Editing Rudkøbing (section)

==History==
The first mention of Rudkøbing was in 1287, when it was given [[Town privileges|market town privileges]] by Duke [[Valdemar IV, Duke of Schleswig|Valdemar IV of Schleswig]], who held the title of ''rigsforstander'' ([[:da:Rigsforstander|da]]) under King [[Eric VI of Denmark|Eric VI Menved]]. The original [[Rudkøbing Church]] was most likely built in the late 12th century or early 13th century.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ny udgivelse om kirkerne i Rudkøbing|url=https://natmus.dk/nyhed/ny-udgivelse-om-kirkerne-i-rudkoebing/|access-date=2021-05-24|website=Nationalmuseet|language=da}}</ref> During the [[Count's Feud]] (1534–1536) and again during the [[Dano-Swedish War (1658–60)|Dano-Swedish War (1658–1660)]], Rudkøbing was under siege by Swedish troops. Both times, the town's [[fortification]]s prevented Rudkøbing from immediately falling, but the town eventually had to give in to the Swedes. The town was hit by the [[Black Death|Black Plague]] during the 16th and 17th centuries, and experienced fires in 1590 and 1610.

The [[Ørsted family]], which most notably includes the brothers [[Hans Christian Ørsted|Hans Christian]] and [[Anders Sandøe Ørsted]], has its origins in Rudkøbing. Their father was a [[pharmacist]], and the brothers were born in the old [[Pharmacy (shop)|pharmacy]] on Gåsetorvet. Across from their birth house is a statue of Hans Christian, and a statue of Anders is located at nearby Ørstedsparken, which is named in their honor. The old pharmacy remained in use until 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://academictree.org/physics/peopleinfo.php?pid=25746 |title = Hans Christian Ørsted |website= academictree.org |access-date=1 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://runeberg.org/dbl/19/0465.html|title = Ørsted, Anders Sandøe, 1778–1860|website= Dansk biografisk Lexikon|access-date=1 January 2020}}</ref>
 
Rudkøbing got its first proper harbor in 1826 (it had previously only had a [[pier]]). In 1898, in a town of about 3,500 people, there were 152 ships [[Home port|based]] in Rudkøbing. Every year, over 2,500 ships (carrying over 18,000 metric tons of cargo) came in and over 2,800 ships (carrying over 11,500 metric tons of cargo) went out, mostly to and from elsewhere in Denmark. The town was connected by steam ferry routes to [[Copenhagen]], [[Korsør]], [[Marstal]], and [[Svendborg]].

The town's population was stable during the [[interwar period]], hovering above 4,000, with the census in 1930 recording a population of 4,129. The population peaked at 4,541 in 1950, and by 1965, it had fallen to 4,204. Around this time a suburb developed in {{Interlanguage link|Skrøbelev Parish|da|Skrøbelev Sogn}}, which eventually grew together with Rudkøbing.

Each year between 1991 and 2022, the town hosted [[Langelandsfestivalen]], a music festival which targeted families.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://langelandsfestival.dk |title = Langelandsfestival|website= langelandsfestival.dk |access-date=1 January 2020}}</ref> Usually lasting 8 days, the festival had performances from both Danish and foreign musicians. The 2023 edition was canceled because of economic problems, and the company behind the festival filed for [[bankruptcy]] at the [[Maritime and Commercial Court (Denmark)|Maritime and Commercial Court]] on 13 June 2023, after owner Allan K. Pedersen had unsuccessfully tried to find a new owner.<ref>{{cite news|title=Selskabet bag Langelandsfestival begærer sig konkurs|url=https://nyheder.tv2.dk/samfund/2023-06-13-selskabet-bag-langelandsfestival-begaerer-sig-konkurs|newspaper=[[TV 2 (Denmark)|TV2]] via [[Ritzau]]|date=13 June 2023|access-date=8 February 2024}}</ref>

Rudkøbing was the seat of the former [[Rudkøbing Municipality]] in [[Funen County]], and is the seat of the current [[Langeland Municipality]] in the [[Region of Southern Denmark|Southern Denmark Region]]. When Rudkøbing was its own municipality, there were often negotiations with the two other Langelandic municipalities of [[Sydlangeland Municipality|Sydlangeland]] and [[Tranekær Municipality|Tranekær]] to merge. These plans were repeatedly abandoned due to a lack of public support. In the [[2007 Danish Municipal Reform]], the three were forced together, and Rudkøbing has since been the municipal seat.