Rødbyhavn

Marina near Næsbæk

Last edited 18.01.2023 at 15:49 by NV Charts Team

Latitude

54° 39’ 12.1” N

Longitude

11° 20’ 45.7” E

Description

Ferry and trading port of the Vogelfluglinie on the south coast of Lolland.

NV Cruising Guide

Navigation

The approach to the well buoyed and lighted ferry port is unproblematic day and night. Very good landmarks are the two silos in the north harbour. Special caution is appropriate because of the heavy ferry traffic, the ferries have absolute right of way when entering and leaving.

You should also be aware that the current sometimes sets quite hard across the entrance.

Berths

Guests will find sufficient berths at the quays of the West and North Harbours (5m). Swell must be expected in the west harbour.

Surroundings

The harbour is not particularly attractive. There are few supply possibilities near the harbour. Better shopping facilities in Rødby, 3km away. In the west harbour is a small boatyard with slipway.

NV Land Guide

The route from Rødbyhavn to Puttgarden is one of the busiest ferry routes in Europe. Gedser is Denmark's southernmost point, but Rødby is closer to Germany. In 1963, the so-called "Vogelfluglinie" was inaugurated: with the construction of the port facilities, marshalling areas and expressways, Rødbyhavn became one of the most important transport hubs on the European Route 4 in northern Europe.

The traffic around the ferry port is correspondingly busy, and extreme caution is advised when driving into the commercial port. The uncomfortable harbour atmosphere also radiates onto the town of Rødbyhavn, which has a population of 2500. The only thing that is worth mentioning is the sandy beach that is rich in dunes. But bathing here is not entirely safe because of the sometimes strong currents.

On the other hand, those who visit the "subtropical waterland" of the "Lalandia" holiday centre in Hagesvej need not worry about these dangers. In addition to water slides and a wave pool, the large holiday centre also offers sports facilities, a sauna and a solarium, among other things.

Originally, it was not Rødbyhavn but Rødby, a good four kilometres away, that was the ferry port in the south of Lolland, Denmark's third-largest island, until the middle of the 18th century. Ships passed through a fjord to reach the warehouses and the ferry station. In trade with northern Germany, the harbour town even had exclusive rights for many years. The entrance to the harbour silted up so badly around 1750 that Rødby's days as a harbour town were once and for all ended.

What remained of the partially silted fjord was dammed up and drained after the great storm tide disaster of 1872. Even today, the water level of the great flood can be read from the storm surge column in Rødbyer Nørregade. Only the higher parts of the island of Lolland rose out of the water at that time. Large areas of land behind the dams today lie below sea level.

The half-timbered building at Østergade 65 in Rødby is a reminder of the time when the Rødby Fjord extended into the centre of the town. At that time the building was a packing house for shipping. The oldest building in Rødby Willersgaard in Vestergade, was built in 1729 and is now a tourist office. Another reminder of the fjord, which was drained in 1927, is a large stone in the "Rødby Fjord Memorial Park". The huge stone, weighing 23 tonnes, was discovered during drainage work in the fjord.

Amber, the "gold of the north", can be seen in almost every shape, size and colour at Østergade 5 by Fritz Jacobsen. The small amber-cutting workshop doubles as an exhibition space. Among the pieces are amber worked by Stone Age people and stones from other parts of the world.

The "gems" sometimes found today on beaches or in fields, often by chance, were pine resin 20 to 50 million years ago. Insects from that time are enclosed in individual specimens. Amber jewelry is handcrafted in the cutting room. Visitors can find out how, when and where amber is found in the small museum.

The Wolf Museum in the stables of Lungholm Manor is well worth a visit. Located six kilometres east of Rødbyhavn, the world's only wolf museum will teach you about the life and history of the animals so feared and admired. Where the wolves have been exterminated and where they still occur, the exhibition reveals to the museum guest in text and pictures. In addition, wolves can be seen here in the wild (locked up, of course), including the largest wolves in the world - the Canadian forest wolves with a shoulder height of up to 85 centimetres.

The "Polakkaserne" Højbygårdsvej 34 in Taagerup, is now a museum dedicated to the Polish farm workers who immigrated to Lolland at the turn of the century. They were initially cheap labourers in the sugar beet harvest. This social-historical memorial is located one kilometre northwest of the Wolf Museum.

A rune stone has been leaned against the wall in the vestibule of Taagerup Church, bearing the following inscription: 'The sons of the East erected this stone over their brother Spærle, skipper at Esbern Næb'.

Even further from Rødbyhavn lies one of the most magnificent estates on the island of Lolland. If you want to look at Kjærstrup, which was surrounded by moats in 1765, you have to travel ten kilometres to the north-east.

About five kilometres north-west of Rødby is Tirsted Church, famous for its 14th-century frescoes depicting 46 scenes from the Old and New Testaments. It is the only church in Lolland that still has a high, Romanesque wooden ceiling. In the other churches, these ceilings have been replaced by vaults over the centuries.

Long walks along the paths of the causeway that stretches from Rødbyhavn to the northwest and southeast are recommended. In the southeast, this takes you to the embanked nature reserve at Brunddragene. And those who like to walk long distances can continue their hike to the lighthouse "Hyllekrog".