Falster
Encyclopedia
Falster is an island in south-eastern Denmark
with an area of 514 km² (198 sq. miles) and 43,398 inhabitants as of 1 January 2010. Located in the Baltic sea
, it is part of Region Sjælland
(County of Zealand) and is administered by Guldborgsund Municipality
. Falster includes Denmark's southernmost point, Gedser Odde, near Gedser
.
The largest town is Nykøbing Falster
with over 40% of the island's inhabitants. Other towns include Stubbekøbing
, Nørre Alslev
and Gedser
.
Falster is connected to the larger island of Zealand to the north by the Farø Bridges
(Farøbroerne) on European route E47
linking Copenhagen
to Hamburg
and the south. To the south-west, the E47 connects Falster to the island of Lolland
via a tunnel under the Guldborgsund
strait. The Farø bridges join on the small island of Farø
, and from there a further bridge gives access to the eastern neighbouring island of Møn
.
There are two other bridges connecting to Lolland: the Guldborgsund Bridge at the northern end of the strait and the Frederick IX Bridge
at Nykøbing Falster.
's Census Book from c. 1231 lists all the parishes and most of the villages. Falster's two main towns, Nykøbing
and Stubbekøbing
, were both founded towards the end of the 12th century.
In medieval times, the island was marked by wars with the Wends
in 1158 and with Lübeck
in 1253. The census of 1509 includes only 90 of the 110 villages mentioned earlier. By contrast, it mentions 29 new settlements mainly along the coast.
In the 16th century, Falster had a number of farms which were owned by the local nobility but, from 1560 to 1630, they were slowly returned to the crown which once again owned the entire island. Therefore, Falster could therefore be used as the dowry for Frederick III
's wife, Sophie Amalie but as a result of the high taxes which resulted, many of the farms were deserted.
Falster was managed as a crown estate from 1718 until 1766 when it was sold by auction and divided up into ten large farms, five of which were given large new fields. But as the fields had to be prepared through the serfdom of local peasants, this led to many disputes.
The villages were replaced by the community from 1778 to 1814, and gradually moved to freehold tenants, a process which was only completed in about 1860.
Falster experienced significant economic expansion after 1880 when, with the establishment of cooperative dairies and slaughterhouses, farming was concentrated on livestock production and forage crops. There was also an increase in the cultivation of sugar beet which was processed in factories at Nykøbing and Stubbekøbing between 1890 and 1914. Many seasonal workers, especially women, from Sweden and Poland came to help with harvesting the sugar beet and some of them stayed.
With the new railway from Orehoved to Nykøbing in 1872 and railway ferries to Masnedø
(1884) and Warnemünde
(1903), Falster slowly became a traffic hub. Its position was reinforced by the construction of the Storstrøm Bridge (1937) and Farø Bridges (1985).
Since 1975, Falster has been marked by high unemployment as a result of harder times for both farming and industry.
Nykøbing offers a number of attractions including its old-town atmosphere with narrow streets. Of particular interest are the Middle Ages Centre
, and the 15th century Abbey Church (Klosterkirke).
Falster has an excellent motorway and good trunk roads linking its towns and villages.
Nykøbing Falster's railway station is operated by Danish State Railways. There are regular passenger train services to Copenhagen
via Ringsted
. International trains operating between Copenhagen and Hamburg
(via the train ferry
between Rødby
and Puttgarden
) also call at the station. The Lollandsbanen
operates a rail service to Nakskov
.
There are also frequent bus services linking Nykøbing with other towns and villages on the island as well as with destinations on Lolland, Møn and Zealand.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
with an area of 514 km² (198 sq. miles) and 43,398 inhabitants as of 1 January 2010. Located in the Baltic sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
, it is part of Region Sjælland
Region Sjælland
Region Zealand is an administrative region of Denmark established on January 1, 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform, which replaced the traditional counties with five larger regions. At the same time, smaller municipalities were merged into larger units, cutting the number of...
(County of Zealand) and is administered by Guldborgsund Municipality
Guldborgsund municipality
Guldborgsund is a municipality in Region Sjælland in Denmark, spanning the Guldborgsund strait. It covers an area of 907 km² and a total population of 63,496 . Its administrative seat is in the town of Nykøbing Falster...
. Falster includes Denmark's southernmost point, Gedser Odde, near Gedser
Gedser
Gedser is a town at the southern tip of the Danish island of Falster in the Guldborgsund Municipality in Sjælland region. It is the southernmost town in Denmark. The town has a population of 809...
.
