From about 1250 Ærøskøbing was the centre for the island's commercial and maritime trade. A fire in 1629 destroyed a large number of houses, but after this the town experienced a renaissance. Old houses were rebuilt, but also new, larger houses were erected in styles owing much to traditions from Funen, northern Germany and the duchy of Schleswig-Holstein, under which Ærø was incorporated until 1864, when Ærø was separate from Schleswig. The town as it is today illustrates a continuous building culture that has developed over several centuries
