Tønder

Tønder, a town of around 7,500 inhabitants, is located in the southwest of Southern Jutland. Tønder is a city that offers a wide range of events all year round. Here you can experience the Black Sun, the Tønder Festival and the Tønder Christmas Market. You can stroll up the cosy pedestrian street in the old town at your own pace and look at the houses from the last 300 years.

Tønder is especially known for its Christmas market and the Old Pharmacy, which houses Scandinavia's largest Christmas exhibition. The Christmas market tradition started in Tønder in the early 1990s and now runs from mid-November until Christmas. It all starts with a Christmas parade that passes through the town with a lot of Santa's. The town is decorated for Christmas, Tønder's own Christmas train runs through the streets at weekends, Christmas huts are set up in the town square and various events are held such as Christmas races and Christmas banquets.

In the basement of the Old Pharmacy, on Tønder's pedestrian street, there is a permanent Christmas exhibition which will be extended to several rooms in the building from November. Here you will find a huge selection of Christmas items, from classic Christmas to modern Christmas.

Every year on the last weekend in August, Tønder Festival takes place. The festival started in 1974 and has developed into one of the most important festivals in Europe for traditional and modern folk music. The festival can accommodate 10,000 guests and there are 2000 volunteers. The music programme is composed of international artists, mainly from Canada, Ireland, Scotland, USA, England and Scandinavia. The genres range from Irish and Scottish folk to folk rock, blues and jazz, from songwriters to country, to modern Danish folk music. The festival is regarded as one of the cosiest and most peaceful festivals in Denmark and the whole city exudes good vibes during the festival weekend.

In spring and autumn you can see the Black Sun as the starlings gather in the marshes in huge flocks for migration. Tøndermarsken is located by the Wadden Sea and covers some 2,500 ha. Denmark's largest continuous meadow area. The largest flocks of starlings at Black Sun can be seen in Tøndermarsken, where sometimes up to a million birds can be seen together. Excursions are arranged to Black Sun and this natural sight is something special.

At the Tønder Art Museum you can experience the permanent Hans J. Wegener exhibition. The exhibition is located in Tønder's water tower and consists of what Wegener himself called "My 36 best chairs". The museum is in Tønder because Wegener himself expressed a desire to "come home" and give something back to the town that had nurtured his talent and given him his carpentry training.

When you are in your own car, you can combine your visit to Tønder with a visit to the small idyllic town of Møgeltønder, which is only 4 km from Tønder, where you will find Schackenborg Castle, formerly the home of HRH Prince Joachim. Schackenborg Estate is 1031 hectares and the original buildings date back to the 13th century while the current Baroque-style buildings were constructed in the mid-1660s.

Tønder offers many exciting experiences all year round and is a perfect destination for a self-drive holiday. So pack your car and take the whole family to the eventful city of Tønder.