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 inhabitants.statistikbanken.dk. People. Population. (Table) BEF4 (Islands). Danmarks Statistik. Retrieved 25 August 2022.

Overview

Lolland is also known as the "pancake island" because of its flatness: the highest point of the entire island is above sea level, just outside the village of Horslunde. The island has been an important communication highway, among others for Nazi Germany during World War II. Historically,

sugar beet A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and which is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet (''Beta vulgaris''). Together wi ...

has been grown in Lolland. Sugar is still a major industry, visible from the large number of sugar beet fields. The largest town of Lolland is Nakskov, with 12,600 residents. Other main towns are Maribo (6,000 residents), which hosts the seat of the

Diocese of Lolland and Falster In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...

, Sakskøbing (3,500 residents) and Rødby (2,500 residents). Since January 1, 2007, Lolland has been administered by two municipalities, ''

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 ...

'' covering the western two thirds, and ''

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 ...

'' uniting the eastern third with the neighbouring island Falster. Lolland has motor and railway links both to the island of

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

to the east and to Germany (the German island Fehmarn, linked to the mainland) via ferry. European route E47 links Copenhagen to Hamburg (Germany) via Lolland.

Transport

Route E47 from Copenhagen crosses the

strait between Lolland and Falster via a modern tunnel, but the motorway currently terminates at Rødbyhavn where a ferry carries vehicles to Fehmarn. Trains formerly used this ferry as well as part of the Vogelfluglinie. During construction of the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link however, they currently take the longer way to the mainland via the Great Belt Bridge, then Funen and Jutland. The governments of Denmark and Germany plan to connect Lolland with Fehmarn by a future immersed tunnel, the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link. Two older bridges also span the strait between Lolland and Falster, the

Frederick IX Bridge The King Frederick IX bridge ( da, Kong Frederik den 9's Bro; named for King Frederick IX of Denmark) is a combined road and railway bridge carrying the Danish national road 9 as well as Sydbanen and Lollandsbanen railway lines across the Guldborg ...

and Guldborgsund Bridge at the northern end of the strait. Frederick IX bridge is the railway bridge to Falster.

Demography

Towns and villages

Population 1 January 2014.

Attractions

Among the attractions of the island are the 19th century Fuglsang Manor, and the neighbouring

Fuglsang Art Museum Fuglsang Art Museum ( da, Fuglsang Kunstmuseum) is an art museum set in rural surroundings in Guldborgsund Municipality on the island of Lolland in Denmark. It is part of the Fuglsang Cultural Centre. The museum features Danish art with an emphas ...

, which opened in 2008. Knuthenborg Safari Park north of Maribo is the largest safari park in

Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe Northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other g ...

and the holiday resort

Lalandia Lalandia is the name of two Danish holiday resorts owned by Parken Sport & Entertainment. The original Lalandia Rødby is located in Rødbyhavn, and based on successful experiences from Rødbyhavn, Lalandia opened a new tropical holiday and activi ...

is a giant indoor water park. Furthermore, Middelaldercentret is an open-air museum on the most eastern part of the island, just outside Nykøbing Falster. The Centre is an experimental living history museum and it contains a reconstructed part of a medieval town from around 1400. It is among the most authentic reconstructions of the medieval period in Europe, and holds both the largest and the oldest trebuchets in the world. Lolland has many sandy beaches and areas with

summer house A summer house or summerhouse has traditionally referred to a building or shelter used for relaxation in warm weather. This would often take the form of a small, roofed building on the grounds of a larger one, but could also be built in a garden ...

s, which are primarily visited by German tourists.

References

* Tageo.com, "VESTSJAELLAND DENMARK Geography Population" (coordinates), 2007, webpage
Tageo-index
* Denmark Postal codes, webpage
Postnumre-DK
* Tele.dk Denmark detailed road map, webpage
Tele-DK-Danmark

External links

{{Authority control Islands of Denmark Geography of Guldborgsund Municipality Geography of Lolland Municipality Region Zealand Danish islands in the Baltic Lolland Municipality Guldborgsund Municipality