Læsø ("Isle of Hlér") is the largest island in the North Sea bay of Kattegat, and is located 19 kilometres (12 mi) off the northeast coast of the Jutland Peninsula, the Danishmainland. Læsø is also the name of the municipality (Danish, kommune) on that island. The island is a location mentioned in several instances in Old Norse sources detailing Norse mythology.
The modern Danish form of the island's name, læsø, developed from Old NorseHlésey, meaning 'Hlér's island'.[2]Hlér (Old Norse 'sea'), also known as Ægir (also Old Norse 'sea'), is a jötunn and personification of the sea in Norse mythology whose nine daughters personify waves. Similarly, the Danish city of Lejre may also derive from Hlér.[3]
In the Poetic Edda poem Hárbarðsljóð, the god Thor comments that it was on Hlésey that he was attacked by (and so fought) "berserk women" or "brides of berserks" who had bewitched all of the men on the island. Thor details that, upon beaching his ship, the women battered it, threatened him with iron clubs and chased his servant, Þjálfi:
The municipality is in Region Nordjylland in northern Denmark. The municipality, Denmark's least populous, covers Læsø and neighboring small islands for a total area of 114 square kilometres (44 sq mi), and has a total population of 1,769 as of 1. January 2022.[7][8] The population has been steadily declining, and according to Danmarks Statistik (Statistikbanken.dk) was:
The main town and the site of its municipal council is Byrum.
Because Læsø is an island and lies in the Kattegat, its neighboring municipality, Frederikshavn on the Jutland peninsula, is separated by water, the Læsø Rende, from the island municipality.
Ferry service connects Frederikshavn on the Jutland peninsula to the municipality at the town of Vesterø Havn while Østerby Havn is the island's fishing harbour.
Data from Kmdvalg.dk 2005, 2009, 2013, 2017. DR: 2021
Nature and protections
Læsø has an outstanding botanical interest. The nature-types on and around Læsø includes open water, extensive mudflats, sand banks, heathland, islets and areas of arable land. It houses Denmark's largest tidal saltmarsh outside the Wadden Sea but the decline in grazing animals has led to a gradual vegetational succession. Invasive species are colonizing the site, especially Japanese Rose, and scrub clearance has been implemented to re-establish the former pastures open heathland. Seals like the Harbor seal are breeding around Læsø and the whole area is an internationally important area for wintering, molting and staging waterbirds. Therefore, a Ramsar protection was put into force in 1977 (number 149) and today it encompass 66,548 ha.[10]
Together with Anholt, Læsø belongs to the Danish "desert belt"; during the summer months there is so little rain that streams and ponds partly dry up.
In the Middle Ages, the island was known for its salt industry. The ground water can reach over 15 percent salt, and this was naturally concentrated in flat salt meadows during the hot dry summers. The final concentration, carried out in hundreds of salt kilns, consumed large amounts of wood. Eventually the island became deforested, sandstorms buried villages, and salt extraction was banned. Since the end of the 1980s it has been resumed on a small scale as an archaeological experiment and a tourist attraction.
Læsø is home to unique styles of Danish traditional music. Most of it is not played any more but has been preserved through intense documentation and research in the 1980s and 1990s.
The HVDC powerline Kontiskan crosses Læsø as overhead line. On Læsø, there is also a 160 metres tall radio relay mast.
Apis mellifera mellifera
In 1993 a conservation area was established for the A. m. mellifera nicknamed the Brown Bee of Læsø, where it became illegal according to Danish Law to keep and import any other type of bee other than Apis mellifera mellifera, this was met with protests and a legal battle lasting eight years from other beekeepers of A. m. ligustica, A. m. carnica and Buckfast bees as they did not "want to become a custodian of poor bees", they also stated that A. m. mellifera was "unproductive" and "not worthy of protection". They lost their case in 2001,[11] and negotiations between A. m. mellifera beekeepers and non-A. m. mellifera beekeepers were concluded in 2004, splitting the island in two between them, ending a "history of sabotage of bees" on the island.[12] The A. m. mellifera supporters claimed that they had "introduced apartheid on Læsø for the bees".[13]
Notable residents
Gustav S. Christensen (1929 in Læsø – 2007 in Canada) an academic mathematician and engineer.
Mogens Bay Esbensen (born 1930) a prominent Danish born chef and author has lived there since 1992 [14]
Per Kirkeby (1938–2018) a Danish painter, poet, film maker and sculptor owned a house and studio on the island
^"Læsø Kommune", Den store Danske. (in Danish) Retrieved 28 June 2010.
^BY2: Population 1. January by municipalities The Mobile Statbank from Statistics Denmark
^"Bekendtgørelse om revision af den kommunale og regionale inddeling og om forpligtende kommunale samarbejder".
