The story of Danhostel Svendborg

The old listed buildings at Vestergade 45 housed L. Lange’s Iron Foundry from 1850 to 1984.
In its heyday, the foundry was a huge company with 250 employees, and at the turn of the century was one of Svendborg’s largest workplaces.

At the large foundry, sizzling cast iron was conjured into everything from barn windows, agricultural machinery and manhole covers. However, it was especially L. Lange’s beautiful style furnaces, neatly decorated by artists and designers, that made the foundry famous. Lange’s iron foundry survived the fire for 134 years and through four generations before the company ceased operations in 1984.

Although most of the foundry has today been demolished, the company’s beautiful administration building has been renovated and preserved. The Danhostel Svendborg hostel moved into the address in the late 1990s, and now it is not factory workers who walk through the building’s arched gates, but adventurous guests exploring Svendborg and its surroundings.

Over the years, the hostel has had a sea of ​​private individuals, associations and companies through its doors, and hosted large parties, cozy gatherings and lots of conferences and courses. And although a lot has happened since the large casting vats were hot, you can still feel the history of L. Lange’s foundry when you see the administration building’s beautiful old windows or exposed ceiling beams.

If you want to read more about L. Lange’s iron foundry, you can visit Fynhistorie.dk