Bathing culture, the Pleasure Forest, and public outrage

Join us on a guided tour through Christiansminde, where nature, summer life, and a bit of scandalous history are closely intertwined. For more than 200 years, Svendborg’s recreational area has been the setting for bathing culture, recreational forests, public outrage, and erotic gray areas.

A meeting place and a moral battlefield

With humor and a sense of history, a local guide recounts the stories of the people, customs, and events that have shaped this place. The tour offers a nuanced insight into how the beach and forest have served as a sanctuary, a gathering place, and a moral battleground—and why Christiansminde still stirs emotions today.

The evolution of Christiansminde from a 19th-century recreational forest to a modern outdoor recreation area

Bathing establishments, nude bathing, and changing moral values

Sex scandals, letters to the editor, and the darker side of summer life

The Weber family’s villas, parks, and reputation in their time

Christiansminde Beach before

Christiansminde Beach Now

Innocent summer flings and shady dealings

Along the way, you’ll hear about flasher cases in the early 1900s, scantily clad beachgoers, and the beach as the setting for both innocent summer flirtations and more shady activities.

The Struggle Between Freedom and Decency

Christiansminde was the bourgeoisie’s recreational forest. The area was therefore a frequent battleground between the upper class’s prudish standards and the attire and behavior of ordinary Svendborg residents. The guide discusses neo-Puritanism and the era’s struggle between freedom and decency.

Before the aquatic environment was on the agenda

At the pier and along the beach, people share stories about crab fishing, ferry service, and sailors’ wives, and the sunken schooner. At the same time, you’ll gain insight into how industrial waste and urban development once left a clear mark on the bathing waters—and on the debate about health and morality.

Beach Life at Christinsminde

The bourgeoisie on a picnic

Theobald and Sophie Weber

Weber Villa - Svea

Beautiful monuments to an extravagant lifestyle

The tour continues past the distinctive Weber villas – Svea, Tårnborg, and Bella Vista – beautiful monuments to the extravagant lifestyle of the Weber family – heirs to stock dividends from cryolite mining in Greenland.

The descendants of the Weber family

The guide also recounts colorful stories about the descendants of the Weber family—Ingeborg Weber, who moved Tom Christensen to Thurø, and the Peder Most books, which were written by her son-in-law Walter Christmas.

Lystskov—in more ways than one

In the darker corners of the forest, Christiansminde is spoken of as a pleasure grove—in more ways than one. Prostitution, romantic encounters, and discreet liaisons have found ideal conditions in Christiansminde.

That's what our guests say

I’ve lived in Svendborg for more than 30 years, and even though I thought I knew the town, this tour has taught me that places in town I’ve visited many times hold surprisingly fascinating stories. It was my first—but certainly not my last—time joining one of your city walks.

Emma Gad

Michael Laudrup

Poul Nyrup

B.S. Christiansen

Karen Blixen

Anton Berg

Fun and games in the recreational forest

An entertaining and historical guided walking tour in Christiansminde