Tonni Hansen's Langeland

Guided bus tour with former mayor of the island

From Past, to Present and Future at Langeland

The tour starts at the port of Rudkøbing, where Tonni welcomes and introduces the day's program. We begin with the story of Rudkøbing as a market town, as we drive south and get a great overview of Langeland's history, landscape and special characteristics.

• Introduction to the history and landscape of Langeland
• Tale of Linjelse Nor, and the Viking Age of the area
• Why Langeland became part of the Unesco Geopark
• Anecdotes from Tonni's own upbringing on Sydlangeland

Forces of Nature and the Landscapes of the Coast

At Ristinge Klint we experience one of Denmark's most significant geological formations. Here we tell about the forces of the ice age and the layers that can be clearly read in the cliff. The tour continues south through a varied landscape with bird sanctuaries and flooded areas where nature has quickly reclaimed the terrain.

Around Bagenkop we wet the hat hills -- characteristic Ice Age formations -- and hear about Magleby Nor, formerly drained but where the desire to carry the water back lives. In Bagenkop we stay at the port with light lunch and time for a little walk among the cozy houses and shops.

The tour goes on to Keldsnor, where we look for the wild horses and hear about the area's rich bird and wildlife in the protected natural area.

Manors, forts, and far-sighted zealots

On the way north we tell about Langelandsfortet and about Holmegaard Refugee Center — chapters in the island's recent history. We pass the Broløkke Herregaard and hear about the manor culture at Langeland as well as the explanation of why the estates are located to the east and the homesteads to the west.

Skovsgaard Gods tells the inspiring story of Ellen Fuglede, who in the 1970s was the first in Denmark to preserve an entire estate on the basis of nature. In Lindelse we see Lindelse Mill and hear about the mill's restoration, and about the island's many
former mills.

We drive past *** “Stribefabrik” *** in Longelse — a former dairy that today is an export adventure — and at the same time hear about the challenges that many small local communities have faced. On the ridge towards Rudkøbing, the walk rounds off with the tale of the green tripartite and the work to give nature more space on an island where agriculture takes up the majority of the area.