Tour of Lolland Tourist Attractions

Rødbyhavn

From Rødbyhavn the E47, now mainly a motorway, leads towards Copenhagen. Although it is possible to cross Lolland in about half an hour, the attached attractions make a tour that is meant for those who travel more leisurely.

Rodby, Denmark

Following the E47 from Rødbyhavn on Lolland and then taking a side turning the visitor will come to Rødby, now 5 km/3 mi from the sea, which was a port before the new harbor in Rodbyhavn was opened in 1912. Here can be seen a warehouse beside which ships were once moored. The town was often flooded, however, and a comprehensive system of dikes cut Rødby off from the sea. A Flood Column in Nørregade shows the high-water mark of the great flood of 1872, when large areas of Lolland and Falster were completely under water.

Rødby - Tirsted Church

6 km/4 mi northwest of Rødby lies Tirsted Church, a 13th C. Romanesque brick building. The upper and lower sections of the tower open up into two arches above the nave. Note the 15th C. frescoes in the choir portraying the Creation and other Bible scenes. In a niche stand two wooden figures of Mary and John the Baptist, from the workshop of Claus Berg.

Nakskov - Ostofte Church

From Rødby on Lolland take the E47 and after about 10 km/6 mi come to Maribo; in the south of the town the A9 goes off to the left to Nakskov. On this road the visitor will first come to Ostofte Church, a Romanesque brick building with a Gothic tower and porch, 15th C. vaulting in the nave and a transept of 1656. In the choir can be seen frescoes from ca. 1400 of scenes from the Old Testament, including the story of the Creation and the Expulsion from Paradise, as well as various dragons. Stokkemarke has a pleasing church with a massive tower.

In Halsted there is a 12th C. monastery which was later almost completely destroyed and was converted into a mansion in the 19th C. The park is open to the public.

Nakskov, Denmark

Nakskov, in a sheltered position on Nakskov Fjord, is an industrial town with a shipyard and Scandinavia's largest sugar factory.

The town enjoyed its heyday in the 16th C. but has succeeded in retaining its medieval ambiance to this day - narrow lanes and old houses between the harbor and Axeltorv, the marketplace in which stands an old pharmacy. St Nicholas' Church is Gothic and dedicated to the patron saint of sailors; it has an impressively carved altar and a fine Baroque pulpit. Jews have lived in Nakskov since the 17th C., and so a synagogue was built here which is now used as business premises.

Løjtofte Church

The Romanesque Løjtofte Church north of Nakskov is worth a visit; note the magnificent font and a sandstone sculpture (1100) by the Gotland artist known as the "Master of the Christ in Majesty". The road continues to Kong Svends Høj, a Neolithic "corridor grave".

Lolland - South Coast Beaches

Along the south coast of Lolland stretch the finest beaches on the island, from Maglehoj Strand to Drummeholm. They are primarily sandy beaches with shingle along the water-line.

Pederstrup - Reventlow Museum

Near Pederstrup the Reventlow Museum (founded 1938-40) is housed in a mansion built in 1820 for Count Christian Ditlev Reventlow. In the elegantly furnished rooms hang portraits of important personages who took part in the great Land Reform of 1788, when Count Reventlow made it his aim to improve the lot of the peasants.

Kragenæs

From Kong Svends Hoj drive north along the coast of Lolland to Kragenæs, from where ferries serve the islands of Fejø and Femø. There is good sailing to be had in the coastal waters.

Ravnsborg (Bandholm)

From Kragenæs on Lolland the visitor can drive on the main road past Ravnsborg Castle, an old ruin with an attractive view of Småalandsfarvand. 13 km/8 mi further on lies Bandholm, the port of Maribo, with a car ferry to Asko. On summer weekends a small steam train with old-fashioned carriages runs between Maribo and Bandholm.

Bandholm - Knuthenborg Safari Park

South of Bandholm lies Knuthenborg Safari Park, Scandinavia's largest manor house park (600 ha/1,500 acres); it was laid out in the 19th century in the English style on the Knuthenborg estate and converted to its present use in 1970. The park, which is surrounded by a wall 8 km/5 mi long with only four gates, contains a unique collection of several hundred species of deciduous and coniferous trees, as well as Denmark's largest collection of antelope, giraffes, zebras, camels, rhinoceroses, elephants, elks, llamas, reindeer, ostriches and monkeys. A motor road passes through the park and through an enclosure containing Bengal tigers. There is also a children's zoo with pony-rides.

The park situated in the 130 years old grounds of the manor house and has more than 900 animals.

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Bandholm - Herring Festival

This is one of the many European festivals dedicated to different fish. Bandholm honors the herring for one day in late August. Apart from plenty of herring dishes, the festival also includes other food stalls featuring local foods, musical concerts and open-air dances.

