Augustenborg is a town on the island of Als, situated at the mouth of a picturesque fjord. Its main building and the most important monument is a baroque palace that belonged in the past to the Schleswig-Holstein family, whose descendants now belong to the Swedish ruling family.
The city was founded at the Augustenborg Castle, built in the mid-17th century. It belonged to the Schleswig-Holstein family, one of Denmark's most important aristocratic families. In the second half of the nineteenth century, it was strongly associated with the movement seeking to connect this part of the country with Prussia, which was achieved in 1864. The lands of Schleswig with the island of Als returned to Denmark after the plebiscite in 1920, and the last male descendant of the Schleswig family -Holstein died just over 10 years later.
Today, the palace with the castle park is Augustenborg's most important attraction. It is open to the public and there is a permanent exhibition on the history of the property in the tower. The summer palace houses the Art Gallery and the Augustiana Park, and in its vicinity KunstPunkt - an institution associating contemporary artists and organizing exhibitions of their works.
Augustenborg Castle Park was eagerly visited by Hans Christian Andersen, who liked to sit under one of the local lime trees. To this day, there is a charming walking area here. Tours can also be made in the surrounding Augustenborg Forest. There is a port with a marina at the mouth of the fjord. From here you can also take a ferry to Funen.
