Hyldeholm, off Skuldelev

The founders of the nudist colony on Hyldeholm - Ejla and Søren.

In 1936 Søren Jørgensen Sørensen and his wife Ejla bought this flat little island to found Denmark’s first nudist colony. A newspaper cartoon from 19?? shows the Skuldelev farmers watching the nudist island through large binoculars.

Hyldeholm, from the electricity pylon.

The island has since been built up to its present height and planted with trees and bushes. Nestling amongst these are some small cabins, the biggest being The Viking Hall. There are also a sports ground and a little boat- and bathing jetty. High voltage lines, carrying electricity from Kyndbyværk to Copenhagen, stretch over the island. One of the pylons stands on the island.

Hyldeholm was not protected like the other islands in Roskilde fjord because of this unusual little society, but although it is partly populated, it has had a rich bird life.

A brooding red-breasted merganser in the scrub on Hyldeholm.

In the seventies and the beginning of the eighties Hyldeholm had Denmark’s densest colony of red-breasted merganser. These were however driven away, first by rats and then by a stoat, which had young on the island. At the base of the pylons is a small colony of common gull.

P.S. It has not been possible to find the newspaper cartoon mentioned above. If anyone is able to help us, we will be very grateful.