Gedesby

Sydhavshuset lies in the historic village of Gedesby, where the old village pond, church, farms streets and iconic Dutch windmill are preserved. It’s a beautiful area, full of both nature, history and easy to get to a wide variety of museums, parks and fun experiences. For example it is not rare to see deer wandering around in the fields and even into cottage grounds and places such as Knuthenborg Safari Park and the Medieval Experience Centre which we loved visiting as children.

Beaches & Nature

Our family loves the great outdoors, and Sydhavshuset is full of memories of collecting seashells, stones and fossils on the beach and early mornings sitting quietly looking out over the lawn at deer as they ventured close to the deck. Sydhavshuset is conveniently close to Gedesby beach, one of the best beaches in Denmark. There are also several walking and cycle routes nearby. Some of our favourite nearby spots is Gedser bird station at Gedser Odde and Bøtø wood, home to wild ponies and highland cattle. Even in late summer and autumn, Gedesby is worth a visit. For the many migratory birds, the island acts almost like a funnel before the birds fly over the Baltic Sea and on to Germany and southern Europe and if the weather hasn’t been at its best behaviour and if it has stormed from the east, you can go hunting for amber by the beach.

Shopping Opportunities and Activities

If you need to buy something, the closest shopping opportunities are in Gedser, 4 km from Gedesby. Should you want a bit more activity or is the supply in Gedser Brugs a little too small, it is only 16 km to Marielyst where the first holiday cottages were built more than 100 years ago. And if you want a real market town, Nykøbing Falster with pedestrian streets, shops, railway station is just over 20 km from Gedesby. In the area there are also opportunities for go-karting, paintball, windsurfing and much more.

Brief History

Gedesby was once one of the larger villages on Falster. Here was a royal privileged inn that several times had royal guests. We are related to one of the innkeepers, and the rental of Sydhavshuset is in some ways a continuation of our ancestors’ hospitality! For many years, the city had the exclusive right to ferry traffic between Germany and Denmark. Ships could then sail all the way to Gedesby, close to the church. In time, the connection between Gedesby and the Baltic Sea became sandy in such a way that ships could no longer sail into Gedesby. For more of the history of the local area, see Our Story.

Tourism

Tourism in the Danish South Sea islands is not new. Follow this link to an older film created by Lolland-Falster's Tourist Associations in 1944. Several of the places shown are still worth visiting and 3 minutes inside the film the beach life at Marielyst is shown as it looked back then. For more modern tourism information, visit the Visit Lolland Falster website.