There’s no place like home. These are the words of Christine Nørgaard Skylvad, who, after studying and living in Aarhus for a number of years, has moved back to Sønderborg with her husband Christian. They have built their dream home here and landed exciting jobs.
“I’ve always been fond of Sønderborg. But when I finished high school, I needed to get away and experience something different,” Christine Nørgaard Skylvad says. So she did what many other young people from Sønderborg do – she moved to one of the larger cities to study. She chose Aarhus, where she graduated with a Master’s degree in IT and Information Science. This was also where she met Christian, who is originally from Horsens. The couple moved in together in Aarhus and lived there while studying.
“We were really happy to live in Aarhus. It’s a wonderful and vibrant town. But then the coronavirus pandemic hit and suddenly living in a small apartment wasn’t much fun. We had to stay at home and everything was closed, so it suddenly became very cramped just sitting around,” says Christine, who had finished her studies and got a job at the Family Court in Aabenraa, and therefore suddenly had a long commute to work. Luckily, however, another opportunity arose. Christine’s parents in Sønderborg have a holiday home in Sydals, and the young couple had the opportunity to borrow it.
The prejudices just evaporated
“I admit that I was sceptical at first,” Christian Nørgaard Skylvad says with a smile. Unlike Christine, who wanted to return to Sønderborg, he was less enthusiastic about the idea of moving to the provinces.
“But I quickly grew to love the peace and quiet and the beautiful nature down here. And then I also realised that Sønderborg actually has a lot to offer. Plus we were
close to family, so it wasn’t so scary to move away from the big city,” says Christian, whose roots stretch down to Flensburg south of the border.
After a year in the holiday home, the couple decided to settle down in Sønderborg more permanently. They got married and bought a house, which they’ve remodelled to their own design, so now it’s everything they dreamed it would be.
“We would never have been able to afford to live in Aarhus the way we do here. And many of the things we enjoyed there, we also have here. We live close to the water, we can go to cafés and restaurants and we walk the Gendarme Trail almost every day. So we definitely don’t feel like we’re missing out on anything. On the contrary,” says Christine Nørgaard Skylvad.
Career opportunities are a plus
One of the things that appealed to newcomer Christian was the great job opportunities in Sønderborg. Immediately after graduating with an MSc in IT, he joined Danfoss in their Postgraduate programme.
“The fact that there are good career opportunities here definitely plays an important role. I’ve become part of a large international group, so the opportunities are almost endless, which definitely offers career security. But a lot of people probably won’t realise how many opportunities there are down here if they don’t know the area,” says Christian, who has become a strong advocate for living in Sønderborg, and the young couple hope that many other young people will choose the same path.
“We are so happy to live here now. But we’d like to meet more people like us – to create a strong network for ourselves. So we think ‘Sønderborg Born’ sounds really exciting,” says Christine Nørgaard Skylvad.
In Sønderborg, we know that young people are our future, which is why we prioritise them and their activities. The first ever Tilting-at-the-Ring Festival Youth Lunch was a great success, with 850 children from Sønderborg – both local residents and those from other towns. Watch the video from the 2023 Youth Lunch in Sønderborg here.
The Bonde family moved home to Als and created a life that they thrive in and enjoy on a daily basis. They have everything they need right here.
Have an exciting behind-the-scenes look at our latest Sønderborg Born photoshoot. A backdrop consisting of the GOTO Sønderborg logo carved into an impressive 4×4 metre back wall provided the setting for the filming.