Christmas hearts for everyone
Several initiatives in Aabenraa ensure that there’s extra warm-heartedness available to anyone that might need it at Christmas.
The "Town of Christmas hearts" in Danish, Julehjertebyen, opens again on November 21st 2026.
Christmas is known as the “festival of hearts”, and in Aabenraa this concept has an extra dimension. Here, several voluntary initiatives make sure that Christmas carries with it a little extra warm-heartedness for those that need it most.
At the historic railway station of Aabenraa you’ll find the so-called “town of Christmas hearts”, with activities from mid November to Christmas. It started in 2009 on the initiative of Malene Bruhn, who also was on the board of charity association “A heart for everyone”.
The thought behind the "Town of Christmas hearts" was to create a place in Aabenraa in which people can experience Christmas in the year 1850. The town consists of wooden houses that are replicas of a number of the town’s old buildings such as the town hall, the church, the inn Sdr. Hostrup Kro, the church of Sct. Jørgens Kirke, the Folkehjemmet community hall and the railway station.
The town of Christmas hearts is centred around the old railway station at Jernbanegade 2. Here, traditional Danish Christmas treats such as æbleskiver and rice pudding are prepared on old wood burning stoves and served free of charge to visitors.
The ingredients are donated by local businesses, while several hundred volunteers help bring the Christmas activities to life.
Throughout the town of Christmas hearts, you will find ceramic hearts that serve as collection boxes, giving you the opportunity to donate to a good cause. The money collected is distributed through the initiative “A Heart for Everyone”, helping to spread some of the Christmas spirit beyond the event itself.
