Categories: denmark, postcards
Date: 11 September 2008 22:46:48
I left Skagen the way I had come, by train, and travelled as far as Fredrikshavn where I alighted and made my way to the ferry port (about 500 metres - which was lucky). My destination this time was the island of Læsø, a 90-minute journey from the mainland.
After checking into my delightful hotel with thatched roof, I hired a bike and went to explore. The island has a population of about 2,000 over an area of 114 sq. km. The roads are long and flat and even have cycle lanes which seem scarcely necessary as rush hour consists of two tractors and a bus. I had wondered if I would be safe cycling on the “wrong” side of the road as I am heavily challenged on the position of left and right at the best of times, but I needn't have worried as I had the roads to myself.
I visited a salt seething works which is operated on medieval lines. I can't tell you much about it as they didn't have any info to give me and guided tours only in Danish but from what I could gather salty water is heated from beneath large flat containers until salt crystals form on the top of the water and then sink to the bottom when they are “harvested” using a sieve. There were great baskets of salt sitting around and the salt is then used in health products. It seems that salt production was closely connected with the Church about 900 years ago and is considered to have been Denmark's first big industry. There was some rivalry between some Cistercian monks and a bishop but it appears they started salt production despite the arguments and the island used the salt to pay taxes. Then as fuel became scarce production ceased in 1652. In around 1990 some enthusiasts revitalised the craft and now with sustainable management of the forests the workers achieve an annual output of around 100 tonnes of salt. The island also has a spa in a former church - bringing the story in a full circle.
I cycled off to a couple more museums: one was the Maritime Museum where I arrived about 10 minutes before closing time (3 pm). The only display I could read was one in German which gave the history of a treasure trove which had been found at the bottom of the sea relatively recently. Everything else was labelled in Danish and with only a few minutes to get round a couple of rooms I didn't have time to puzzle everything out.
More interesting was a museum farm På Lynget. This old farm had had wings added to it over the years until it was four-sided with a yard in the middle. The most remarkable feature of the farmhouse is its roof which is made of seaweed - eelgrass, apparently. It looks to froth and foam its way down the roof almost like a grey version of royal icing. It provides good insulation and the larder was located under a large gable end. The accommodation in the farmhouse although somewhat dark was very spacious. There seemed to be lots of living rooms although, again, with no information, I wasn't sure if it was home to more than one family. The beds seemed rather short. They were entirely enclosed and only about 4 feet long so I'm not sure how comfortable they would have been!
Much of the building materials for the farmhouse came from the sea. Not only was the roof sourced there, some of the beams came from wrecks and it is said that it can take 17 “good” wrecks to build a farm. The islanders had a signalling system if a ship was sighted in trouble. An islander would hoist a flag as a signal to everyone to go down to the beach. Depending on what you read the signal was interpreted as a call to help mariners in distress or a good opportunity to replenish resources. Or both, I suppose.