Saltholm

Saltholm ( " Salzinselchen ") is a 16 km ², occupied Danish island in the Øresund, which is located east of the island of Amager and southeast of Copenhagen.

The name Saltholm ( " Salzinselchen " ) presumably indicates the lack of fresh water on the island.

Management

Saltholm is a bird sanctuary and is part of the parish Kastrup (Kastrup Sogn ) in the Harde Sokkelund Herred ( Københavns Office), since 1970 the municipality Tårnby Commune, which remained untouched by the municipal reform on 1 January 2007 and now part of the Capital Region.

Geography

Saltholm is Copenhagen Airport on the island of Amager opposite, and is separated from Amager through the 3.3 km wide Drogden.

The island has one inhabitants ( 1 January 2012) in Homestead Holmegård in the northwest of the island. It is provided with a maximum height of five meters, very flat. Consequently, large parts of the island can be flooded especially during the winter months at high tides.

South of Saltholm is less than 900 meters from the artificial neighboring island Peberholm ( " pepper Island "), which is part of the Øresund connection. The island can only be reached by private boat or by bådtaxa ( " water taxi ").

Flora and Fauna

The operated for centuries by grazing cows, horses, sheep and geese in the summer has shaped the landscape of the island with their open meadows. In addition to Amager bloom here as the only place in Denmark blue irises in the wild.

Saltholm is not only a resting place for geese, swans, ducks, peregrine falcons and eagles, but has up to 7,000 nesting birds and the largest stock of eider ducks in Europe. One spring about 12,000 gray geese, teal and widgeon were sighted. During the breeding season the birds a stay is limited in the northern part of the island between April 1 and July 15.

Snails, clams, worms, crustaceans and other animals come along with fishing and fish breeding in large quantities on and around the island before. Moreover, there are underwater seagrasses.

In the south there is a seal colony.

History

Saltholm originated about 4,000 years ago by the Postglacial land uplift. This process changed the landscape continually, especially in the southern part of the island.

1230 Saltholm is first mentioned in the Waldemar - Erdbuch where the king gave the island the Bishop of Roskilde, Niels Stigsen.

The farmers used the island of Amager in the summer for grazing and for the dairy industry. On the east side of the island can be found in many places traces of primitive huts torfgemauerter. These so-called mælkehytter ( " milk huts " ) were used by the " Milking girl " ( malkepiger ) and shepherd boy.

During the plague of 1709 Saltholm served as a quarantine station for foreigners who arrived in the Danish capital.

From the 18th century lime was mined again and again what the area coined scenic. By breaking down large, open fractures were created, filled with water, especially the geese birds today serve as a place to live. The hard limestone was burned trimmed and used as a solid construction material or for further use as mortar. 1935, the limestone quarry was terminated.

Since 1873, the Saltholm Ejerlaug ( " Salt Holmer landowners association" ) exists. As the union of the island bought from the Danish state, it was decided that only Amager property owner could be a member. The association has about 200 members, which regulate the grazing rights and the few remaining buildings ( two farms and 12 houses), only two of which serve as fixed abodes, Manage.

As part of the Copenhagen fortifications, the island from the early 20th century was used for military purposes. During the First World War cannons were set up and reassigned soldiers to Saltholm. To connect the guns to the harbor, was built in 1915, a track for freight Loren.

From 1919 to 1936, the island had a school building.

Powered by a complaint by the Danish Society for Nature Conservation Danmarks Naturfredningsforening the island was placed under protection in 1983. While the location close to the city of Copenhagen and the Øresund connection is not a major problem for the nature of the island, is the neighborhood with the Kastrup airport a threat to the propagation of various species of gulls. The Nature Conservation Association looks with skepticism on the fight against gulls, which are seen as infringing on air transport. Thus, the eggs were smeared in the gulls ' nests with oil so they will not hatch.