The largest town is Nykøbing Falster
Nykøbing Falster
Nykøbing Falster is a southern Danish city, seat of the Guldborgsund kommune. It belongs to Region Sjælland. The city lies on Falster, connected by the 295-meter-long Frederick IX Bridge over the Guldborgsund waterway to the island of Lolland. The town has a population of 16,464...
with over 40% of the island's inhabitants. Other towns include Stubbekøbing
Stubbekøbing
Stubbekøbing is a town with a population of 2,298 in Guldborgsund municipality in Region Sjælland on the northeastern coast of the island of Falster in south Denmark...
, Nørre Alslev
Nørre Alslev
Nørre Alslev is a town with a population of 2,407 on the northern end of the island of Falster in south Denmark. It belongs to Guldborgsund municipality in Region Sjælland....
and Gedser
Gedser
Gedser is a town at the southern tip of the Danish island of Falster in the Guldborgsund Municipality in Sjælland region. It is the southernmost town in Denmark. The town has a population of 809...
.
Falster is connected to the larger island of Zealand to the north by the Farø Bridges
Farø Bridges
300px|thumb|The Farø Bridges from above: Zealand to the left, Falster to the right and Bogø at the top The Farø Bridges are two road bridges that connect the islands of Falster and Zealand in Denmark by way of the small island of Farø which is approximately mid-way across the Storstrømmen sound...
(Farøbroerne) on European route E47
European route E47
European route E 47 is a highway going from Lübeck in Germany over Copenhagen, Denmark to Helsingborg, Sweden, which is also known under the name Vogelfluglinie and Sydmotorvejen. The road has motorway standard all the way except for in Germany, the part inside Helsingør , and there are also...
linking Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
to Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
and the south. To the south-west, the E47 connects Falster to the island of Lolland
Lolland
Lolland is the fourth largest island of Denmark, with an area of 1,243 square kilometers . Located in the Baltic sea, it is part of Region Sjælland...
via a tunnel under the Guldborgsund
Guldborgsund
Guldborgsund is the strait between the Danish islands of Lolland and Falster that connects Smålandsfarvandet in the north with Bay of Mecklenburg in the south. It is navigable for craft of up to 6 metres draught in its northern part and is used for commercial traffic to Nykøbing Falster...
strait. The Farø bridges join on the small island of Farø
Farø
Farø is an island in Denmark, located between the islands of Sjælland and Falster. It has an area of 0.93 km² and has a population of four people . Administratively it is part of Vordingborg Municipality....
, and from there a further bridge gives access to the eastern neighbouring island of Møn
Møn
-Location:Møn is located just off the south-eastern tip of Zealand from which it is separated by the waters of the Hølen strait between Kalvehave and the island of Nyord, at the northern end of Møn. Further south is Stege Bugt...
.
There are two other bridges connecting to Lolland: the Guldborgsund Bridge at the northern end of the strait and the Frederick IX Bridge
Frederick IX Bridge
250px|right|thumb|Frederick IX BridgeThe Frederick IX bridge spans the Guldborgsund strait between the islands of Falster and Lolland in Denmark. It joins the larger part of Nykøbing Falster with the smaller part of the town on Lolland...
at Nykøbing Falster.
History
From medieval times until 1766, most of Falster belonged to the crown. King ValdemarValdemar II of Denmark
Valdemar II , called Valdemar the Victorious or Valdemar the Conqueror , was the King of Denmark from 1202 until his death in 1241. The nickname Sejr is a later invention and was not used during the King's own lifetime...
's Census Book from c. 1231 lists all the parishes and most of the villages. Falster's two main towns, Nykøbing
Nykøbing Falster
Nykøbing Falster is a southern Danish city, seat of the Guldborgsund kommune. It belongs to Region Sjælland. The city lies on Falster, connected by the 295-meter-long Frederick IX Bridge over the Guldborgsund waterway to the island of Lolland. The town has a population of 16,464...
and Stubbekøbing
Stubbekøbing
Stubbekøbing is a town with a population of 2,298 in Guldborgsund municipality in Region Sjælland on the northeastern coast of the island of Falster in south Denmark...
, were both founded towards the end of the 12th century.
In medieval times, the island was marked by wars with the Wends
Wends
Wends is a historic name for West Slavs living near Germanic settlement areas. It does not refer to a homogeneous people, but to various peoples, tribes or groups depending on where and when it is used...
in 1158 and with Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
in 1253. The census of 1509 includes only 90 of the 110 villages mentioned earlier. By contrast, it mentions 29 new settlements mainly along the coast.
In the 16th century, Falster had a number of farms which were owned by the local nobility but, from 1560 to 1630, they were slowly returned to the crown which once again owned the entire island. Therefore, Falster could therefore be used as the dowry for Frederick III
Frederick III of Denmark
Frederick III was king of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death. He instituted absolute monarchy in Denmark and Norway in 1660, confirmed by law in 1665 as the first in western historiography. He was born the second-eldest son of Christian IV of Denmark and Anne Catherine of Brandenburg...
