Aabenraa

Aabenraa has always been Southern Jutland's largest harbour town and is also generally referred to as the regional capital, due to its central location. A wide range of national, cultural and commercial functions are connected to the city which, in spite of having a population of only 22,000, has the feel of a large town.

As well as enjoying the position of Southern Jutland's cultural center, Aabenraa is also an important port town which hosts an annual harbour festival - the Mackerel Festival - taking place in the first weekend in June.

Aabenraa is bordered by wooded hills and Aabenraa Fjord.

There are many possibilities for a wide range of activities on both land and sea. Anglers can sail with the fishing cutter "M/S Rosita" year round, and the whole family can take advantage of the excellent facilities in our sports centers, such as swimming baths, bowling, tennis, skittles, squash, badminton, etc., all open year round.

Try some of the many marked forest hiking paths and cycling routes in the area. Such an experience cannot be described or photographed, it must be tried. North of Aabenraa Fjord lies the Løjt Land peninsula, a lovely landscape of rolling hills with many preserved hedgerows.

Løjt Land is a beautiful peninsula which offers a number of recreative holiday areas with cottages and campgrounds near excellent beaches. From Løjt Land, it is possible to sail on a small ferry to the island of Barsø, in the Little Belt. 

Barsø is a  beautiful island, with gravel roads, hedgerows and farms, and is marked by a slightly older influence than that of the Løjt peninsula. The gently winding roads afford many fine vistas across the fields to the scattered farms and down toward the coast to Sønderballe Head, Genner Bay and Løjt Land. The island has been inhabited since ancient times. It is said that a cruel and warlike chief named "Barsø" lived here during the Viking age, hence the name Barsø ("ø" is the Danish word for "island").

Knapstien (Knap Path) is a gravel cycling and walking path, leading from Aabenraa through the forest and low hills to Stentoft and Stollig. The path was established on the remains of an early small gauge railway line which served the area from Aabenraa over Løjt to Øster Løgum from 1899-1926. The railway construction craved extensive dam work and the stone viaduct near Stentoft is especially impressive.