Ebeltoft - one of the loveliest little towns in Denmark.........

Ebeltoft (earlier Æbeltoft) lies at Djursland in East Jutland - it is a popular tourist city, not least because of the old timbered houses in the middle of town. The old market town atmosphere reflects a piece of Denmark's history through centuries . It has a colourful shop- and museums life and the inhabitants are doubled in the summer period. Close to Ebeltoft is the Nationalpark Mols Bjerge with many fine beaches and summer houses.

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Ebeltoft was probably established around year 1200, and the name Ebeltoft is seen the first time in king Erik Menved's letter of 21 January 1301, where he gave the town its municipal rights. In the beginning the place was a village or a fishing village and an annex to the village Draaby up till the reformation. On  25 August 1317 the king issued a new letter where he gave the citizens laws and regulations like the cities Viborg and Aarhus.

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In 1558 was established a Latin school in Ebeltoft.The town suffered much during he  plague 1619-1620 and was damaged during the wars of the 17th century. The main business of the town was maritime trade, espcially in the second half of the 17th century with large merchants- and warehouses, ship buildings and profitable traffic, especially from Norway.  The large timber transport from the royal forests in the neighbourhod brought much life to the town.  In 1672 the town had 817 inhabitants, after Den Store Nordiske Krig 562 inhabitants in 1769. The latin school was abolished in 1739. The town developed little in the 19th century because of the wars. At the census in 1930 Ebeltoft had 1897 inhabitants , in 1945: 2.104 and in 1965: 2.485 inhabitants. Now in 2017: 7. 430.


Along the beach road and by the Fregat Jylland are still seen the rest of the old seaweed dikes. They were built as a protection of west-facing gardens against intrusion of sea water. The dikes are now listed.

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In the various shops in Ebeltoft are arts and crafts in a class of its own, lifestyle and fashions shops etc. In the streets are often music and entertainment in the summer period. Ebeltoft is a lively tourist town with several restaurants and cafés - and walking the old cobblestoned streets there is suddenly a wonderfull scent from the waffle bakery where they sell the most delicate ice cream cone, named Molbo Vaffel. In another old street is a sweet scent of sugar and fruit from the little Bolsjekogeri (candy factory Mols Bolsjer) ) where they make candy in various tastes and looks in the backyard.In Ebeltoft is one of Denmark's largest concentrations of small studio glass work shops.

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Glass Museum and the Fregat Jylland.  The fregat lies in the water and is connected to a museum on land, here is the history of the old fregat told in a factual and entertaining way. The Glass Museum lies nhttp://glasmuseet.dk/

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earby, it has various local and international exhibitions and its own glass workshop - and the museum arranges various activities for children and adults. The children can borrow a children's suitcase and go exploring the many halls of the glass museum. Ebeltoft houses numerous galleries and several renowned glass blowers are working in the town. 

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A large part of the medieval streets are listed, and Ebeltoft was in 2015 at the top of a list of the best preserved medieval towns in Denmark. It is one of the  most popular holiday towns with cobblestoned, narrow streets and crooked old houses with roses and hollyhocks.

The old town hall is a charming attraction. Many couple choose a wedding at the picturesque town hall, in 2017 have already been celebrated 300 weddings in Danish, German and English . It is is a small building with a tower and with a rich history since 1576, and here is also an old dungeon.

Close to the town hall is a funny little museum Siamese Samling. The museum was established by Rasmus Havmøller, who worked and lived in Siam (today Thailand) from 1914-1933. He opened in 1940 the exotic museum with lots of objects from his life in the East.

The vægterne (watchmen) of Ebeltoft walk the old streets in the summer period .They call in the night each night walking and singing the watchmann's song through the streets . They start at the old town hall at 20.00, 21.00 amd 22.00.


Since the 1890s Ebeltoft was a seaside resort for better-off people from Aarhus, and the fine holiday houses along the coast remind about a time where people went to the resort to bathe and take their vacation. From the 1960s common people could gradually afford to build summer houses -  and today are many large areas with lovely summer houses in and around Ebeltoft. Many can be rented in the summer period.

