Livø () is a 320-hectare Danish island located in the central body of the
Limfjord
The Limfjord ( common Danish: ''Limfjorden'' , in northwest Jutlandish dialect: ''Æ Limfjord'') is a shallow part of the sea, located in Denmark where it has been regarded as an inlet ever since Viking times. However, it now has entries both ...
, approximately midway between
Nykøbing Mors
Nykøbing Mors is the largest town on the island of Mors in the Limfjord in Denmark. The town received its charter in 1299 and has a population of 8,859, as of 1 January 2025.
,
Løgstør
Løgstør is a town in Denmark with a population of 3,969 (1 January 2025) It is located 47 km west of Aalborg and 64 km north of Viborg. Løgstør's city centre consists of old streets with small houses built in the 19th century for fishermen an ...
,
Fjerritslev
Fjerritslev is a town in North Jutlandic Island, North Jutland, Denmark. It is located in Jammerbugt Municipality, 13 km north of Løgstør, 37 km northeast of Thisted and 30 km southwest of Aabybro.
Until 1 January 2007 Fjerritsle ...
and
Thisted
Thisted is a town in the municipality of Thisted in the North Denmark Region of Denmark. It has a population of 13,505 (1 January 2025)
The island attracts approximately 30,000 visitors annually. It is accessible by ferry daily from April through September. Dogs and motor vehicles are not permitted on the island. It is possible to walk around the entire island, about a 10 km distance, in one afternoon.
Geography
Livø is notable due to its natural environment and has been a protected island since 1977. The island is a
moraine
A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and Rock (geology), rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a gla ...
, pushed up by ice from Løgstør Broads in the last Ice Age. On the cliffs overlooking the sea at the northwestern edge of the island, it is possible to see layers of material that were pushed together during the Ice Age, including jetties and steep clay slopes. The highest point on the island is 43 meters above sea level.
The eastern and southern parts of the island consist of flat land with a wide beach ridge that continues south and ends in the protected Livø wildlife area, which is partly inaccessible to visitors. Herds of
fallow deer
Fallow deer is the common name for species of deer in the genus ''Dama'' of subfamily Cervinae. There are two living species, the European fallow deer (''Dama dama''), native to Europe and Anatolia, and the Persian fallow deer (''Dama mesopotamic ...
live in this protected area, and the wildlife here are several generations old. The area is also designated as a seal sanctuary and seals breed here in July–August.
Until the 17th century, the majority of the island was covered by an
oak
An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...
forest. Most of this original forest was decimated due to agricultural land use and
overgrazing
Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature ...
of
livestock
Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...
by the turn of the 17th century. Efforts to
reforest
Reforestation is the practice of restoring previously existing forests and woodlands that have been destroyed or damaged. The prior forest destruction might have happened through deforestation, clearcutting or wildfires. Three important purpose ...
the island began towards the end of the 1800s, and today about a third of the island is covered by
coniferous
Conifers () are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a sin ...
and
deciduous
In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...
forest. The northern part of the island is covered with a forest where various types of trees grow, with a heath in the northernmost part. The northern part of the island is ⅓ organic farms, ⅓ woods and ⅓ heath, grasslands and salt marshes.
History
Livø has been inhabited since the
Stone Age
The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...
. In 1157, its lands were given to the
Cistercian monks
The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...
of the nearby
Vitskøl Abbey
Vitskøl Abbey (; , meaning "school of life") is a former Cistercian monastery near Ranum in Himmerland in Region Nordjylland, Denmark, active from mid 12th-century until 1563, and one of the oldest existing monastic complexes in northern Europe. ...
by King
Valdemar I of Denmark
Valdemar I Knudsen (14 January 1131 – 12 May 1182), also known as Valdemar the Great (), was King of Denmark from 1154 until his death in 1182. The reign of King Valdemar I saw the rise of Denmark, which reached its medieval zenith under his s ...
. After the
reformation
The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...
, the crown seized all religious properties, including Livø in 1563. The island was then sold along with the mainland Abbey to Henrik Gyldenstjerne of
Aagaard Aagaard or Ågård is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Carl Frederik Aagaard (1833–1895), Danish landscape painter
* Christen Aagaard (1616–1664), Danish poet
* Gudrun Stig Aagaard (1895–1986), Danish textile artist
* ...
on 21 July 1563 for "1500 Hungarian Guldens, 1000
lots
Lot, LOT, The Lot or similar may refer to:
Common meanings Areas
*Land lot, an area of land
*Parking lot, for automobiles
*Backlot, in movie production
Sets of items
*A Quantity, great many of something, as in, "There are a lot of beetles," or "T ...
fSilver, and 4000 rigsdaler." In 1573, the entire property was again transferred to Bjørn Andersen, who then named it after himself, creating the Bjørnsholm estate. After Bjørn's death in 1583, Bjørnsholm was inherited by his son, Truid Bjørn. After Truid's death the property passed to his widow's nephews, Holger Bille and Jesper Friis.
