Ebeltoft

From Frederikshavn, we went back south again and planned on crossing Mjols Bjerge National Park and checking out Ebeltoft and surroundings. Here we would find three very special places where Kurt Hielscher made some of his photos. The photo from Det Gamle Rådhus in Ebeltoft alone would have wanted me to travel to Denmark. Ebeltoft and its surroundings did not disappoint (later more). 

The only disappointment was to be found in the weather. On arrival, it started to rain, but there was also an upside to that: the square where Juulsbakke and Overgade meet suddenly emptied and I made a photo of Denmarks smallest and loveliest historic Town Hall only to find out later that the angle wasn't right. I went back an hour later when the sun started to shine again and took some time for it. In the meantime, the clock in its tower tolled four o'clock.

Det Gamle Rådhus dates back to 1789 and was in active use up until 1840 and was used as private residence since then till its restoration in between 1906-1909. The town's watchmen and fire personnel also had a room there. After the renovation the Ebeltoft Museum was housed here and it is still there. Next to that, 500 couples get married at Det Gamle Rådhus every year. Then, it was time to get in and check the interior of Det Gamle Rådhus, but it turned that it was closed at 4 p.m., so I just missed that opportunity and I guessI need to come back one day. And I would love to. Though Ebeltoft is small there's a lot to see and it is just fun to stroll around. Here some photos.

The entrance portal and back side of Det Gamle Rådhus.

Torvet square seen from Det Gamle Rådhus.

Kim checking out Boeslum Strand at the Hjelm Dyb, part of the Kattegat, near Ebeltoft.

Dråby kirke in between Boeslum Strand and Ebeltoft.

From Blushøj Camping me and my oldest son canoed a bit to the south along its coastline which was quite some work due to heavy winds.

The making of ..... just after four o'clock. Soon more...

Poskær Stenhus

Dating back to around 3,300 B.C., Poskær Stenhus is the largest round barrow of its kind in Denmark. Twenty-three man-high stones surround the central dolmen, which is topped by an enormous capstone weighing around 12 tons.

The place reminded us of Lindholm Høje, where we had spent the previous night 140 kilometers up to the north. That burial ground is very different, with 682 graves dating from roughly 500 to 1100 A.D., but both places made a big impression on us. Poskær Stenhus, however, is thousands of years older.

We did not undertook the effort to find the other half of the Poskær Stenhus capstone. It was found out that the stone was split by the dolmen builders thousands of years ago, and its other half, a 21-ton slab, lies about two kilometers to the northwest, where it serves as the capstone of another dolmen. How Stone Age people managed to move and position stones of this size remains a fascinating question. The granite itself had travelled much further being carried from Scandinavia to Denmark by glaciers during the Ice Age.

By the mid-19th century, large granite stones like these had become valuable building material, and many Danish dolmens were damaged or disappeared. In 1859, a local landowner, Ole Hansen, even tried to blast stones from Poskær Stenhus with dynamite. A local priest intervened and started the process that eventually led to the site being officially protected in 1860. Hansen received 100 rigsdaler in compensation. A broken piece of stone bearing drill marks still lies at the barrow, a reminder of his attempt.

Looking at Kurt Hielscher's photograph, I do have the impression that some of the stones have been moved around a little since his visit. Fortunately, though, they are still here rather than ending up as building material somewhere else. 

Having lunch at the Poskær Stenhus and its surroundings.

The making of ...

Lindholm Høje

Though Kurt Hielscher didn't publish any photos from here, I would like to show the photos I made, since it is a special place and we stayed there for the night, walked around the hill in the morning again and then took of for a 140 kilometers drive to Poskær Stenhus.

And the morning after

Femmøller  

On our way from the Poskær Stenhus near Knebel to Ebeltoft, we made a stop at Femmøller, a place that initially felt more like a hamlet than a village. I immediately recognized the houses along the main road from Kurt Hielscher's photograph. We parked our van just a few hundred meters further on, at a car park that also serves as a starting point for hikes through the beautiful surroundings of Mols Bjerge National Park. It really was a pleasure to drive around here. Unfortunately, we did not go for a hike, but given Kim's health situation, that was understandable.

At the time, we had no idea where the name Femmøller came from. Only afterwards did I discover that it refers to the historic watermills along the Mølleå stream: Overmølle, Kjerris Mølle, Skovmøllen, Ravns Mølle, which burned down in 1688, and Glads Mølle. Considering that Danish is often surprisingly similar to Dutch, and that my own surname is Molenaar, it is actually quite funny that I did not make the connection. I had even noticed the sign for Glads Mølle in front of the building. Yet we left Femmøller without consciously seeing a single watermill.

Is it actually for sale?

Glads Mølle itself has a history stretching back to the 16th century. Originally known as Kannikemølle, it belonged to the Aarhus Cathedral Chapter until the Reformation, when church property passed to the Danish Crown. In 1545, the mill and its surrounding land were leased to Niels Glad, and the mill remained in the Glad family for more than two centuries. When Niels Rasmussen Glad died in 1758, he became the last miller from the family.

Much later, the buildings were owned by Femmøller Efterskole and used as accommodation for members of staff. The present owners bought the complex from the school and carefully restored it. Today, the historic buildings have a new life as Glads Mølle Feriehus, a wonderfully atmospheric holiday home.

Femmøller Efterskole og Djursland Fri Fagskole opposite the parking.

There is another chapter in its history that I only discovered afterwards. In 1967, Glads Mølle was struck by a fire. I came across an old newspaper report about it on the holiday home's Facebook page, although I have not yet been able to read the full story. Fortunately, the settlement survived and has since been beautifully restored.

And then there was another surprise. Part of the information above comes from a Danish information panel in Femmøller itself. The panel includes an old photograph of the complex. And can you guess who took it? Indeed: Kurt Hielscher. Somehow, I only discovered that months later.

The photo right below is Kurt Hielscher's. How could I not recognize when I was there? 

Femmøller also turned out to be much larger, and historically more important as a tourist destination, than I had assumed during our brief stop. From around 1909, it developed into one of Denmark's early holiday destinations. One of the former hotel buildings now houses Femmøller Efterskole, opposite the car park where we had left our van. The village stretches from the old mill settlement towards Ebeltoft Vig, with Femmøller Strand and Lyngsbæk Strand about a kilomet and a half further on. We passed the latter on our way to Ebeltoft. 

Glads Mølle itself has a history stretching back to the 16th century. Originally known as Kannikemølle, it belonged to the Aarhus Cathedral Chapter until the Reformation, when church property passed to the Danish Crown. In 1545, the mill and its surrounding land were leased to Niels Glad, and the mill remained in the Glad family for more than two centuries. When Niels Rasmussen Glad died in 1758, he became the last miller from the family.

Much later, the buildings were owned by Femmøller Efterskole and used as accommodation for members of staff. The present owners bought the complex from the school and carefully restored it. Today, the historic buildings have a new life as Glads Mølle Feriehus, a wonderfully atmospheric holiday home.

The making of ....

So what at first seemed to be just a quick stop to recreate one of Hielscher's photographs turned out to be a place full of stories: five mills, an early tourist destination, a devastating fire and, hidden in plain sight, another little connection to Kurt Hielscher himself. 

Below: View on Djursland.