Nykøbing Falster in the Middle Ages

Nykøbing was established in the Middle Ages as a market town situated at the mouth of Tingsted Stream in the Grønsund Sound. For hundreds of years the town was dominated by Nykøbing Castle. First built as a fortified castle and used as the seat of the queen dowager. Later it was converted into a renaissance palace for the widowed Queen Sophie towards the end of the 16th century.

When the kingdom lacked money and the widowed Danish queens had moved their residence to Copenhagen, Nykøbing Castle was sold for demolition at auction in 1767 following the sale of the crown lands in Falster in the previous year. Today Nykøbing Falster’s harbour is bordered on the north side by ”Slotsbryggen”, the new harbour development constructed in connection with the exposure of Tingsted Stream in 2004..

The area south of Tingsted Stream

The area just south of where the mouth of Tingsted Stream opens into Guldborg Sound has for reasons of location in relation to the castle never really been a part of the either the marina or the industrial harbour. After the castle was demolished, the area remained as a meadow that was first brought back into use in 20th century after the Ejegod inlet was backfilled.

South of Tingsted Stream, Codans plads was constructed in 1934 in connection with the last great harbour development to the north. As a result of this, the sailing and rowing club were moved to the backfilled land opposite the demolished castle. 

Profile of the Harbour

The southern profile of Nykøbing Falster’s harbour is dominated by Nykøbing Sugar Factory, which has been an intrinsic part of the harbour area in Nykøbing Falster since the end of the 19th century. Until 1958, sugar beets were shipped by barge to the Sugar Factory.

Along Guldborg Sound sugar beets lay on both sides of the sound in such places as Pandebjerg to the north of the city on the Falster side or at Skejten outside Fuglsang on the Lolland side. The activities of the Sugar Factory still extend out over the commercial harbour located to the north.

From harbour to streets

The original course of the medieval shoreline can be retraced in the course of the streets Vestergade Toldbodgade and Strandgade. The course of the streets coincides with the location of the renaissance shore reinforcements/wharf found below the surface of Vestergade and Toldbodgade and therefore corresponds with the demarcation of the renaissance harbour area out towards Guldborg Sound.

From the medieval storage and loading areas on the harbour, the plots of merchants’ stores stretched up towards the town’s medieval main street, which went from the castle in the north through Slotsgade across Torvet (the Square) and out of Langgade towards the south.

By Torvet (the Square) on the corner of Langgade and Færgestræde lies the beautifully preserved 17th century inn ”Czarens Hus”(the Czar’s House). The building complex on the corner has had predecessors dating back to the 13th century.