Råbylille Strand (, en, Raabylille Beach) is a resort on the south coast of eastern Møn, an island on the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...

in south-east

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 = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. On 1 January 2007, it became part of the new

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 ...

municipality. It is to the east of Stege and 15 km south-west of

Møns Klint Møns Klint is a 6 km stretch of limestone and chalk cliffs along the eastern coast of the Danish island of Møn in the Baltic Sea. Some of the cliffs fall a sheer 120 m to the sea below. The highest cliff is , which is 128 m above sea le ...

. As a result of the growing popularity of holiday homes, many of which are available for rental, it has developed rapidly over the past 30 years.

History

The beginnings

The history of Møn dates back many thousands of years with traces of tribes living from hunting and fishing in the area. By about 3000 BC, in the neolithic period, the inhabitants built farming settlements throughout the island and created the first ancient monuments in the form of graves or barrows built of huge stones, one of which can be found near Råbymagle, just a couple of kilometers from Råbylille Strand. There are also several burial mounds in the area. Much fuller accounts of the history of the area can be found in the articles on Møn and

History of Denmark The history of Denmark as a unified kingdom began in the 8th century, but historic documents describe the geographic area and the people living there—the Danes—as early as 500 AD. These early documents include the writings of Jordanes and P ...

Recent history

The hamlet of Råbylille, 2 km north of Råbylille Strand, consists of a few thatched cottages, some dating back to the 17th century. A few similar cottages as well as some larger farmhouses were built closer to the coast when Råbylille Strand was simply just the beach for Råbylille. After the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, plots of land became available for holiday homes or '' summer houses'' as they are known in Denmark. These proved increasingly popular, particularly in the 1980s and 1990s, with the result that today there is a quite network of unsurfaced roads, each flanked by small or medium-sized wooden chalets and their gardens. The names of the roads in Råbylille Strand may appear rather curious. In fact, they are all based on the Danish terms for the components of a sailing ship.

Local services

Råbylille Strand is served by a regular bus service from Stege which in turn has services to

where there is a railway station. It has a German bakery and two bed and breakfast establishments. Within a radius of 6 km, there are two historic churches ( Keldby and Elmelunde), a supermarket, a golf course and a camping ground. In season, there are a number of roadside stalls selling fresh produce such as new potatoes, strawberries, honey and herbs. Television reception is rather limited (to Denmark's main public channels) but many houses are equipped with satellite receivers. Mobile phone reception can be difficult in parts of the community. Broadband Internet connections are not always possible due to Råbylille Strand's distance from the nearest relay station in Keldby but service is improving.

Tourism

The main attraction is of course the beach itself which, facing south, enjoys all-day sunshine. The

sea The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, ...

is fairly shallow, making it ideal for bathing, boating and fishing. Signposted walks and cycle routes pass through the area. It is within a few minutes drive of historic Stege, the white chalk cliffs of

, the beautiful park of

Liselund Liselund is an 18th-century aesthetically landscaped park, complete with several exotic buildings and monuments. Located close to Møns Klint on the north-eastern corner of the Danish island of Møn, it is deemed to be one of the finest examples i ...

, and the fishing village of Klintholm Havn. There are severa
arts-and-crafts workshops
in the neighbourhood, with exhibitions of ceramics, glass, sculptures, jewelry and paintings. Of particular interest is the old farm museum

on the road from Råbylille Strand to Keldbylille. In this 19th-century thatched farmhouse, you can see what farming and living conditions were like in former times.

Environment

East Møn is a quiet, hilly area with mixed farming. To the east, the ground rises to the wooded natural park which leads to the chalk Cliffs of Møn. The climate is sufficiently warm in the summer for a vineyard near Råbylille Strand but winters can be cold, wet and snowy. There are many varieties of land and sea birds, particularly swallows, pheasants and swans, while wild deer, squirrels, hares and foxes are among the animal species you are most likely to see. Until the 1960s, the area where most of the holiday homes now stand was marshland. The water was drained away through a series of ditches and channels connected to a powerful pumping station. At the same time, a three-meter high dyke was constructed along the seafront to prevent flooding. Some of the marshland still exists and has become a bird sanctuary.

Climate

Møn has a relatively mild climate compared to the rest of Denmark. Data from Denmark's Meteorological Institute
- DMI average weather conditions for SW Zealand, Lolland and Falster. Retrieved 22 November 2006. show that average mid-summer highs range from 19 °C to 26 °C while winter daytime averages are around freezing point. Rainfall rarely exceeds 10 days per month. The summer days are long and bright with about 17 hours of daylight while in the winter, the days are short and often quite dull. In view of the shallow depth of the Baltic, the temperature of the sea can rise to about 20 °C in the summer months. And during exceptionally cold winters, partly as a result of the low salinity of the Baltic, the seawater has also been known to freeze.

External links

Road map from Google maps
* Insula Moenia

The new Vordingborg municipality's official website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rabylille Strand Populated places in Denmark Møn Beaches of Denmark