Samsø Municipality () is a municipality (Danish: kommune) in Region of Central Denmark. Samsø municipality covers an area of 115 km2 in the Kattegat sea, between the Danish mainland of Jutland and Zealand and comprises the island of Samsø as well as a number of small surrounding islands. The mayor has since 2014 been Marcel Meijer, a member of the Social Democrats (Danish: Socialdemokraterne) political party. The seat of the municipal council is the town of Tranebjerg.
Ferry services connect the town of Sælvig to the town of Hov in Odder Municipality as well as Aarhus, and the town of Ballen connects to the city of Kalundborg on Zealand. To the east is the strait of Samsø Bælt, separating Samsø from Zealand.
Samsø Municipality was not merged with any adjacent municipality under the municipal reform of 2007, as it agreed to enter into a "municipal cooperation agreement" with Aarhus Municipality and limited cooperation with Odder Municipality.
The municipality is part of Business Region Aarhus and of the East Jutland metropolitan area, which had a total population of 1.378 million in 2016.
History
Samsø was a historically important location in the Viking Age, due to its central location in Kattegat. The Kanhave canal was constructed in the 720s to allow for easy and quick access across the sea. Five castles were built on the island in the Middle Ages, where the island was under ownership of the king. The island was in 1676 gifted to Sophie Amalie Moth, who became countess of the island.
Denmark has historically been divided into syssels in the Middle Ages. Samsø was a hundred in Åbosyssel. With the dissolving of the syssels, Samsø came under Kalundborg Fief. The fief was later changed to a county, and Samsø was between 1660 and 1670 part of Kalundborg County. Kalundborg County was merged into Holbæk County in 1793.
Samsø never had any market towns (Danish: Købstader), but was granted special privileges as islanders. Among those privileges were the permission to ship out their own products, which was usually reserved for market towns. The naval importance of Samsø became significant through the 1600s, but the Great Northern War in 1709-1720 halved the ships on the island. Several fortifications and scones were constructed on Samsø and the surrounding islands, which increased its military importance. The English Wars resulted in another halving of Samsø's ship, and another big hit to the island's economy and maritime significance.
In 1962 there were five parish municipalities in Samsø Hundred: Besser, Kolby, Nordby, Onsbjerg and Tranebjerg. They were, in 1962, merged to form Samsø Municipality. In 1970 Samsø Municipality was moved from Holbæk County to Århus County. In the municipal reform of 2007 Samsø was not merged with any other municipality.
Historical divisions
The table below shows the historical municipal subdivisions of Samsø Municipality.
Towns
Below are all settlements in the municipality with populations of at least 200 people (populations as of 2020).
Tranebjerg
Tranebjerg is located centrally on the southern part of the island. Tranebjerg Bog and the river Sørenden borders the town to the north. The south-eastern neighborhood of the town is called Frederiksberg. The rest of the town is surrounded by fields.
Tranebjerg is the administrative center of the municipality, and home to the municipality's town hall. Tranebjerg Church and Samsø Museum. South of the church is Samsø Library and the municipality's town hall. In the center of the town, slightly south of the town hall, is Samsø Hospital. Also in the center of the town is a football field known as Tranebjerg Stadion, used by the local football teams. Along the road of Langgade, where the football field is also located, are several shops, restaurants and cafés. A pharmacy and tourist center is located in this area. Frederiksberg, the southern part of the town, as well as the eastern part of the town are mainly residential areas. There is a small industrial area in the north-eastern part of the town.
In 2008 ruins from a church from the 1100s was found in Tranebjerg. This indicated the presence of a castle known as Brattingsborg Castle (Danish: Gammel Brattingsborg), which was burnt down by Stig Andersen Hvide in 1289.
Villages
Nordby is the northernmost settlement on the island, and is the location of several restaurants and hotel, as well as the largest natural maze in the world, Samsø Labyrinten.
There are marinas in Ballen, Langør and Mårup Havn, and all three marinas are popular tourist destinations. Ballen is also home to many hotels and restaurants.