This small port on the southern tip of the island of Ærø was a very important shipbuilding centre, producing large numbers of wooden sailing vessels well into the 1900s. The postcard shows a typical view of some of these craft moored in the harbour in the 1930s. They were recognisable by their distinctive shaped sterns and topsail schooner rig, usually on three masts. From Marstal the vessels carried cargoes of timber throughout the Baltic and North Sea, reaching the south coast of England.