Guldborg is a fishing village spanning the islands of

Falster Falster () is an island in south-eastern Denmark with an area of and 43,398 inhabitants as of 1 January 2010.

and

Lolland Lolland (; formerly spelled ''Laaland'', literally "low land") is the fourth largest island of Denmark, with an area of . Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of Region Sjælland (Region Zealand). As of 1 January 2022, it has 57,618 inhabitant ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

. It belongs to

Guldborgsund Municipality Guldborgsund is a municipality (Danish, '' kommune'') in Region Sjælland in Denmark, created on 1 January 2007 from six (6) former municipalities on the two islands Lolland in the west and Falster in the east bordering the Guldborgsund strait. It ...

, in

Region Zealand Region Zealand ( da, Region Sjælland) is the southernmost administrative region of Denmark, established on 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform, which abolished the traditional counties ("amter") and set up five larger regi ...

. In 2022 the village had a population of 536, with about 500 living on the Lolland side.BY3: Population 1 January, by urban areas
The Mobile Statbank from

Statistics Denmark Statistics Denmark ( da, Danmarks Statistik) is a Danish governmental organization under the Ministry of the Interior and Housing and which reports to the Minister of Economic and Internal Affairs. The organization is responsible for creating st ...

The village is located at the narrowest point between the two islands where Guldborg Bridge crosses

Guldborgsund Guldborgsund is the strait between the Danish islands of Lolland and Falster. It connects Smålandsfarvandet in the north with the Bay of Mecklenburg in the south. The strait is about 30 kilometers long; its breadth varies from 150 meters at Gu ...

(or Guldborg) Sound.

History

Guldborg is first documented as a

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

village in 1569. During the

Second Northern War The Second Northern War (1655–60), (also First or Little Northern War) was fought between Sweden and its adversaries the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1655–60), the Tsardom of Russia (Russo-Swedish War (1656–1658), 1656–58), Brande ...

(1657–1660), embankments were built along the shore but did not prevent the

Swedes Swedes ( sv, svenskar) are a North Germanic ethnic group native to the Nordic region, primarily their nation state of Sweden, who share a common ancestry, culture, history and language. They mostly inhabit Sweden and the other Nordic countr ...

conquering Lolland in 1658 and attempting to overcome the rest of Denmark. By 1859, there were two farms and 40 houses in Guldborg as well as an inn, a windmill and a

pilot station Pilot Station ( esu, Tuutalgaq) is a city in Kusilvak Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 568 at the 2010 census, up from 550 in 2000. Geography Pilot Station is located at (61.936050, -162.883403), on the northern bank of t ...

. The early ferries were rowboats, replaced in 1867 by a

cable ferry A cable ferry (including the terms chain ferry, swing ferry, floating bridge, or punt) is a ferry that is guided (and in many cases propelled) across a river or large body of water by cables connected to both shores. Early cable ferries often ...

and in 1904 by a motor ferry with space for two horse-drawn carriages. The old ferry station was destroyed by a storm in 1862. Its replacement is now in an advanced state of deterioration. The ferry stopped operating in 1934 when Guldborg Bridge, also known as Christian X's Bridge, was opened. A harbour, built in the 1860s for shipping timber from the surrounding forests, was later also used for grain, pigs and cattle. From the late 19th century to the mid-20th century, Guldborg also had a dairy, a bakery, a pottery, a sawmill and a fruit plantation."Historien"
, Guldborg naturligvis. Retrieved 30 November 2012. From the mid-19th century, there was a wharf at Guldborg which was used mainly for building fishing boats. The first

quay A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths (mooring location ...

was established in 1947. The housework school, which operated from 1898 to 1905, was subsequently used as a women's college, then as a retirement home and latterly as a motel until 1997. Nearly all the through traffic disappeared from Guldborg in 1988 when the

Guldborgsund Tunnel Guldborgsund is the strait between the Danish islands of Lolland and Falster. It connects Smålandsfarvandet in the north with the Bay of Mecklenburg in the south. The strait is about 30 kilometers long; its breadth varies from 150 meters at ...

connecting Falster and Lolland opened between Hjelms Nakke and Majbølle.

Today

Facilities in the village include a day nursery, food store, restaurant, activity centre and sailing services. There are bus connections with

Vordingborg Vordingborg () is an old ferry town in Vordingborg Municipality in Denmark with around 18,000 inhabitants. Because of three large estates surrounding the town, a coherent urban development has not been possible, which is the reason why three sat ...

Nykøbing Falster Nykøbing Falster (; originally named Nykøbing) is a southern Danish city, seat of the Guldborgsund ''kommune''. It belongs to Region Sjælland. The city lies on Falster, connected by the Frederick IX Bridge over the Guldborgsund (''Guldb ...

and

Maribo Maribo is a town in Lolland Municipality in Region Sjælland on the island of Lolland in south Denmark. It was the municipal seat of the former Maribo Municipality, until 1 January 2007, and then it became the seat of the current Lolland Muni ...

. Guldborg used to provide one of the most important ferry crossings between Falster and Lolland. As a result, many of the buildings originated as residential premises and warehouses for merchants. There are a number of galleries where local craftsmen display their paintings, jewellery, pottery, glasswork and textiles. Guldborg has an active sports club where some 350 members enjoy gymnastics, volleyball, football and rollerskating."Gulborg"
, Guldborgsundkommune. Retrieved 30 November 2012. Guldborg Folk & Show Festival, an annual event, brings together regional musicians.

Surroundings

Guldborg is surrounded by three forests: Hillesvigskoven, Nordskoven, and Storskoven; Storskoven contains historic relics. Guldborg also borders '' Svenskeskansen'' (“the Swedish bulwarks”) whose history stretches to the 1659 Dano-Swedish War. The village also has a beach with bathing facilities. The shore is popular with fishermen and ramblers. There are two marinas, one on each side of the

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

, with facilities for watersports. Both openings of Guldborg's double bascule-spanned bridge are lit. The bridge straddles a narrow part of the sound with only being of navigable width. The sound is icy January through March. Three churches are nearby, one with a steeple (at Kippinge), one with a tower (at Brarup), and one with a stepped tower (at Majbølle).

References

External links

Guldborg naturligvis
local website {{Authority control Cities and towns in Region Zealand Guldborgsund Municipality Falster Lolland