Løjtland

Facts

Captains' farms and living fences" "

Løjtland Peninsula, with its large hills, north of Aabenraa has many charming old villages and captain's farms, sunken roads, forests and fences. The built-up area Løjt Kirkeby–Barsmark is especially interesting and stretches for six kilometres. Løjtland was the first parish in Denmark where the farmers were given their own fields instead of the old tradition of farming together. The fenced-in fields were built in 1500–1730, especially after 1633. This created a speciality in the eastern area of South Jutland called the living fences" (dikes with vegetation). The aim was to get grazing fields for fattening cattle. Raising cattle was an important business up until 1930 in Løjt Parish. "

Public place

Selected entry

All at sea

Story written by Peter Dragsbo

Time / Periode 1500 2009

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In the 18th century, the people from Løjtland set sail. The farmers' sons became skippers or captains on the ships from the seafaring town of Aabenraa. Rich farm owners also became co-shipowners. The heyday was the era of the sailing ship in 1750-1880. The handsome captains' farms from this time can be seen at Stollig, Skovby and Barsmark. But shipping still plays an important role in Løjtland. The sole surviving Aabenraa shipping company, Jebsen, has now bought and restored many properties and inns. The living fences still exist in Løjtland. They were once cared for and felled every nine years. To make them close-knit, the trees were snapped to make them grow horizontally. In Schleswig-Holstein, these fences are called Knicks". Today, though, most preserved living fences are found in Broagerland near Gråsten and Angel south of Flensborg Fiord. "