Nakskov Fjord is an inlet in the west of the island of

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 is about long. There are about 10 small islands located in the fjord. The largest town in the area is

Nakskov Nakskov is a town in south Denmark. It is situated in Lolland municipality in Region Sjælland on the western coast of the island of Lolland. The town has a population of 12,495 (1 January 2022). To the west is Nakskov Fjord, an inlet from the La ...

. The area is a designated

bird sanctuary An animal sanctuary is a facility where animals are brought to live and to be protected for the rest of their lives. Pattrice Jones, co-founder of VINE Sanctuary defines an animal sanctuary as "a safe-enough place or relationship within the cont ...

Geography

Naksov Fjord is situated at the western end of

. Nakskov is the largest town in the area, along with the smaller towns of Langø and

Tårs Tårs is a Danish town with a population of 1,873 (1 January 2022)Albuen ("The Elbow") while the northern edge lies near the small town of Tårs. A ferry commutes between Tårs and

Spodsbjerg Spodsbjerg is a village in south Denmark, located in Langeland Municipality on the island of Langeland in Region of Southern Denmark The Region of Southern Denmark ( da, Region Syddanmark, ; german: Region Süddänemark, ; frr, Regiuun Sydda ...

. Along the fjord, just outside Nakskov, is situated the beautiful beach, Hestehovedet. The fjord is about 12 kilometers long. Gaia in Nakskov Fjord

The depth is usually shallow, around 1–2 meters but reaches a maximum of 8.5 meters at the port of Nakskov. There are around 10 islands in the fjord along with some smaller islets. The largest islands are named Enehøje, Vejlø and Slotø. Two post-boats ''Vesta'' and ''Gaia'' take the mail from Nakskov to the residents in these small islands. Tourists can also go with these boats and enjoy the fjord and the islands.

Inner fjord

The inner fjord (''indrefjord'') is the part of the fjord that narrows and reaches Nakskov. Swans in Nakskov Indrefjord

It is located right next to the town center. Along the inner fjord are walking tracks. The area is also good for

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

. Many bird species nest in the inner fjord area and are especially of interest for bird-watchers.

Nature

Nakskov fjord is a

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectively ...

protected bird habitat since May, 1983. The total surface area of the protected habitat is 85 km². Many species of birds are found in the fjord and the inner fjord area including

mute swan The mute swan (''Cygnus olor'') is a species of swan and a member of the waterfowl family Anatidae. It is native to much of Eurosiberia, and (as a rare winter visitor) the far north of Africa. It is an introduced species in North America, home ...

, crested grebe,

gadwall The gadwall (''Mareca strepera'') is a common and widespread dabbling duck in the family Anatidae. Taxonomy The gadwall was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. DNA studies have shown that ...

shoveler The shovelers or shovellers are four species of dabbling ducks with long, broad spatula-shaped beaks: * Red shoveler, ''Anas platalea'' * Cape shoveler, ''Anas smithii'' * Australasian shoveler, ''Anas rhynchotis'' * Northern shoveler, ''Anas cl ...

pochard Pochard is a common name used for several species of diving ducks: *Four species in the genus ''Aythya'': ** Common pochard, ''Aythya ferina'' ** Baer's pochard, ''Aythya baeri'' ** Ferruginous pochard, ''Aythya nyroca'' ** Madagascar pochard, '' ...

tufted duck The tufted duck or tufted pochard (''Aythya fuligula'') is a small diving duck with a population of close to one million birds, found in northern Eurasia. The scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek '' aithuia'', an unidentified seabird ment ...

and the beautiful

bearded tit The bearded reedling (''Panurus biarmicus'') is a small, sexually dimorphic reed-bed passerine bird. It is frequently known as the bearded tit, due to some similarities to the long-tailed tit, or the bearded parrotbill. It is the only species in ...

. During the migration season such species as

little gull The little gull (''Hydrocoloeus minutus'' or ''Larus minutus''), is a small gull that breeds in northern Europe and across the Palearctic. The genus name ''Hydrocoloeus'' is from Ancient Greek , "water", and , a sort of web-footed bird. The speci ...

and

black tern The black tern (''Chlidonias niger'') is a small tern generally found in or near inland water in Europe, Western Asia and North America. As its name suggests, it has predominantly dark plumage. In some lights it can appear blue in the breeding se ...

can also be seen. The fjord is also a protected habitat for

dolphins A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (t ...

and

porpoises Porpoises are a group of fully aquatic marine mammals, all of which are classified under the family Phocoenidae, parvorder Odontoceti (toothed whales). Although similar in appearance to dolphins, they are more closely related to narwhals an ...

Tourism

The area is quite popular with tourists as well as with the local population.

References

{{Denmark islands Fjords of Denmark Lolland Municipality Tourist attractions in Region Zealand Natura 2000 in Denmark Ramsar sites in Denmark Special Protection Areas Nakskov

Geography

Inner fjord

Nature

Tourism

See also

References