern Denmark from January 1, 2007.