Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Scandinavian Culture – Denmark
Enjoy life in the slow lane on Denmark’s most eastern island Life on Christiansø, a tiny island and former military fortress east of Bornholm, is the epitome of ‘slow living’. On the island, which has only 89 year-round inhabitants, visitors will find a characteristic rocky landscape, well-preserved historic fortresses and an impressive bird life. As the island does not welcome cars, all must be explored by foot. By Signe Hansen | Photos: Christiansø Administration
As the administrative manager of Christiansø, Jens Peter Koefoed has many roles. Owned by the Danish Ministry of Defence, the island is not part of any municipality, and its special status means that everything from ensuring law and order to managing the local guesthouse, which is coincidentally the old prison, is in the hands of Koefoed. The 52-yearold former military man, who moved to Christiansø from Bornholm in January this year, has quickly become entranced 34 | Issue 98 | March 2017
by the island’s special way of life. “It’s a completely unique atmosphere out here. When you arrive, you immediately get this sense of tranquillity and peace. People just automatically slow down and get into the pace of the island,” he says. “During the summer, the atmosphere here is more like that of a small southern European town than a Nordic island – you’ve got the narrow streets, warm cliffs, historic buildings, the sea and birds; I dare say it’s unlike anything else in the north.”
Unless arriving in their own boat and docking at the local port, visitors reach Christiansø by ferry from Bornholm. When they arrive, they are literally compelled to slow down as the only means of transport on the small island is by foot.
From pirate hub to military defence Despite its small size, Christiansø has a long and colourful history. The strait between Christiansø and the smaller Frederiksø has been used as a harbour since the first millennium. Up until the construction of the defence fortress in 1684, the strait was often ruled by pirates on the search for gold. In between, however, the island was also used by local fishermen and, in 1684, the work on the defence fortress was initiated. After 1721, when the Great Northern War end-