Dyreborg Harbour

Some 500 metres south-west from the shelter you’ll find a small idyllic harbour, Dyreborg Harbour.

It used to be the centre of a small fishing community, but today it’s used by local recreational fishermen who just want to catch a little fresh fish for the table. Yachtsmen also appreciate the harbour and its tranquillity, and the harbour attracts many yachting enthusiasts from near and far in summer.

There are toilet facilities at the harbour; showers and launderette are also available to yachtsmen.

 The tanning kettle

In the past, before the emergence of synthetic fibers, fishing nets were made of flax, cotton, or hemp. They needed to be impregnated to avoid them rotting quickly once they were in contact with sea water. This is why nets were tarred with coal tars. But to prolong their lives and make them even more durable and impervious to decay, fungi, and bacteria, nets were also tanned before being tarred in many areas. This was done in a so-called Barkekedel (tanning kettle) and one of these, excellently restored, can be seen in Dyreborg. The kettle was used for preparing a solution of oak or birch bark, or, at a pinch, spruce bark or spruce cones. The net was placed in the kettle and cooked for half an hour and then left overnight. Lighter nets such as plaice nets and hook lines were very often just tanned and not tarred. If the net had to be particularly strong, “catechu” also known as cutch was used. This is an extract of the bark and heartwood of a tropical acacia species – Acacia catechu. You can read more about the kettle and its use by the kettle itself, which you will find between the harbour and Provianten.

Horne Kirke

In the village of Horne about 5 km from the shelter you’ll find Horne Kirke which on Funen is not just the island’s largest village church, but also its only round church.  It’s quite an impressive building which is known for its pure French Empire style. Amongst other things, we recommend that you spend a little time on the alterpiece which is painted in 1812 by C.W. Eckersberg, the ‘father’ of the Golden Age of Danish Painting.

The church became quite well-known in 2004 when it was used as the setting for a Danish movie, the award winning black comedy Adam’s Apples.

You can watch an almost 10-minute long video about the church here