Slotø

Experience Northern Europe's only preserved orlovsværft from the Middle Ages on Slotø in Nakskov Fjord. Feel the wings of history from the time when Denmark was a great maritime power. 

Northern Europe's only preserved medieval shipyard

The privately owned island, Slotø is best known for the ruin, Engelsborg, built by order of King Hans in 1509-10. This castle is the very special combination of a shipyard and a castle. It was built precisely here, as pile drains were unproblematic due to depths down to 8 metres immediately outside the castle. At the same time, the shipping channel to Nakskov ran between Slotø and Vejlø, so that the cannons on the castle could protect the entrance to Nakskov, which was then one of the country's most important maritime towns. Finally, the whole of north-west Lolland was covered by large forests, so there was plenty of ship timber that could easily be floated to the island. 

When you come ashore, you can see that the shipyard's beds were located between the two flank walls that used to go out into the water. The castle tower with its 3 metre thick walls is clearly visible. Here you can see the many bullet holes. In the embrasures there are still holes for heavy oak timber, which was walled in so that these beams could take the recoil of the cannons of the time, which are called stone guns, as they fired with round stones. Behind the castle, the remains of the moat can be seen, which originally consisted of two ditches leading into the water. Pointed oak stakes were probably driven into the bottom of the moats to prevent the enemy from walking on the bottom.

Engelsborg is definitely worth a visit, as you feel transported back to a time when shipbuilders built some of Denmark's first warships. 

An information board has been erected on the site. 

You can make a short stop at Slotø during the mail boat tour or take one of the many guided tours, where you can really learn a lot about the castle. 

Only the ruins themselves are accessible, as the rest of the island is privately owned.

Please keep a safe distance from the ospreys that breed on the beach. They have come to Nakskov Fjord all the way from Antarctica, so they deserve to be left alone by humans and animals.

Click on the picture to see Ole Bengtson's visualisation of Slotø anno 1509.