's wife, Sophie Amalie but as a result of the high taxes which resulted, many of the farms were deserted.
Falster was managed as a crown estate from 1718 until 1766 when it was sold by auction and divided up into ten large farms, five of which were given large new fields. But as the fields had to be prepared through the serfdom of local peasants, this led to many disputes.
The villages were replaced by the community from 1778 to 1814, and gradually moved to freehold tenants, a process which was only completed in about 1860.
Falster experienced significant economic expansion after 1880 when, with the establishment of cooperative dairies and slaughterhouses, farming was concentrated on livestock production and forage crops. There was also an increase in the cultivation of sugar beet which was processed in factories at Nykøbing and Stubbekøbing between 1890 and 1914. Many seasonal workers, especially women, from Sweden and Poland came to help with harvesting the sugar beet and some of them stayed.
With the new railway from Orehoved to Nykøbing in 1872 and railway ferries to Masnedø
Masnedø
Masnedø is a Danish island between Zealand and Falster. The island covers an area of 1.68 km² and has 156 inhabitants. Masnedø can be reached by the Masnedsund Bridge from Zealand or the Storstrøm Bridge from Falster...
(1884) and Warnemünde
Warnemünde
Warnemünde is a sea resort and northmost district of Rostock in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, situated on the Baltic Sea in the northeast of Germany at the estuary of the river Warnow.- History :...
(1903), Falster slowly became a traffic hub. Its position was reinforced by the construction of the Storstrøm Bridge (1937) and Farø Bridges (1985).
Since 1975, Falster has been marked by high unemployment as a result of harder times for both farming and industry.
Tourism
With its marinas, sandy beaches and cycle tracks, Falster attracts tourists who wish to have relaxing holidays in unspoilt surroundings. One of the most popular resorts is Marielyst on the eastern coast.Nykøbing offers a number of attractions including its old-town atmosphere with narrow streets. Of particular interest are the Middle Ages Centre
Middelaldercentret
The Middelaldercentret is an experimental living history museum in Denmark situated in the town of Nykøbing Falster.-Overview:...
, and the 15th century Abbey Church (Klosterkirke).
Transport
Nykøbing Falster's railway station is operated by Danish State Railways. There are regular passenger train services to Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
via Ringsted
Ringsted
Ringsted, a city in Ringsted municipality, is in the middle of the Danish island of Zealand. The municipal population is about 31,000 and the city population is 21,151 .Ringsted is approximately 60 km from Copenhagen.-Modern hotspot:...
. International trains operating between Copenhagen and Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
(via the train ferry
Train ferry
A train ferry is a ship designed to carry railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train ferries are sometimes referred to as "car ferries", as...
between Rødby
Rødby
Rødby is a town and a former municipality on the island of Lolland in Denmark. The former Rødby municipality covered an area of 120 km², and had a total population of 6,590...
and Puttgarden
Puttgarden
Puttgarden is a ferry harbour and a village on the German island of Fehmarn. It lies on an important route between Germany and Denmark known as the Vogelfluglinie which crosses the 18 km strait, the Fehmarnbelt, to Rødby on the island of Lolland....
) also call at the station. The Lollandsbanen
Lollandsbanen
A/S Lollandsbanen is a Danish railway company operating the Nykøbing F–Nakskov line mostly on the island of Lolland. Established in 1954, it is based on the remains of Det Lolland-Falsterske Jernbane-Selskab...
operates a rail service to Nakskov
Nakskov
Nakskov is a town in south Denmark. It is in Lolland municipality in Region Sjælland on the western coast of the island of Lolland. The town has a population of 13,560 . To the west is Nakskov Fjord, an inlet from the Langeland Belt that runs between the islands of Lolland and Langeland...
.
There are also frequent bus services linking Nykøbing with other towns and villages on the island as well as with destinations on Lolland, Møn and Zealand.
Cultural references
- Marie GrubbeMarie GrubbeMarie Grubbe was a Danish noble who drew a lot of attention by her love life. She has been the inspiration for books, plays and operas.- Biography :Daughter of a statesman, noble Erik Grubbe and Maren Juul...
, whose tragic life has been the subject of several works of art including most notably Jens Peter JacobsenJens Peter JacobsenJens Peter Jacobsen was a Danish novelist, poet, and scientist, in Denmark often just written as "J. P. Jacobsen" and pronounced "I. P. Jacobsen"...
's 1876 novel published in English as Marie Grubbe. A Lady of the Seventeenth Century in 1917, spent her last years in poverty on Falster.