Trail 8, Svendborg

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

This trail takes you from Svendborg, through Christiansminde and the former Weber family estate, onwards into Gammel Hestehave and through farmland before climbing into Vejstrup Valley and ending in the village of Vejstrup.

Øxenbjerg Shipyard

From Svendborg Harbour, the Archipelago Trail follows Østre Havnevej eastward. At the coast once stood Øxenbjerg Wooden Shipyard, where 77 wooden ships were launched between 1833 and 1920—among the largest wooden vessels launched anywhere in Denmark at the time.

Lystskoven – the Pleasure Forest

The woodland on Øxenbjerg Banke and the coastal promenade is one of Denmark’s oldest recreational forests. Formerly used as grazing land, it was preserved as a public forest in 1818 when Svendborg’s communal fields were divided.

Christiansminde

North of the promenade lies Hotel Christiansminde, and the entire area is known by the same name. The name dates back to 1830, when Prince Christian and Princess Caroline Amalie landed here to inaugurate Svendborg’s town hall.

A dance pavilion named Sommerlyst opened here in 1857, the Odense–Svendborg railway opened in 1876, and tourists could arrive by steamboat. The pavilion was later replaced by a hotel in Swiss style. In 1897, when the Svendborg–Nyborg line opened, a railway halt was established at Christiansminde.

Nearby stands Christiansminde Stampemølle, a fulling mill from 1771 serving the town’s tanners, and the 1855 Shooting Pavilion, still used by Svendborg’s historic shooting guild.
The town’s lovely sandy beach lies just below the hotel.

The Weber family, cryolite and apples

The trail passes through land once owned by Theobald Christian Frederik Weber (1823–1886). The family’s wealth came from fruit cultivation and the extraction of cryolite from Ivittuut in Greenland—used first for soda production and later for aluminium.

Weber and C.F. Tietgen founded Øresunds Chemical Works. The factory was sold in 1869, giving Weber substantial income.

His son later built a cycle track and a cider house by the lakes east of Christiansminde.
The family lived in several villas in the area, including Søro, Bella Vista, Taarnborg and Svea. Writer Walter Christmas (born Christmas Dirckinck‑Holmfeld) lived in Svea and authored the Peder Most books.

The Manzana Tower, built by Weber’s brother in 1933, still has remnants visible on Christiansmindevej. Today the area is owned by Svendborg Municipality.

Gammel Hestehave and Hallindskov

The trail leads into Gammel Hestehave, an open area with Bronze Age burial mounds and designated cultural heritage. It then turns south across the former Svendborg–Nyborg railway embankment (1897–1964) and continues into Hallindskov, once grazing forest for the citizens of Svendborg.

South of the forest you may glimpse the whitewashed manor Bjørnemose, destroyed by fire in 2021 and now being rebuilt.

Skårup Skovmølle and Svendborg Nature and Environment School

The Svendborg Nature and Environment School occupies buildings belonging to Skårup Forest Mill, used today by local schools and institutions.

From the nature school, the trail heads through Rubjerg Forest along Skårupøre Beach Road. This stretch can be demanding with a heavy backpack.

Juliegård

The trail passes east of Juliegård, long associated with ghost stories, including a gate that supposedly killed a farmhand. Another tale tells of a “fire dog.”
Professor Schurmann from Skaarup is said to have exorcised the spirits. Today, Juliegård produces Christmas trees.

From here, the trail zigzags four kilometres through farmland with Christmas tree plantations, strawberry fields and grain crops. There is a “coffee spot” near Åbyskov.

Vejstrup Valley

For walkers used to coastlines or farmland, Vejstrup Valley feels almost like remote wilderness. The valley is a former glacial tunnel valley with steep clay slopes and wooded sides.

In some sections the valley is open and grassy; elsewhere densely vegetated.

About the stream

Vejstrup Å meanders naturally. On the outer bend, deep holes (called høller) are carved, while gravel is deposited on the inner bend. If banks collapse, the stream can shift course and form oxbow lakes.

Where gradient is low, the stream flows quietly; steeper sections form riffles.

Stream invertebrates

If you lift a stone in the stream, you may see many small aquatic creatures:

Mayflies – their nymphs live for years on stones; adults live only a few days.
Caddisflies – larvae build pebble cases and spin feeding nets.
Blackfly larvae – attach to stones and graze algae; the pupae cling like tiny paper cones.

The bridge at Vejstrup

In Vejstrup, note the beautiful granite‑block bridge carrying the road across Vejstrup Å.