FUNEN

Danish Fyn, third largest island (area 1,153 square miles [2,985 square km]) of Denmark. It lies between southern Jutland and Sjlland (Zealand) and is bounded by the Little Belt (strait) to the west and the Great Belt to the east, making up most of Funen amtskommune (county commune). The fertile clay loams of the rolling morainic landscape (the Garden of Denmark) support agriculture (grains and sugar beets), gardening, dairy farming, and cattle breeding. Stone Age burial chambers remain on the island, as well as numerous Viking relics, including the famous Ladby-skibet (12 miles east of Odense), the burial ship of a Viking chieftain (c. 950), and a ship monument (grave enclosed by standing stones in the form of a ship) west of Odense. Always a stronghold of the Danish aristocracy, Funen is rich in old castles and manor houses. Two of the finest are Egeskov (1554) and Brahetrolleborg (1568; incorporating parts of a monastery founded in 1172), both in the south. The island's chief ports are the manufacturing city of Odense, Assens, Svendborg, Nyborg, Kerteminde, Middelfart, and Fborg. Pop. (1989 est.) 424,687.