Agersø’s population keeps growing

This is probably not the first time that you visit one of Denmark’s many beautiful islands. In addition to the peninsula Jutland, the nautical chart includes 443 named islands. 77 of the islands are inhabited, and 54 of these have less than 1000 residents. In 2022, three Danes could call themselves sole island inhabitant.

This is not the case on Agersø, however, which today has around 200 residents. After several years of decreasing populations on the Danish islands, Agersø can rejoice in its population growing.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the populations on the small islands were dense. On Agersø, 449 people lived side by side in 1901, and like in the rest of Denmark, the residents lived off farming and fishing. But like on most other islands, this picture started to change in the second half of the century, and the decrease continued in the beginning of the 21st century, reaching just 169 people with their address on Agersø in 2015.

Today, the island once again welcomes new residents, and one of the newcomers to Agersø is Christel Mydske. Along with her husband and their three teenage children, she wrapped up her life in North Zealand in the fall of 2021 to become an islander and take over the inn on Agersø.

Christel Mydske says:

– The children thought we had lost our minds when we decided to move to Agersø. But they quickly grew to love it. The three children had no wish to change their everyday teenage lives, but they quickly found out that island life is filled with positive surprises. After a year on the island, no one in our family would have it any different.

Among other things, Christel Mydske emphasises a very strong sense of community on the island that includes all generations, as well as the peace and quiet that starts spreading in your soul as soon as you start your ferry crossing. The entire family is surprised at how easy it has been to become a part of the island community on Agersø. Everyone, both visitors and residents, greet each other and easily start chatting with each other.

Christel Mydske and her family keep Agersø Inn open all summer. The inn attracts many visitors, including visitors from the mainland. The buildings have been through a major renovation and are now in the process of increasing the number of beds to be able to live up to the demand.

The excellent ferry connections to Zealand were crucial in the family’s decision to become islanders. They make it easy for the children to attend their school and for the parents to have goods delivered for the inn. And they also mean that the inn’s visitors can enjoy a nice meal at a leisurely pace and still catch the ferry home. But the opportunity to catch the ferry and leave the island if island life gets too boring has not even once occurred to the family:

- After having moved here, it is really hard to leave, Christel Mydske says.

Read more stories from Agersø or explore exciting stories from other places. 
Learn more about Agersø harbor here.

Source: Danmarks Statistik

You can find Agersø Kro's website here.

Christel Mydske