Middelgrundsfortet (), known as Ungdomsøen (The Youth Island) since 2015, is a

sea fort 300px, Cartagena_de_Indias.html" ;"title="Castillo San Felipe de Barajas in Cartagena de Indias">Castillo San Felipe de Barajas in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia Coastal defence (or defense) and coastal fortification are measures taken to pro ...

located on an artificial island in the

Øresund Øresund or Öresund (, ; ; ), commonly known in English as the Sound, is a strait which forms the Denmark–Sweden border, Danish–Swedish border, separating Zealand (Denmark) from Scania (Sweden). The strait has a length of ; its width var ...

between

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

and

Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...

. The fortress is constructed at a point where the seabed is 7 meters below the water surface at the northern meeting point of the straits Kongedybet and Hollænderdybet. Ferries connect Middelgrundsfortet with

Langelinie Langelinie ( English: Long Line) is a pier, promenade and park in central Copenhagen, Denmark, and home of ''The Little Mermaid'' statue. The area has for centuries been a popular destination for excursions and strolls in Copenhagen. Most cruise ...

, Copenhagen. The fort was constructed in the 1890s as a military instalment, and had an active military presence until 1984. The island was sold by the state to a private investor in 2002 and was transformed into a hotel, with 200 rooms linked by 2 miles of corridors. In 2015, the island was jointly purchased by two scout organisations and is now used as a camp for children and young people as Ungdomsøen.

History

Christian IX Christian IX (8 April 181829 January 1906) was King of Denmark from 15 November 1863 until his death in 1906. From 1863 to 1864, he was concurrently List of dukes of Schleswig, Duke of Schleswig, List of dukes of Holstein, Holstein and Saxe-Laue ...

's government constructed the fort between 1890–94 to serve as a part of Copenhagen's coastal fortifications, partly using material excavated from Frihavnen. It is one of three artificial islands that were created to defend the entrance to Copenhagen's harbour. The other two are Flakfortet and

Trekroner Fort Trekroner Søfort (literally ''Three Crowns Sea Fortress'') is a sea fort at the entrance to the Copenhagen harbour. From 1713 until after World War I, Trekroner Fort was part of the fortifications of Copenhagen. The original location of Tre ...

. Middelgrundsfortet was the largest sea fort in the world, and is still the largest man-made island without

abutment An abutment is the substructure at the ends of a bridge span or dam supporting its superstructure. Single-span bridges have abutments at each end that provide vertical and lateral support for the span, as well as acting as retaining walls ...

, with an area, including wave breakers, of approximately 70 000 m²; the buildings total approximately 15 000 m². A

HAWK Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are very widely distributed and are found on all continents, except Antarctica. The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks, and others. This ...

battery was placed on the island in the 1950s. The fort remained an active military installation until 1984; in 2002 it was sold to a private investor.

Ungdomsøen

In 2010, the island became available for sale at a price of 75 million

Danish kroner The krone (; plural: ''kroner''; currency sign, sign: kr.; ISO 4217, code: DKK) is the official currency of Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands, introduced on 1 January 1875. Both the ISO code "DKK" and currency sign "kr." are in common ...

. Two scout organisations,

Det Danske Spejderkorps The Danish Scout Council (DSC; , formerly ''Fællesrådet for Danmarks Drengespejdere'', FDD) is the national Scouting federation of Denmark. Scouting was founded in Denmark in 1909 and it was among the charter members of World Organization of t ...

and KFUM-spejderne, bought the island in April 2015 for 20 million kroner (£1.94M) with money donated by the A. P. Møller and

Nordea Nordea Bank Abp, commonly referred to as Nordea, is a Nordic financial services group operating in northern Europe with headquarters in Helsinki, Finland. The name is a blend of the words "Nordic" and "idea". The Nordic countries are considered ...

funds. The two Danish scout organisations intend to develop the facility, at a cost of 25 Million euros, and make space for 400 campers. The camp was envisioned as an adventure playground "for the development of children and young people (not just scouts) into active, engaged and curious people who take the lead for positive social change." The camp can accommodate over 650 outdoor sleeping guests. It was officially opened in August 2019 by its patron

Princess Benedikte Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (Benedikte Astrid Ingeborg Ingrid, born 29 April 1944) is a member of the Danish royal family. She is the second daughter and child of King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid of ...

. 10,000 people had visited the camp. The KUNE music festival is hosted at the camp. A youth

summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...

, "Young Europe Cares", was hosted by youth activist group ''Young Europe Is Voting/Youth4Europe'' at the Ungdomsøen in May 2019.

Cultural references

A view of Middelgrundsfortet from the northwest is seen at 1:07:16 25 in the 1975 ''

Olsen-banden The ''Olsen Gang'' (, ) is a Denmark, Danish comedy film series created by Danish director Erik Balling and special effects expert Henning Bahs about the eponymous fictional criminal gang. The gang's leader is the criminal genius and habitual o ...

'' film '' The Olsen Gang on the Track''.

References

External links

Middelgrundsfortet website (archived)
{{Denmark islands Fortifications of Copenhagen Artificial islands of Denmark Sea forts Scouting and Guiding in Denmark 2019 establishments in Denmark