Per Weber's Svendborg

City Walk – Art, Culture, and the Soul of the City

Title: Living Large (detail), Cat Tesla 2025 ©

The trip is coming up

In collaboration with the renowned Svendborg architect Per Weber, we are excited to present this tour, which is currently in the planning stages. Together with Per Weber, participants will explore and experience Svendborg from entirely new and exciting perspectives, with a focus on art and culture.


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
Book your trip
Christiansminde Beach before
Christiansminde Beach Now

Beach Life and Public Outrage

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.

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.

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.
Theobald and Sophie Weber

Villas, literature, and recreational forests

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 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.

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

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.

Michael Laudrup

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.

Poul Nyrup

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.

B.S. Christiansen

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.

Karen Blixen

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.

Anton Berg

Book your trip

The language selector in the upper-right corner of the field below displays the dates and the language of the guide.
Book experiences with Understory

Practical information

Meeting place: The tour starts and ends at Frederiksø 1, 5700 Svendborg
  • Guided walking tour at a moderate pace
  • A glass of sparkling wine at Hotel Christiansminde is included in the price
  • Duration: approx. 1.25 hours
  • Dressing for the weather
  • The tour takes place partly on uneven terrain
  • Not suitable for children
Tourguidefyn.dk

5700 Svendborg
CVR-44898640
Links
Contact Persons
Allan Mariager
Tel. 6120 8110
allan@tourguidefyn.dk

Karen Elberg
Tel. 6160 1103
karen@tourguidefyn.dk