Lolland

Lolland

Fuglsang Manor, now a major cultural centre on the island
Geography
Location	Baltic Sea
Coordinates
Area
Country
Denmark
Region	Region Zealand
Municipality	Lolland Municipality, Guldborgsund Municipality
Largest settlement	Nakskov (pop. 13,886)
Demographics
Population	62,578 (as of 2013)
Density	52.9 /km2 (137 /sq mi)

Lolland (Danish pronunciation: [ˈlʌˌlanˀ]; formerly spelled Laaland, literally "low land") is the fourth largest island of Denmark, with an area of 1,243 km² (480 sq mi). Located in the Baltic sea, it is part of Region Sjælland (Region Zealand). As of 1 January 2013, it has 62,578 inhabitants.

Overview

Lolland is also known as the "pancake island" because of its flatness: the highest point of the entire island is 25 m (82 ft) above sea level, just outside the village of Horslunde. The island has been an important communication highway, among others for Nazi Germany during World War II. Historically, sugar beet has been grown in Lolland. Sugar is still a major industry, visible from the large number of sugar beet fields.

The largest town of Lolland is Nakskov, with 15,500 residents. Other main towns are Maribo (6,000 residents), which hosts the seat of the Diocese of Lolland and Falster, Sakskøbing (3,500 residents) and Rødby (2,500 residents).

The governments of Denmark and Germany plan to connect Lolland with the German island Fehmarn, by a future Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link. Route E47 from Copenhagen crosses the Guldborgsund strait between Lolland and Falster via a modern tunnel, but the motorway currently terminates at Rødbyhavn where a ferry carries vehicles to Fehmarn. Two older bridges also span the strait between Lolland and Falster, the Frederick IX Bridge and Guldborgsund Bridge at the northern end of the strait. Falster is directly to the east of Lolland.

Since January 1, 2007, Lolland has been administered by two municipalities, Lolland covering the western two thirds, and Guldborgsund uniting the eastern third with the neighbouring island Falster.

Demography

1901 – 68,331 1906 – 69,738 1911 – 74,063 1916 – 78,193 1921 – 83,188 1925 – 86,544 1930 – 87,534 1935 – 85,607 1940 – 86,307 1945 – 87,230 1950 – 86,490 1955 – 84,781 1960 – 83,170 1965 – 81,760 1970 – 78,934 1976 – 77,958 1981 – 77,431 1986 – 75,278 1990 – 73,191 1995 – 71,610 1998 – 70,994 1999 – 70,747 2000 – 70,640 2001 – 70,383 2002 – 70,201

2003 – 69,796 2004 – 69,360 2005 – 68,751 2006 – 68,224 2007 – 67,908 2008 – 67,306 2009 – 66,655 2010 – 65,764 2011 – 64,730 2012 – 63,678 2013 – 62,578 2014 – 61,563

Towns and villages

Nakskov 12,866 Maribo 5,933 Sakskøbing 4.539 Sundby 2.847 Rødby 2,092 Rødbyhavn 1,634 Søllested 1,458 Holeby 1,423 Nysted 1,336

Bandholm 678 Horslunde 671 Toreby 628 Guldborg 572 Kettinge 539 Nørreballe 532 Nagelsti 497 Stokkemarke 440 Dannemare 434

Hunseby 418 Sandby 386 Grænge 380 Langø, Lolland 319 Errindlev 298 Hillested 284 Ullerslev 276 Frejlev 264 Branderslev 229 Radsted 215

Attractions

Trebuchet ready for firing at Middelaldercentret.

Among the attractions of the island are Fuglsang Manor built in the second half of the 19th century, and the neighbouring Fuglsang Art Museum which opened in 2008. Knuthenborg Safari Park north of Maribo is the largest safari park in Northern Europe and the holiday resort Lalandia is a giant indoor water-fun-land. Furthermore, Middelaldercentret is an open-air museum on the most eastern part of the island just outside Nykøbing Falster. The Centre is an experimental living history museum and it contains a reconstructed part of a medieval town from around 1400. It is among the most authentic reconstructions of the medieval period in Europe, and holds both the largest and the oldest trebuchets in the world.

Lolland has many sandy beaches and areas with summer houses, which are primarily visited by German tourists.

See also

• List of Danish islands
• Nearby islands: Falster, Fejø, Femø, Askø, Vejrø.
• Lolland Hydrogen Community

References

• Tageo.com, "VESTSJAELLAND DENMARK Geography Population" (coordinates), 2007, webpage: Tageo-index.
• Denmark Postal codes, webpage: Postnumre-DK.
• Tele.dk Denmark detailed road map, webpage: Tele-DK-Danmark.

External links

• Map of Lolland and Falster