Maribo

Maribo enjoys a beautiful setting by Sønder Lake in the heart of Lolland. The town grew in the 15th C. around Maribo Abbey, which was endowed by Queen Margarethe in 1408. All that remains of the abbey are some ruins in a garden to the north of the church, from where there is a beautiful view of the lake.

Maribo Cathedral

Maribo Cathedral was erected between 1413 and 1470 as the church of an abbey of the Order of St Bridget. Built of brick, it is almost 60m/200ft long and the central nave has stellar vaulting. Originally the church had two choirs, one for monks and one for nuns. The plan of the church is roughly similar to that of the church designed by St Bridget for the principal abbey of her order at Vadstena in Sweden; Maribo was the first daughter house of Vadstena Abbey. It contains a 15th C. triumphal Crucifix, a Renaissance painted pulpit, a Baroque altar carved by Henrik Werner about 1640, a painting on leather and an exhibition of ecclestiacal relics including the sponge which - according to legend - was handed to Christ on the Cross.

Leonora Christina Ulfeldt, daughter of Christian IV and wife of Corfitz Ulfeldt, later governor of Copenhagen, was imprisoned for a long time and spent the last years of her life here in Maribo. She is buried in the cathedral; her grave bears the inscription "Herre, havde dib Ord icke wðrret min Trost, da hafde jeg forgaaet i min Elendighed" (Lord, without Thy words to comfort me I would have died of misery).

Maribo Museum

Maribo boasts an interesting museum with an historical section (runic stones from Sædinge and Skovlænge) and an art collection, with paintings by Kristian Zahrtman, including pictures portraying scenes from the life of Leonora Christina. There are also documents relating to female Polish workers who labored in Lolland's sugar beet fields in the early 20th century.

Open-Air Museum

On the outskirts of Maribo there is an Open-air Museum (Frilandsmuseum) reflecting the old peasant culture of Lolland and Falster. Visitors will find houses, farmsteads, a school, a church and various workshops.

Engestofte

There are opportunities for pleasant walks around the Maribo Lakes; on the north side lies the Classical Engestofte Manor House and to the south Søholt with a garden laid out in the French style. Particularly beautiful is Rogbolle Lake with old oak trees along its shores.

Sakskobing Berritsgard, Denmark

From Maribo the E47 runs east to Sakskøbing; on the marketplace stands a sculpture ("Sugar beet Girl) erected in 1940 by Gottfried Eickhoff in memory of the Polish girls who helped with the sugar beet harvests. 4 km/2.5 mi northeast of the town stands the Renaissance manor house of Berritsgård, which has an octagonal tower with a copper spire. The house was built in 1586 for Lisbet Friis, the widow of Jacob Huitfeldt; their coat-of-arms is above the door.

In a beautiful setting on Sakskobing Fjord lies Orebygård; this 16th C. manor house was later remodelled in the Late Renaissance style.

The highway ends just beyond Sakskøbing, and the E47 continues to Guldborg and over the bridge to Falster. Near Sakskøbing the A9 branches off to the right and leads southeast towards Nykøbing Falster.

Lolland - Krenkerup Manor

Off the A 9 in Lolland stands the Neolithic Dolmen of Radsted, and behind it the fine Krenkerup Manor House, first referred to in the time of Queen Margarethe I. The tower was built in the early 17th C. by the state official Palle Rosenkrantz.

Just before Nykøbing a road leads off to the right and after 17 km/11 mi southwest it reaches Nysted, passing Frejlev Forest on the way (Bronze Age remains).

Nysted, Denmark

Nysted is one of the smallest towns in Denmark. Note the Gothic church, built ca. 1300, the tower of which has a high spire made of copper; inside can be seen a burial chapel for Count Otto Ludvig Raben, a Gothic Crucifix dating from 1400 and a 17th C. bronze font. The Egholm Ulvecenter (Wolf Center) near Nysted is an exciting new venture, consisting of a wolf park and museum.

Aalholm Automobile Museum

This museum contains one of Europe's largest collections of veteran and vintage cars. There are also model railway and a steam train with daily steam rides through the castle grounds.

Alholm, Denmark

This attractive town on the Baltic grew up around Ålholm Castle, which was built in the 12th C.; the west wall is 14th C. About 1330 King Christoffer II mortgaged the castle to a count from Holstein; later he was to be a prisoner in his own castle. In the late 19th C. it was converted to a knight's castle. It has some interesting portraits as well as paintings by the Danish artist Jens Juel.

Automobile Museum

In Stubberupgård, near the castle, is found the Ålholm Automobile Museum, Denmark's largest collection of old and vintage cars, numbering some 200 and dating from 1896 to 1936. There is also a model railroad layout with scenery reproducing that of Switzerland, Italy, etc. A train pulled by a steam-engine which resembles an 1851 model runs from here to the beach.