^The Annotated Ramsar List: Denmark 2014-02-22 at the Wayback Machine Ramsar, 05.08.2013
^"Re: Criminal proceedings against Ditlev Bluhme" (PDF). biicl.org. Court of Justice of the European Communities. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
^Kryger, Per. "SNHBS Annual Meeting - Diversity in European Honey Bees". snhbs.scot. SNHBS. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
^Kryger, Per. "Diversity in European honey bees - How to conserve it?" (PDF). snhbs.scot. SNHBS. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
^"HugeDomains.com - StephenDownes.com is for sale (Stephen Downes)". stephendownes.com. Retrieved 12 April 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Læsø Kommune.
Official website
Municipal statistics: , delivered from KMD aka Kommunedata (Municipal Data)
Municipal mergers and neighbors:
May 05, 2023
læsø, this, article, uses, bare, urls, which, uninformative, vulnerable, link, please, consider, converting, them, full, citations, ensure, article, remains, verifiable, maintains, consistent, citation, style, several, templates, tools, available, assist, form. This article uses bare URLs which are uninformative and vulnerable to link rot Please consider converting them to full citations to ensure the article remains verifiable and maintains a consistent citation style Several templates and tools are available to assist in formatting such as Reflinks documentation reFill documentation and Citation bot documentation August 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Laeso Isle of Hler is the largest island in the North Sea bay of Kattegat and is located 19 kilometres 12 mi off the northeast coast of the Jutland Peninsula the Danish mainland Laeso is also the name of the municipality Danish kommune on that island The island is a location mentioned in several instances in Old Norse sources detailing Norse mythology LaesoHojsande LaesoGeographyLocationKattegatCoordinates57 15 36 N 11 00 00 E 57 26000 N 11 00000 E 57 26000 11 00000 Coordinates 57 15 36 N 11 00 00 E 57 26000 N 11 00000 E 57 26000 11 00000Area101 km2 39 sq mi AdministrationDenmarkRegionNorth Jutland RegionMunicipalityLaeso MunicipalityLargest settlementByrum pop 488 DemographicsPopulation1 769 2022 Pop density17 5 km2 45 3 sq mi Ramsar WetlandOfficial nameLaesoDesignated2 September 1977Reference no 149 1 Contents 1 Name and Norse mythology 2 The Municipality of Laeso 2 1 Municipal council 3 Nature and protections 4 Climate industry and wildlife 5 Notable residents 6 Gallery 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References 10 External linksName and Norse mythology EditFurther information AEgir Hler Laeso Lejre and Snow The modern Danish form of the island s name laeso developed from Old Norse Hlesey meaning Hler s island 2 Hler Old Norse sea also known as AEgir also Old Norse sea is a jotunn and personification of the sea in Norse mythology whose nine daughters personify waves Similarly the Danish city of Lejre may also derive from Hler 3 In the Poetic Edda poem Harbardsljod the god Thor comments that it was on Hlesey that he was attacked by and so fought berserk women or brides of berserks who had bewitched all of the men on the island Thor details that upon beaching his ship the women battered it threatened him with iron clubs and chased his servant THjalfi Benjamin Thorpe translation She wolves they were and scarcely women They crushed my ship which with props I had secured with iron clubs threatened me and drove away Thialfi What meanwhile didst thou Harbard 4 Henry Adams Bellows translation She wolves they were like and women little My ship which well I had trimmed did they shake With clubs of iron they threatened and Thjalfi they drove off What Harbarth didst thou the while 5 These women are personified waves and or jotnar The island is also a setting in the poems Helgakvida Hundingsbana II and Oddrunargratr the saga Orvar Odds saga in two skaldic kennings and the aforementioned see etymology section above Prose Edda book Skaldskaparmal 6 The Municipality of Laeso Edit Detailed map of Laeso The municipality is in Region Nordjylland in northern Denmark The municipality Denmark s least populous covers Laeso and neighboring small islands for a total area of 114 square kilometres 44 sq mi and has a total population of 1 769 as of 1 January 2022 7 8 The population has been steadily declining and according to Danmarks Statistik Statistikbanken dk was Historical Population Year Inhabitants2006 20912007 20562008 20032009 19932010 19692011 19492012 18972013 18392014 18082015 17952016 18172017 1793Its mayor is Karsten Nielsen as of 2021 He is a member of the Venstre political party The main town and the site of its municipal council is Byrum Because Laeso is an island and lies in the Kattegat its neighboring municipality Frederikshavn on the Jutland peninsula is separated by water the Laeso Rende from the island municipality Ferry service connects Frederikshavn on the Jutland peninsula to the municipality at the town of Vestero Havn while Osterby Havn is the island s fishing harbour Laeso Municipality was not merged with any adjacent municipality under the municipal reform of 2007 as it agreed to enter into a municipal cooperation agreement with Frederikshavn Municipality 9 Municipal council Edit Laeso s municipal council consists of 9 members elected every four years Below are the