The name Ebeltoft comes from apple/abel/abild. The apple tree is seen in the oldest seals of the town (Latin: pomagrina and pomagrium).The first "Ebelfestival" (Apple Festival) started in 2004, and it has since become an established part of the cultural life of Ebeltoft. It is held each year in week 42. The vision is to give some good experience and knowledge about appless and about the history and culture of Ebeltoft.
http://ebelfestival.dk/

Den europæiske Filmhøjskole in Ebeltoft is one of the world's best basic film schools and it takes students from all over the world (always 50 % Danish). Among the most famous former students in the Nordic countries are actor Pilou Asbæk ('Borgen'/'The Fortress', 'Lucy'), director/screenwriter Nikolaj Arcel ('A Royal Affair', 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo'), director Joachim Trier ('Reprise', 'Louder Than Bombs'), cinematographer Charlotte Bruus ('The Hunt', 'Far From the Madding Crowd'), director Michael Noer ('R' and 'Northwest'), cinematographer Magnus Nordenhof Jønck ('The Killing', 'A Highjacking') and cinematographer Sturla Brandth Grøvlen ('Victoria', 'Rams').
http://kurser.hojskolerne.dk/hoejskoler/hoejskole-soeg/den-europaeiske-filmhoejskole

Safari Park/photo:gb

The big animal park : Ebeltoft Safari is finansed by the Karsten Ree.
http://www.reepark.dk/

photo: 
grethe bachmann
and from wikipedia.
Source: 
Danmarks købstæder, Søren Olsen, 2000
Politikens Danmarksbog , Søren Olsen, 2003

Mossø in the Lake District of Mid Jutland.


View to the lake from the southern road.

Upon the other side of the lake are among other things idyllic villages and the ruins of Øm kloster, which was established in 1172 by cistercienser monks from Vitskøl kloster. Here is a museum for the medieval culture of the monasteries.

http://en.klostermuseum.dk/


View to the lake from the southern road

Mossø is the fourth largest lake in Denmark. It has the richest and most varied fish stock in the country with 22 species of fish, among others pike, perch, zander, sea-trout, whitefish, eel, tench, smelt, bream, roach, gudgeon and more.



Denmark's biggest population of the beautiful, but rare Black-necked Grebe (sorthalset lappedykker) is living by Mossø, and the Great Crested Grebe is also common. The water courses streaming to the lake are habitats for Grey Wagtail (Bjergvipstjert) and Kingfisher (Isfugl). The White-Throated Dipper is common in winter by Klosterkanalen, a 1.300 meter long channel by Klosterkær, digged by Benediktiner monks from Voer Kloster in the late part of the 1100s. The kingfisher breeds by this channel. Klosterkær is a delta, formed by sediments from Gudenå River, the longest water stream in Denmark.



Late summer the lake is an important moulting place for the Lake District's population of Tufted Duck, and in spring and autumn the Osprey is resting in the area - and several White-Tailed Eagles spend the winter by Mossø.



Between Mossø and Salten Langsø is a museum (Gudenåmuseeet) and exhibitions with flint tools from the earliest inhabitants in the area. Furthermore there are findings from glass production in the neighbourhood.
http://www.gudenaa.dk/museum.htm




Other special places in the neighbourhood of Mossø:

On the little peninsula Lindholm a path leads to a gazebo.

By Klostermølle are some fine old buildings and watermills. In the Middle Ages were corn and cloth production and in the 1800s production of papermass.
http://en.klostermoelle-naturcenter.dk/

Højlund skov is a pretty forest in a hilly terrain, and from Sukkertoppen (The Sugar Top) is a splendid view over the Gudenå River Valley.

By Hem Odde is a possibility for a fine walk to the area on the land tongue with a beautiful view over Mossø. Here is also a camping place and possibility for canoeing and fishing.
http://www.mossoe.dk/indexuk.htm

Alken and Boes are two idyllic villages. Boes with many pittoresque half-timbered houses with little front gardens along the village road. A cosy and very popular little restaurant 'Kaffehuset'.

photo 030207: grethe bachmann