Augustenborg

Augustenborg Fjord is a ten-kilometre-long fjord on the west coast of Als, located north-east of Alssund and south-east of Als Fjord. At the end of the fjord is the ducal town of Augustenborg, situated in an undulating moraine landscape with steep slopes towards the town’s harbour.

Augustenborg currently has about 3,300 inhabitants. The town was built up around the palace, which serves as its landmark. The palace was originally a ducal residence, but since the war in 1848 the buildings have been used for such different purposes as garrison, hospital and a German teacher training college for women. In 1932, the palace was converted into a psychiatric hospital, which generated many jobs in the town. The hospital is now the largest workplace in the town and has influenced the population mix for many years. In addition to the hospital, there are some small business enterprises on the outskirts of the town.

Augustenborg is a well-functioning, harmonious town that offers a wide range of leisure activities for people of all ages: sports hall, a golf course, etc. The town is currently a predominantly residential conglomeration from which people commute to Sønderborg (about nine kilometres away) or to the Danfoss company in the northern part of the island (about 18 kilometres away). The town has a single high street, Slotsgade, with shops, banks and other service functions but, because of the proximity of Sønderborg and its shopping centres, commercial life in the town is on the decline. Augustenborg is not a suburb of Sønderborg, but in itself an attractive place for people to live. Over time, the town has lost most of its urban functions and there are now only a few grocery stores and specialist shops left. New areas of single-family houses have grown up around the town, partly because of the psychiatric hospital and partly because of the Danfoss company nearby.

There is a school, a kindergarten, day-care facilities and a nursing home in the town, all of which meet the town’s current needs and requirements.