municipal councils elected since the Municipal Reform of 2007 Election Party Totalseats Turnout ElectedmayorA C D D F H L O V2005 2 2 2 3 9 78 5 Olav Juul Gaarn Larsen V 2009 2 1 1 4 2 81 8 Thomas W Olsen L 2013 2 1 1 2 1 2 83 7 Tobias B Johansen L 2017 1 2 2 4 82 3 Karsten Nielsen O 2021 1 2 0 2 1 3 67 8 Tobias Birch Johansen V Data from Kmdvalg dk 2005 2009 2013 2017 DR 2021Nature and protections EditLaeso has an outstanding botanical interest The nature types on and around Laeso includes open water extensive mudflats sand banks heathland islets and areas of arable land It houses Denmark s largest tidal saltmarsh outside the Wadden Sea but the decline in grazing animals has led to a gradual vegetational succession Invasive species are colonizing the site especially Japanese Rose and scrub clearance has been implemented to re establish the former pastures open heathland Seals like the Harbor seal are breeding around Laeso and the whole area is an internationally important area for wintering molting and staging waterbirds Therefore a Ramsar protection was put into force in 1977 number 149 and today it encompass 66 548 ha 10 A particular feature of Laeso is its half timbered houses thatched with eelgrassClimate industry and wildlife EditTogether with Anholt Laeso belongs to the Danish desert belt during the summer months there is so little rain that streams and ponds partly dry up In the Middle Ages the island was known for its salt industry The ground water can reach over 15 percent salt and this was naturally concentrated in flat salt meadows during the hot dry summers The final concentration carried out in hundreds of salt kilns consumed large amounts of wood Eventually the island became deforested sandstorms buried villages and salt extraction was banned Since the end of the 1980s it has been resumed on a small scale as an archaeological experiment and a tourist attraction Laeso is home to unique styles of Danish traditional music Most of it is not played any more but has been preserved through intense documentation and research in the 1980s and 1990s The HVDC powerline Kontiskan crosses Laeso as overhead line On Laeso there is also a 160 metres tall radio relay mast Apis mellifera mellifera In 1993 a conservation area was established for the A m mellifera nicknamed the Brown Bee of Laeso where it became illegal according to Danish Law to keep and import any other type of bee other than Apis mellifera mellifera this was met with protests and a legal battle lasting eight years from other beekeepers of A m ligustica A m carnica and Buckfast bees as they did not want to become a custodian of poor bees they also stated that A m mellifera was unproductive and not worthy of protection They lost their case in 2001 11 and negotiations between A m mellifera beekeepers and non A m mellifera beekeepers were concluded in 2004 splitting the island in two between them ending a history of sabotage of bees on the island 12 The A m mellifera supporters claimed that they had introduced apartheid on Laeso for the bees 13 Notable residents EditGustav S Christensen 1929 in Laeso 2007 in Canada an academic mathematician and engineer Mogens Bay Esbensen born 1930 a prominent Danish born chef and author has lived there since 1992 14 Per Kirkeby 1938 2018 a Danish painter poet film maker and sculptor owned a house and studio on the islandGallery Edit Laeso kur Museumsgarden Laeso FannemandsfaergenSee also EditJohns Rock List of islands of DenmarkNotes Edit Laeso Ramsar Sites Information Service Retrieved 25 April 2018 McKinnell 2005 110 and Faulkes 1995 59 Simek 1996 p 151 Thorpe 1866 76 Bellows 1923 92 McKinell 2005 110 Laeso Kommune Den store Danske in Danish Retrieved 28 June 2010 BY2 Population 1 January by municipalities The Mobile Statbank from Statistics Denmark Bekendtgorelse om revision af den kommunale og regionale inddeling og om forpligtende kommunale samarbejder The Annotated Ramsar List Denmark Archived 2014 02 22 at the Wayback Machine Ramsar 05 08 2013 Re Criminal proceedings against Ditlev Bluhme PDF biicl org Court of Justice of the European Communities Retrieved 22 January 2019 Kryger Per SNHBS Annual Meeting Diversity in European Honey Bees snhbs scot SNHBS Retrieved 22 January 2019 Kryger Per Diversity in European honey bees How to conserve it PDF snhbs scot SNHBS Retrieved 22 January 2019 HugeDomains com StephenDownes com is for sale Stephen Downes stephendownes com Retrieved 12 April 2018 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a Cite uses generic title help References EditBellows Henry Adams Trans 1923 The Poetic Edda New York The American Scandinavian Foundation Faulkes Anthony Trans 1995 Edda Everyman ISBN 0 460 87616 3 McKinnell John 2005 Meeting the Other in Norse Myth in Legends D S Brewer ISBN 1 84384 042 1 Simek Rudolf 1996 Dictionary of Northern Mythology D S Brewer ISBN 978 0 85991 513 7 Thorpe Benjamin Trans 1907 The Elder Edda of Saemund Sigfusson Norrœna Society External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Laeso Wikimedia Commons has media related to Laeso Kommune Official website Municipal statistics NetBorger Kommunefakta delivered from KMD aka Kommunedata Municipal Data Municipal mergers and neighbors Eniro new municipalities map Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Laeso amp oldid 1150164243, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