In 1689, the estate was acquired by Anders Kjærulf, who was ennobled in 1724. In 1726 he transferred the property to his son, Søren Kjærulf. After Søren's death in 1730, the property was sold to Peder Tøgersen and then inherited to Tøgersen's son, Mathias de Lasson, and eventually his grandson, Peder de Lasson, who died in 1808. After Peder's death, the estate was sold to Johan Casper Mylius. On 25 November 1828 Mylius transferred ownership of the property over to the state. The state then leased the rights to the island. In 1872, a member of the Oppen-Schilden noble family purchased the island for 30,000 rigsdaler. He built the farmhouse and courtyard which remains the largest building on the island to this day. After Oppen-Schilden's death in 1896, his heir sold the island to J.L. Jensen for 120,000 DKK who in turn gave the island to his son. After his death, the island was purchased by
Hofjægermester Hofjægermester (hunting master of the court) is an honorary court title awarded to a limited number of (major and usually noble) land owners (''godsejere'') by the Danish monarch. The title was introduced in Denmark-Norway during the period of a ...
H.C.O.
Rosenkrantz
Rosenkranz is the Danish and German word for rosary. The literal German meaning is 'wreath of roses'.
Rosenkranz, Rosenkrantz, Rosencrance, Rosencrans or Rosencrantz is a Germanic and Ashkenazi Jewish surname and may refer to:
People
* Rosenkran ...
, for use as hunting grounds.
On 1 April 1911, the island was purchased by ''De Kellerske Åndssvageanstalter'' (English: ''The Keller Institute for the Mentally Ill'') for 160,000 DKK. For the next 50 years was used as an institution for male criminals with mental illness. The men held on the island reportedly called the island ''Djævleøen'' (English: ''The Devil Island''). The island was also populated during this period by a number of mental hospital staff along with their families. The population engaged in agricultural work, ran workshops, tended the forest, and produced dairy products.
During the
German occupation of Denmark
At the outset of World War II in September 1939, Denmark declared itself neutral, but that neutrality did not prevent Nazi Germany from occupying the country soon after the outbreak of war; the occupation lasted until Germany's defeat. The ...
, a small resistance force caped out on the island, which the German forces never discovered. In 1971 the island was briefly occupied by a number of artists, including
Bjørn Nørgaard
Bjørn Nørgaard (born 21 May 1947 in Copenhagen) is a Art of Denmark, Danish artist who has been active in a variety of fields. He has significantly influenced the art scene in Denmark both through his "happenings" and his sculptures in Danish ...
and
Per Kirkeby
Per Kirkeby (1 September 1938 – 9 May 2018) was a Danish Painting, painter, poet, film maker and sculptor. His works have been exhibited worldwide and are represented in many important public collections, including the Tate, Metropolitan Museum ...
. Their attempts at farming failed due to their lack of agricultural proficiency and their occupation of the island ended when the police intervened.
In 1975, the former buildings of the mental hospital were used as housing more than 200 refugee children from Vietnam. The children stayed on the island for nine months as political debates questioned their legal right to remain in Denmark.
Current use
The island is currently used for educational and recreational purposes. The Socialist People's party runs an annual three-week summer camp on the island including political, cultural and practical elements. A second annual camp of about 200 people with mental disabilities, called Activity Week, takes place in September. Viborg Karate school hosts an annual karate camp which draws participants from
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
,
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
, and the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
. The island is known for the annual Livø Jazz Festival, as well as being featured in a television series about the Danish islands, where island ranger Per Gjættermann discussed Livø's natural environment.
The small town on the island today consists of a street with a grocery store, an inn, and a restaurant. The island is serviced by a tiny power station from 1950s. The island produces its own beer, called ''Livøl—''a
portmanteau
In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.
of the island's name and the danish word for beer, ''øl''.
Gallery
File:Stemningsbilled fra Livø Jazzfestivalen - panoramio.jpg, Performance during Livø Jazz Festival
File:Reden ved Livø - panoramio.jpg, View from the shore
File:Naturen bliver brugt flittigt på Livø.jpg, A group of visitors appreciating the island's nature