Over the years, many of the city's visitors have arrived by ferry from Harwich, Essex, England, but this service closed in September 2014 having run since 1875.

The town itself was not established until 1868 when it was built as a replacement for the harbour in Altona,[3] which had previously been Denmark's most important North Sea port but came under German control after the Second Schleswig War in 1864.

Developed under royal decree from 1868 until 1874,[4] the harbour was officially opened in 1874, with rail connections to Varde and to Fredericia, an important hub on the east coast of Jutland.

Initial planning of the town was conducted by chartered surveyor H. Wilkens in 1870 with streets laid out in the form of a rectangular grid.

A number of institutions and facilities were soon established, including the courthouse and town hall (1891), the gas and waterworks (1896) and the power plant (1907).

Established in 1895 by nine local dairies, the butter-packaging factory, Dansk Andels Smørpakkeri, employed some 150 workers until 1920, packing and dispatching butter for the London market.

[9] After the Second World War, the town developed several agricultural industries, especially meat processing and packaging with a plant employing over 300.

Lonely Planet remarked that "nobody comes to Esbjerg for a holiday, in fact, as with many industrial ports, most visitors rush through as quickly as possible".

[14] In connection with this, in June 2013, the port was significantly expanded with the opening of the Østhavn (East Harbour), covering an area of 650,000 m2 (7,000,000 sq ft).

[15] Historically, in addition to its success as a fishing port, Esbjerg established its position as one of the country's major export centres.

As a result of planned development, the older sections of the town look like a chessboard with long, wide streets with rectangular corners.

[7] The high ground of Esbjerg stretches along the east coast of the Wadden Sea (now a UNESCO World Heritage Site)[19][20] between the rivers of Varde and Sneum, encompassing the coastal area of Ho Bugt and the seaside district of Hjerting to the north.

Apart from the cliff in the town park overlooking the harbour, the valley of Fourfelt Bæk, 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) in length, is the main feature of the landscape, resulting in differences of up to 20 m (66 ft) with the surroundings.

Unlike Denmark's eastern portion (which consists of islands), the city hardly sees any continental influences to its weather.

[26] In May 2014, Esbjerg was noted to be one of the least attractive of Denmark's top 20 cities for house purchases and apartment rentals, dropping to 19th place, along with Herning.

[27] Esbjerg's city council for the period January 2014 to December 2017 consists of 31 members, 15 of whom are Venstre, Liberal Party of Denmark and nine, Social Democrats.

There are also eight special committees which prepare the work of the council covering the areas of finance, labour market, health, children & family, culture & leisure, planning & environment, social services, and technology & supply.

[28][29] Mayors of Esbjerg since 1898:[30] The old Courthouse on the main square was designed by Hans Christian Amberg and completed in 1892 when the town had only 4,000 inhabitants.

The red-brick building with stepped gables, round-arched windows and a tower reaching 30 m (98 ft) in height resembles a medieval castle.

[31] Man Meets the Sea (Mennesket ved Havet) is a monument of four 9-metre-tall (27 feet) white-coloured men located to the west of Esbjerg, overlooking Sædding Beach.

Standing at the top of a cliff, it commands excellent views of the city and the harbour from its platform which is open to the public.

[33] The imposing old Courthouse Building on the central square with its tall tower and stepped gables has recently been fully renovated.

Danhostel Esbjerg in a former high school is located about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to the northwest of the city along Gammel Vardevej near sports facilities.

[35] Of particular note are Sand's Restaurant which serves Danish cuisine such as smørrebrød, meatballs, smoked eels and the fried beef patty pariserbof, and the Paddy Go Easy Irish pub near the main square.

[35] Housed in a listed building on the main square, Dronning Louise serves everything from full meals to sandwiches and occasionally offers live music.

Breaking with tradition, its square-shaped nave was built directly adjacent to lower ancillary buildings including a hall with a stage, meeting rooms and a kitchen.

Its innovative square-shaped design by Johan Otto von Spreckelsen served as a basis for his Grande Arche in Paris.

Completed in 1997 to designs by Jan Utzon and his father, it hosts classical concerts, opera, family shows and drama productions.

[53] The town is served by the Southwest Jutland Hospital (Sydvestjysk Sygehus) which also has a branch in Brande and treats over 42,000 patients annually, with over 500 beds and a staff of about 2,500 employees.

[59] The club's home venue is the Granly Speedway Arena, which is located about 16 kilometres in an easterly direction from the centre of Esbjerg, on Tinghedevej 9.