Genner Bay and picturesque Kalvø

Genner Bay is around four kilometres wide and more than 10 metres deep. It cuts a path through the moraine hills between Sønderballe and Løjt Land northeast of Aabenraa.

At the innermost part of the bay, which is part of a tunnel valley, you will find Genner Beach and Sønderballe Beach with lots of holiday homes and the island of Kalvø, which in the Age of Sail was home to a small shipyard and village. Today, the island houses a museum and stone park.

The island and surrounding waters have been designated a game reserve, and Kalvø is connected to the mainland via a dam. In the old days, no one lived on Kalvø, but in 1847 shipowner Jørgen Bruhn purchased the island and built a shipyard here, which would go on to build large clippers and frigates. In 1870, the yard closed, but the yard workers’ houses remain.

Jørgen Bruhn only built ships for his own shipping company, and they were large ships, including the most famous ship to have come out of Aabenraa, the frigate Cimber, which in 1857 sailed from Liverpool to San Francisco via Cape Horn in a record time of 104 days.

At the time of his death in 1858, Jørgen Bruhn was the largest ship owner in the country and by far the wealthiest man in Aabenraa. But after his passing, his business fell apart. His headstone can still be seen in the cemetery in Aabenraa.