Middelfart, Denmark
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
"Middelfart" is the somehow rather improper name for a medium sized town on the danish island Funen. Originally the name meant "Crossing," because of the towns geografic position located as near as it could be - without really being there - to the nearest island "Jutland," separeted only by a belt. A lot of traffic on this belt resulted in the first settlements, and finaly it became a market town.
The first known written recordings of Middelfart is dated back to the 13th century, when the danish King Valdemar wanted a close and precise inspection of all his royal estates in the provinces of the kingdom.
Visiting the town can seem to be a bit boring - except from the church(dating back to 1250), and the two enormous bridges (number 1 dating back to 1935 and number 2 dating back to 1971), there is really very little to see, and most travellers pass trough Middelfart, not even noticing the quite remarkeble name.
The town is indeed very quiet, and compared to other towns around the world, it can seem almost idyllic and peacefull. But then the weekend happens to drop by. If one is looking at a easy night out, having a few beers, talking to the lokals, he/she will soon find out, that:
1. the the opposite sex will be very interested and
2. the equal sex will definetly not!
A lot of fights has started this way, and don't think you can talk your way out of it. If you're not the Taek-Wo-Do kind of guy, there is just one smart thing your feet can do: run. Not the most honorable thing to do, but the opponent propably has more local mates than you do.
After surviving the first weekend, one will soon get the sense of the the local way of thinking. And this is rather peculiar: A true "middelfartian" will allways have af feeling of being cheated. And this is in fact understandable enough:
During a civil war in Denmark in 1358, two rebel nobles and their leader was armbushed and killed in Middelfart. Of course the king swore his own innocence (probably laughing out loud doing so), and declared that the inhabitants of the town should pay a tax for the hideous act they had commited - Local intellectuals still discuss how poor fishermen could assassinate three fully armored knights. The tax was payed each year by the town untill 1874(!) where it was finaly lifted.
During the nineteen sixties there was a lokal fight between Middelfart and the rival town on the other side of the belt: This time it was over the placing of an industrial harbour. Both towns were trying very hard to get the harbour, which would mean a bigger industrial investment and prosperity from the outside, but again Middelfart lost it, and the rival got the harbour.
Whether or not Middelfart really got tricked is still an open debate anyone is free to comment on, as long as one is taking Middelfarts side.
Middelfart is all and all a nice and quiet town, perfectly and utterly stripped of all things dramatic and provocative. Except for the weekend nights, that is. And as long as you're not bearing fully armour or coming from the rival town.
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The first known written recordings of Middelfart is dated back to the 13th century, when the danish King Valdemar wanted a close and precise inspection of all his royal estates in the provinces of the kingdom.
Visiting the town can seem to be a bit boring - except from the church(dating back to 1250), and the two enormous bridges (number 1 dating back to 1935 and number 2 dating back to 1971), there is really very little to see, and most travellers pass trough Middelfart, not even noticing the quite remarkeble name.
The town is indeed very quiet, and compared to other towns around the world, it can seem almost idyllic and peacefull. But then the weekend happens to drop by. If one is looking at a easy night out, having a few beers, talking to the lokals, he/she will soon find out, that:
1. the the opposite sex will be very interested and
2. the equal sex will definetly not!
A lot of fights has started this way, and don't think you can talk your way out of it. If you're not the Taek-Wo-Do kind of guy, there is just one smart thing your feet can do: run. Not the most honorable thing to do, but the opponent propably has more local mates than you do.
After surviving the first weekend, one will soon get the sense of the the local way of thinking. And this is rather peculiar: A true "middelfartian" will allways have af feeling of being cheated. And this is in fact understandable enough:
During a civil war in Denmark in 1358, two rebel nobles and their leader was armbushed and killed in Middelfart. Of course the king swore his own innocence (probably laughing out loud doing so), and declared that the inhabitants of the town should pay a tax for the hideous act they had commited - Local intellectuals still discuss how poor fishermen could assassinate three fully armored knights. The tax was payed each year by the town untill 1874(!) where it was finaly lifted.
During the nineteen sixties there was a lokal fight between Middelfart and the rival town on the other side of the belt: This time it was over the placing of an industrial harbour. Both towns were trying very hard to get the harbour, which would mean a bigger industrial investment and prosperity from the outside, but again Middelfart lost it, and the rival got the harbour.
Whether or not Middelfart really got tricked is still an open debate anyone is free to comment on, as long as one is taking Middelfarts side.
Middelfart is all and all a nice and quiet town, perfectly and utterly stripped of all things dramatic and provocative. Except for the weekend nights, that is. And as long as you're not bearing fully armour or coming from the rival town.
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