The sheltered Old Harbour is more than a picturesque collection of wooden boats. It preserves the scale and texture of a waterfront built around ferries, fishing, local craft and the difficult currents of the Little Belt.
In 2023, the Ship Preservation Trust designated Gl. Havn as Denmark's first maritime cultural harbour. The idea is not simply to preserve separate objects, but to keep an entire working environment legible: listed wooden vessels, sheds, quays, boatbuilding and the old town rising behind them.
Look back toward the church spire and the Hanging Gardens, then out across the belt. The town's geography becomes clear here. Homes, worship, trade and transport were all gathered within a few minutes of the water.