M/S Frederikke på Engelsk side 1. Se www.msfrederikke.dk
A boat trip out into the countryside and into history
Welcome to Frederikke.
Welcome on board the M / V Frederikke, a small motor ferry used previously for the daily transportation of navy personnel and civilian craftsmen working at the Royal Navy´s shipyard Holmen in Copenhagen Harbor.
With her daily trips from Nyboder to Holmen she became an important part of everyday life. When The Royal Navy decided she should be registered with only a number the workers protested and named her “ Hønen” following the tradition of giving every vessel a proper name.
In the 1990s the shipyard was closed and an era ended. However Hønen was transformed to M/S Frederikke and has entered a new golden era as a guide for our exciting experience into history and nature.
A boat trip with Frederikke is not only a unique nature experience but also a journey into the historical narrative.
A town is born – Frederichs Wærk
The journey begins with navigation on the canal, this amazing engineering project completed from 1717 to1719. A canal dug primarily by Danish soldiers but also wartime prisoners from Sweden. The run of the lake was closed by sand and after more flooding, the canal was dug to ensure a stable water level in the lake, using the canal and a lock device.
Here the foundation were laid for the creation of Denmark’s first industrial town Frederichs Wærk, by using the water power thus created. It was used for the production of everything from agates and silver to flour in the beginning and soon for the main production, which was to become the trademark of the historic town, the production of gunpowder, bullets and cannons.
It is the tale of a king, a town born, and of the people creating a life there using the forces of nature- a town was born.
Frederiksværk- National heritage
Today Frederiksværk it is one of the finest national industrial heritage landmarks in Denmark. Here You can experience the story of 250 years of continuous industrial history from guns black powder and canons to present days steel industry
The boat ride can be a starting point for further adventures in the historic center of Frederiksværk, with the different canal running through the town center, the unique Powder Mill Museum and Gjethuset, the imposing old casting house, presently our beacon of cultural experiences with rock concerts chamber music, high quality exhibitions and much more.
Gjethuset is certainly an experience in itself and well worth a visit, whether You visit it for its modern cultural merits or for sensing the atmosphere in the rebuilt canon foundry.
Arresø- Denmarks largest lake.
The historical starting point is a great way to begin Your journey of discovery. Leave the cultural landscape behind You through the Canal and stem out on board Federikke and begin the journey into the natural landscape. A landscape so important to us historically, today and in the future. We depend on the landscape we live in, it shapes us as human beings and the lives we create for ourselves, and in doing so it also reflects our own inner landscape.
A boat trip on Arresøen, Denmark’s largest lake of 41 square km´s , is a journey into a wealth of experiences and wonders.
Out here time stands still and the most wonderful nature experience are unfolded.
Peace and tranquility rules but it might be disturbed by the intense light, or of heron, marsh harriers and proud ospreys hovering circling the lake. The many species of ducks, coots, the crested grebe swimming in the water, and an abundance of small bird species are all part of nature’s life out here.
Side 2.
The beaver is building, the fox is lurking and the deer carefully, shy and cautious approaches the water to drink.
Along the shores of the lake grows a thick vegetation. Prominent is the slender reed that covers the entire shore and shelter many a home for ducks and other life along the water’s edge. The slender reed was for many years the basis for the sustenance of the people who lived on the lake. They took their livelihood by cutting pipes, and used them for thatching roofs and for resale.
Today the reed beds, along with other rich vegetation, are merely pleasing to the eye. Enjoy the fine view of vegetation of Bulrushes, Cattails, the wild Orchid, Iris May, Engnellikerod, Cotton Grass and Buttercup.
Under the waves a wealth of fish species have been recreated due to a major enviromental remediation of the lake water. Now it is reminiscent of the original life in the lake, where the eel rich in numbers was a prominent resident. At that time the eel was daily at the dinner table, and the fishery became the basis for a thriving business in Frederiksværk. Today the eel is one of the world’s most endangered species.
When You return to the canal You can get a glimpse of today’s fishing activities. A small private company has leased the rights to fish in Arresøen, and is mostly landing Walleyes- the company is housed in the small red houses on the shore.
Because of the special wildlife in this area Arresøen is now an important EU Habitat Area and a EC Bird Protection Area. At the shore You can see the bird watching tower recently built and accessed via a wooden footpath through the reedbeds.
Viking treasures a medieval king and fine churches.
From Arresøen, there is an excellent view to the beautiful landscape of the ancient seafloor ridges, and the impressive burial mounds at Dragon Mountain. It inspires us to dwell on the older history of Arresø- the original sea, the tale of Red Ran the viking treasure ,and the formidable vikings who sailed on the water.
The cultural history of medieval times is represented with buildings and their ruins. Dronningholm Castle, with its own jetty, is one of them. Maybe you want to go ashore there and explore the ruins of the medieval castle built at the inlet,later turned into a lake.
Walk around there or enjoy a picnic and picture Yourself as part of the medieval story of Valdemar II and his queen Dagmar. Just maybe he really built Dronningholm as a wedding present for her.
When the boat slips from the canal out on the open water Your eye might catch Vinderød Kirke. It is one of Denmark’s most beautiful situated churches, with a cemetery right at the waterfront and with artistic sculptures placed among the headstones, turning a walk here also into an artistic experience. It’s a small church, the third on the site and it is the burial church of Major-General Johan Friederich von Classen the founder of Frederiksværk. His sarcophagus can still be seen in the church.
In the opposite direction high and beautifully located is Kregme Church a towering landmark both on land and at sea. The church walls are decorated with beautiful frescoes and has its tower located at the choir, as one of the few churches, and here in lies the unique story of the tower. Legend has it, that trolls haunted the place,and they tore down the tower unhappy with the original place. To keep the peace with the trolls, the villagers rebuilt the tower in the acceptable place. If the legend is true or not each one of us must decide on our own, in a balance between a magical story and a true sense of history.
A great experience.
A ride on Arresøen gives you an intense and beautiful experience a journey into history, nature and the cultural foundation of present days Frederiksværk