Ærøskøbing and Møllegabet

The channel between Dejrø and Bjerget (The Mountain) on Urehoved. When sailing, you have to follow the buoying carefully during the approach because of the large rocks located in the sea off Bjerget. Despite its name, Bjerget is just a couple of small hills, and a small wild life preserve is located to the south of them. On the isthmus is a row of small colourful beach huts, which used to belong to the people of Ærøskøbing, as they were located near their favourite beach in Revkrog close to the city.

Whilst entering, you will sail past the island of Dejrø on the port side. The hilly island that reaches up to six metres is uninhabited and unspoiled by man – in fact no one has ever lived here, and no plough has ever turned the soil. Having said that, the island has always been used by grazing cattle, and this is immediately apparent when looking at the landscape as only hawthorn bushes and some trees have managed to survive. In the 1970s, underwater archaeologists from the Museum of Langeland examined a very well preserved settlement from the Mesolithic era off the coast of Dejrø. Back then, the island was larger, and the Stone Age community lived on the beach where the fish were aplenty.

The old Ærøskøbing harbour is a gem, and so is the city itself. The connected harbour and city environment is as well preserved as just a few other places in Denmark. For centuries the pier was the city’s only harbour, as was the case in many other old harbours in Denmark. In each of the old market towns by the sea, the street called Brogade or Skibbrogade (Pier Street) led to the harbour. In the 1800s, the first harbour basins were established, and Ærøskøbing Harbour is actually such an old harbour basin. The harbour also boasts a shipyard, which is currently restoring old steel ships. The old shipyard serves as a social initiative by employing troubled young people. The three-masted schooner from 1922 called “Fylla”, which currently serves as a ship for school outings, is based in the old shipyard. One of the most peculiar things on the harbour front is the small, whitewashed house located in the south-eastern corner of the harbour. This is the harbour’s cooking house. In the era of sailing ships, it was forbidden to use fire on board, and therefore, the chef had to go ashore to cook dinner in the cooking house.