Trail 12, Tåsinge

This text is an excerpt from the book about the Archipelago Trail, and therefore provides more background, detail and inspiration than the shorter trail leaflets.

This trail leads you from Lundby along Lunkebugten, through Tvede Forest near Vemmenæs, across the Siø Causeway, and finally over the impressive Langeland Bridge to Rudkøbing.

Lundby

The village of Lundby is among the oldest settlements on Tåsinge—possibly founded in the Viking Age around the year 1000. Such early primary settlements (rather than later outlying farm clusters) are known as “noble villages.”
Until the Reformation in 1536, many of the farms belonged to the Bishop of Odense; later they came under the Crown, and from 1677 under Valdemars Castle.

The winding village layout was reorganised in 1788, when half of the farms were moved out into the surrounding fields.

Landet Churchyard

At Landet Churchyard you will find the graves of Sixten Sparre and Elvira Madigan (see Trail 11). It is about 1.5 km from Lundby to Landet.

Lunkebugten

The Archipelago Trail follows the road along the shallow Lunkebugt bay. At low tide, large sand and mudflats appear, attracting feeding wading birds. Anglers dig for lugworms and ragworms here.

Many newly built ships from Svendborg, Thurø and Tåsinge were test‑sailed in the calm waters of Lunkebugten before delivery.

Holstensgårde

South of Lundby, where the trail turns toward Vemmenæs, lie Holstensgården and Kimergården, notable for their tall barn roofs designed for storing grain.
Baron Niels Juel was inspired by Holstein agriculture and introduced the “kobbelbrug” (strip‑field rotation), the forerunner of later land reforms on Tåsinge.

Submerged Stone Age Settlement

Off the coast north of Lunkeris Forest lies a submerged settlement from the end of the Mesolithic Ertebølle Culture, famous for its shell middens.
The culture ended around 3900 BC, when agriculture began in Denmark. The site is a reminder that the entire South Funen Archipelago is a flooded Ice Age landscape.

Vemmenæs – ferry point and village

The trail passes close to Vemmenæs, established by Niels Juel as a trading centre at the ferry crossing to Rudkøbing.
In 1767 the village had 22 farms and 13 houses. Ferry service continued until 1959, when the Siø Causeway opened.

Ancient Monuments

Tvede Forest contains several burial mounds, and west of Vemmenæs are stones with Bronze Age cup marks.

The Siø Causeway

Tåsinge and Siø are connected by a 1,400‑metre causeway and bridge from 1959.
Siøsund Bridge is a low 558‑metre beam bridge. Larger vessels must pass via the Langeland Bridge.

Stones from local dry‑stone walls (then unprotected) were used in the construction.
Along the meadow Monnet, you can still see the last preserved section of original stone wall.

The view from the causeway is wide and dramatic, and the tidal currents through Siøsund are strong.

Siø

To protect nesting birds, the Archipelago Trail on Siø is closed from 15 March to 1 July—take the main road instead.

Siø is a reclaimed island made up of former islets (Skovø, Sidø, Store Fugleholm, Lille Fugleholm). Dykes and pumps keep the land dry.
A breach in the southeastern dyke has created a wetland rich in waders and ducks.
Along the coast you may see oystercatchers, mergansers and eiders; barnacle geese and swans winter here.

Siøgård stands at the eastern end of the island, with scattered workers’ houses nearby.
The eastern jetty marks the remains of a temporary ferry point used 1959–1962.

Langeland Bridge

The Langeland Bridge is visible from afar—its distinctive arch is a landmark for those walking the Archipelago Trail.

Construction began after the Siø causeway was completed in 1959. The bridge was inaugurated in 1962.
It is 774 metres long, built as a combination of beam and arch bridge, with a clearance height of 26 metres.

From here, the trail descends into Rudkøbing, the market town of Langeland.