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Middelgrundsfortet

Coordinates: 55°43′14″N 12°39′57″E / 55.72056°N 12.66583°E / 55.72056; 12.66583
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Middelgrundsfortet
Middelgrundsfortet in 2016
Map
Other namesUngdomsøen
Geography
LocationØresund
TypeArtificial sea fort
Area70,000 m2 (750,000 sq ft)
Additional information
Official websitehttps://ungdomsoen.dk

Middelgrundsfortet (lit. 'Fort Middle Ground'), known as Ungdomsøen (The Youth Island) since 2015, is a sea fort located on an artificial island in the Øresund between Copenhagen and Malmö.[1][2][3] 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, 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.[4] 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.[5]

History

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Aerial view of Middelgrundsfortet, c. 1950

Christian IX'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.

Middelgrundsfortet was the largest sea fort in the world, and is still the largest man-made island without abutment, with an area, including wave breakers, of approximately 70 000 m2;[3] the buildings total approximately 15 000 m2. A HAWK 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

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Inside Middelgrundsfortet

In 2010, the island became available for sale at a price of 75 million Danish kroner.[6][7][8] Two scout organisations, Det Danske Spejderkorps 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 funds.[5] The two Danish scout organisations intend to develop the facility, at a cost of 25 Million euros, and make space for 400 campers.[9][10][11][1] 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."[12]

The camp can accommodate over 650 outdoor sleeping guests.[13] It was officially opened in August 2019 by its patron Princess Benedikte.[9][3][14][11][15] By January 2020 10,000 people had visited the camp.[13]

The KUNE music festival is hosted at the camp.[16] A youth summit, "Young Europe Cares", was hosted by youth activist group Young Europe Is Voting/Youth4Europe at the Ungdomsøen in May 2019.[17][18]

Cultural references

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A view of Middelgrundsfortet from the northwest is seen at 1:07:16 25 in the 1975 Olsen-banden film The Olsen Gang on the Track.[19]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Denmark - Calling Youth to Action in a Global Visibility Drive: Hosting in Focus". International Cultural Youth Exchange. 2019. Archived from the original on 22 February 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  2. ^ "Welcome to Ungdomsøen". Ungdomsøen.dk. 2019. Archived from the original on 24 August 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Neergaard Lorentsen, Maria (24 August 2019). "Ungdomsøen vil danne en demokratisk platform: Unge har brug for et sted at skabe fremtiden" [The Youth Island will form a democratic platform: Young people need a place to create the future]. Altinget (in Danish). Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  4. ^ "World's most covetable castles for sale". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2014-06-23.
  5. ^ a b "Danish Youth Get Their Own Island". TheLocal.dk. 13 February 2015. Archived from the original on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  6. ^ "Danish scouts get their own island". CPHPost.dk. 12 February 2015. Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  7. ^ Zeveloff, Julie (6 September 2011). "Buy The World's Largest Man-Made Island For $14 Million". Business Insider.
  8. ^ Burnham, Nick (November 17, 2010). "The world's largest sea fortress is for sale". Motor Boat & Yachting.
  9. ^ a b "Young people in Denmark get their own island to run". Xinhuanet.com. 26 August 2019. Archived from the original on 26 August 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  10. ^ Wickers, Tine (2019). "Island of the Youth - Middelgrundsfortet". Nordea Funden. Archived from the original on 26 August 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  11. ^ a b Hamilton, Ben (21 August 2019). "Denmark to open its first ever youth island". CPHPost.dk. Archived from the original on 21 August 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  12. ^ Hansen, Trine (13 September 2016). "Spejderne Omdanner Middelgrundsfortet til Ungdomsøen" [Scouts transform the Middelgrundsfortet into the Youth Island]. DDS.dk (in Danish). Det Danske Spejderkorps. Archived from the original on 13 September 2016. ...transform it into a center for the development of children and young people into active, engaged and curious people who take the lead for positive social change.
  13. ^ a b Kruse Lind, Frida (23 January 2020). "Særlig ø i Øresund overgår alle forventninger" [Special island in the Sound surpasses all expectations]. TV2 (in Danish). Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  14. ^ "Ungdomsøen vækkes til live" [The Youth Island comes to life]. Fyens.dk. 17 August 2019. Archived from the original on 24 August 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  15. ^ Williams, David A. (26 August 2019). "Young people in Denmark get their own island to run". Xinhuanet.com. Archived from the original on 26 August 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  16. ^ Gledhill, Tom (31 March 2023). "Copenhagen's KUNE Festival announces first names for 2023". Resident Advisor.
  17. ^ Nicolaou, Alexandros (21 May 2019). ""I have never felt European"". Europa.eu. Archived from the original on 26 August 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  18. ^ "Empower your voice: Youth Summit in Denmark". Youth4Europe. 2019. Archived from the original on 26 August 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  19. ^ "Film 7 Olsen banden på sporet / Die Olsenbande stellt die Weichen". olsenbande-homepage.de (in German). Retrieved 5 October 2017.
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55°43′14″N 12°39′57″E / 55.72056°N 12.66583°E / 55.72056; 12.66583

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