The history of Spodsbjerg

narrated by John Fisker

Stationen 1960 800X532
The station where Johannes Fisker had his work for many years. Foto: Erik V. Pedersen

Though his name suggests so in Dannish, Johannes Fisker is not a fisherman. He is a policeman who arrived in Spodsbjerg as a recent graduate of Copenhagen police academy in the autumn of 1945. He travelled via train and ferry on a journey that lasted from seven in the morning to ten at night during a strong easterly storm.

He didn´t know much about Langeland, but he was a quick learner and later became very interested in the island´s local history.

At that time there was a police office in Spodsbjerg´s train station. Back then there were railway tracks on Langeland.

Langeland´s railway track was opened in 1912, says Johannes Fisker, and naturally this was a big boon for Spodsbjerg and Southern Langeland. It was a big step forward in terms of both passenger and goods transportation.

Badetog Spodsbjerg 615X359 Bathing train Rudkøbing

In the summer a train brought beachgoers from Rudkøbing to Spodsbjerg every day. Often there were seven or eight carriages filled with beach-bound passengers; on arrival, the carriages were disconnected and used as a changing rooms. At the end of the day everyone was brought back to Rudkøbing.

The track reached its 50th anniversary, but was closed down in October 1962, when Langeland Bridge was opened.

Want you to know more about Langeland railroad history, visit: http://evp.dk/index.php?page=langelandsbanen in Danish.

In Spodsbjerg there was an open bridge to the ferry berth until 1937, and a fishing harbour was built in the same year. However it was almost destroyed by an easterly storm before it was completed. The same storm also destroyed several fishing boats. At that time there were around 25 fishing boats in Spodsbjerg.

During the war years there was no ferry connection to Lolland due to the danger of mines and the lack of coal. The ferry only started sailing again after the mines had been removed in 1946. In the mid-50s there was a strong north-easterly storm and a lot of flooding. Coast protection had been erected the previous year, but the water simply flowed over the dyke and all the way from the ferry building to the coast enclosure. West of the highway the water flooded the houses and the whole marshland behind them. Other storms followed: in the 60s a storm destroyed the whole eastern pier in the fishing harbour.

There was also ice in the winter, and in the two worst winters in 1941 and 42, the Langeland Belt froze and transport to Lolland had to take place across the ice.

But transportation improved in later years, and after the new ferry berth was built in 1960, the transport connections became very secure. In 1981, another new ferry berth was built, and a new direct road to Langeland Bridge meant that traffic multiplied. At one point there were four ferries with up to 72 departures a day.

Spodsbjerg underwent its own developments. Street lighting was introduced in 1960, but the inhabitants of the town had to pay for it themselves. Back then each fluorescent tube cost 350 Kroner, and at that price the town could not afford to light the streetlamps. But they looked good in daylight.

Some years later the town even got municipal water, which the inhabitants also had to pay for themselves. Until then everyone had had their own well.

When Johannes Fisker came to Spodsbjerg there were two grocers, two butchers and two bakers. Today there is a supermarket where you can get almost anything you need.

And in 1994 the marina was built, which has been very important to the area, especially for anglers.

One can´t claim that Spodsbjerg has experienced great progress, says Johannes Fisker. ´For more than 60 years all the inhabitants were active fishermen, assistants or labourers. Today there are only four or five fishermen left. And elderly or non-active residents live in 50 of the town´s houses. Other houses have been sold as summerhouses. In the same period 15-20 new houses have been built in Spodsbjerg, so it hasn´t exactly been a rapid development.

Faergebroen 438X256 Spodsbjerg færgebro