A forest reserve without marked paths, historical connections from different periods and a literary theme on Langeland give a trip to Sønder Longelse a range of different emphases. The nature experience takes the form of a walk; the historical themes range from architectural history and agriculture to railways. You can therefore tailor your stay according to whether nature, history or literature is your main interest.
Longelse Bondegårdsskov: Protection and a Walk
Longelse Bondegårdsskov was designated a forest reserve in 1940. You can walk anywhere in the forest; there are no marked paths. This matters when planning your walk: you cannot use path markings for orientation, so you should take the absence of marked paths into account in your plans. Local access conditions may change; check the latest visitor information before your visit. The conservation objective is to preserve the forest as a natural forest without intervention. The year 1940 refers to its designation as a forest reserve, while the conservation objective describes how the forest is intended to be managed. For travellers interested in nature conservation, this combination is a reason in its own right to include the forest in their plans.
History of Architecture, Agriculture and Transport
Longelse Church stands near Sønder Longelse and was built in the 13th century. It was originally built of rough fieldstones with dressed stone quoins. The detail about the original construction adds a specific architectural feature to the date. Quoins are dressed stones at the corners of a building; they differ from the rough fieldstones.
There are various historical details relating to agriculture. The Longelse-Fuglsbølle cooperative dairy was founded in 1887. Havgård in Longelse reached its present size in 1875, when Rasmus Boesgaard merged the Havgård and Boesgård farms. A historical book describes Havgård as an old self-owned farm.
In 1698, a tenant farmer worked as a miller at Sønder Longelse Windmill. Sønder Longelse’s assembly hall was established in 1934 in a former poor farm. Longelse Station is also part of the railway history: it was designed by Copenhagen architect Helge Bojsen-Møller and completed in 1910. The station closed along with the Langelandsbanen railway on 29 September 1962. These themes offer different historical perspectives, from mill work and village life to the railway.
Literary Connections on Langeland
On Langeland, the project Litteraturen i Landskabet invites visitors to take literary walks in the footsteps of authors. In Sønder Longelse, the sign “Take a Time Out” is linked to Klaus Rifbjerg’s poetry collection “Time Out”. The literary connections thus range from an island-wide walking project to a specific reference in the village—two different scales for travellers interested in literature.
Discover more places to visit: Sædballe, Lejbølle, Fodslette, Nordstrand, Hov, Helsned, Botofte, Magleby.
For the main travel overview: Langeland.
