The white gold of Læsø

Our Sunday morning 24th June on Læsø began from a hearty breakfast.

All were a bit tired after all these wonderful experiences from the day before, but we got up early and were eager to see more of the island.

After the breakfast, some of us did the dishes and cleaned up, others did some garden work. We suggested Inge-Merete would invite us for a working weekend, we would love to help her much more. Carsten working hard in the garden:

Our first destination point was Lesø Saltsyderi (English: Saltworks), a must-visit place on the island:

Production of salt has been carried out on Læsø since the 12th century, and it has an interesting history. Through the Middle Ages, salt seething constituted the foundation of the island’s economy. The seething was systematized and eventually it had a scale and efficiency that later led historians and archaeologists to describe it as an industrialized process. For example, historical sources say that the island in 1481 delivered about 36 tons of salt three times a year. However, it required a constant supply of fuel in the form of wood to keep the seething at such a level, and gradually the island was basically cleared for forest areas; around the middle of the 17th century, the island was almost entirely without forest growth. Therefore, the salt seething was prohibited by law, and in the early 1900’s a comprehensive re-planting of forest was undertaken.

Læsø salt is produced as pan salt in accordance with ancient recipes. The salty groundwater is obtained from wells at Rønnerne. The water is poured into large iron pans which hang over the fire. The water evaporates and when the brine is saturated the salt crystallises. It’s then shovelled up into large baskets where the excess water drips off prior to the salt being dried. It’s very important that the water doesn’t boil, or the salt will be bitter. Læsø salt is called “the white gold” for its quality. It is a gourmet product, and is also used in skincare.

Salt well from the old days (reconstruction):

Salt boxes (photo below) that were used on Læsø during 18th century. At that time there wasn’t any forest left, i.e. no wood for production. Workers would fill such boxes with the groundwater from the wells, and in 3-4 days in the sun the salt would be crystallised.

After the Læsø Saltsyderi we drove to the Museumsgården, or Lynggården, which is an open-air museum in its original location. I took this lovely group photo in front of the museum:

The building is one of the few examples of the seaweed houses that were previously common on Læsø – and which are not found elsewhere in the world. Written sources say that there have been people “On Lynget” from the 1630s. Museumsgården appears today as it did when the last owner’s parents furnished their home in around 1860. The timber used in the house is from the ships that ran aground on the coast of Læsø. The most eye-catching aspect of Museumsgården is the huge, very attractive seaweed roof which bears witness to the ability of the island’s inhabitants to utilise the materials that were available to them.

And then there was time for a swim. We went to the north coast with sand dunes and very fine sandy beach, long and beautiful… The water was very clear, and we spent about an hour there.

For lunch, we went to the Vesterø Harbour again, but this time to Carlsens restaurant. John and the harbour view:

In the harbour, there was a new guest visiting – an impressive tall ship:

After a walk in the harbour, we needed an ice cream! We found a good ice-cream shop nearby, and also this funny sign:

Afternoon coffee was enjoyed on the terrace of Inge-Merete’s summer house:

And here is your shopping guide to Læsø in a nutshell:

The island is famous for its salt. There are different varieties of it, the best place to buy is at Saltsyderi shop. The brewery that once was on the island, is sold and closed down. But a beer called “Sylt” from the Skagen brewery is sold everywhere. Then there are local delicacies made with seaweed, salt cellars, and honey from the brown bees.

As the only place in Denmark, brown bees on Læsø are partly protected. This means that some areas are reserved for them. The origin of the brown bees goes millions of years back. They have probably come from the North Africa, and from there spread via Gibraltar to the north of Europe.

It was time to go home. Bags with “white gold” were stored under my seat, and we waved goodbye to this amazing island, promising to come back. Carsten just before leaving:

Flying home was beautiful, with gorgeous clouds on our way:

Carsten took this photo of us en route:

We landed at home in Roskilde, had drinks on the Roskilde flying club‘ terrace in the evening sun, and didn’t really want to leave. We grilled sausages, prepared other food, and had a nice dinner together.