The history of the campsite.

a rich history

The history of the campsite in Hundige

After we have gone through the old papers that former Camp Managers have gathered together, we get an interesting historical picture of Danish camping over the years, which in many ways can give food for thought.

If there are readers who have articles, papers or pictures from earlier times, we are very interested in a copy of these, in order to preserve them for posterity. Below I have collected a number of information and quotes from the “old dusty archives”.

Enjoy the reading

Thomas/Lejrchef

The early start

Camping life in Denmark

At the beginning of the 20th century, industry was mechanized and the Danes had more free time. At the same time, a whole generation of young people from the cities had opened their eyes to outdoor life and wanted to go out into nature to cultivate their interest. Back then you couldn’t buy tents, so you had to buy canvas yourself and start sewing a tent.

The following are quotes and extracts which very vividly tell the story of the Danes’ early interest in camping life.

”The Copenhageners searched for the Øresund coast, where the possibilities for camping were very limited, or down along Køge Bay, and if things were going well and you had a holiday, to Bornholm. The Køge Bay area from Store Vejleå to Cordosasvinget north of Køge was almost roadless, sparsely built-up and therefore cheap. Old Køgevej consisted of some ruts, and the coastal land was agriculturally worthless. It was an Eldorado to practice primitive camp sports. On Saturday afternoon and evening, Køgevejen was a swarm of cyclists, sprinting south with their tent gear on their luggage carriers to secure a tent pitch for the weekend. Those who came first could pick and choose; those who came last had to get back on the bike and look for other options. On Sunday evening, the traffic went the opposite way and almost caused traffic chaos on Toftegårds Plads ”. Quote from LFD’s 60th anniversary book.

”The farmers along the coast quickly found that money could be made from the interest that the camp sportsmen showed in their beach plots, and it therefore soon became common to pay 25 øre to camp for a weekend. In return, the athletes could count on the site being cleaned, that they could get water and get rid of their waste ”. Citat fra LFDs 60 års jubilæumsbog.

the discovery

The man who discovered Hundige

The following is from “The man who discovered Hundige” Excerpt from Lejrsport October 1935:

In the spring of 1928, when the club had to find a camp site, it was the chairman of the Camp Committee who found Hundige Campsite. We ask Mr. assistant Børge Hjort: It was you who found Hundige Campsite. Will you tell Lejrsport how it went?

I had several in-depth talks with the chairman, Mr. Topholm, about the need for a permanent camp site. I was handed the profession and was lucky enough to acquire this one. But I was scolded when I got home because I had agreed to pay 25 øre per tent day.

It is stated in the negotiation protocol that the pitch owner would only lend the pitch against payment. Was it common back then that you were given the seats for free?

Yes, it was common, but on that level there was a man in Vallensbæk who started renting out his beach plot and collecting per tent day, and this was the reason why Mr. Hansen didn’t want us lying down for free. In return, the club got exclusive rights to the site. It was right up to Pentecost, so we suddenly got busy. A flagpole and toilet were set up. This was very elegant and consisted of 6 round sticks stuck in the ground and wrapped in burlap, and when Pentecost came the tents stood neatly with the women’s tents on one side and the men’s tents on the other. In the middle, the chairman had pitched his tent.

Which camp sites did you dispose of more?
Yes, we had Runde Bakke near Nærum. The Lynæs camp near the fort was too far away and was only used during the summer holidays. We also lay on Køgegaarden’s fields, just like Lemcke, but everyone had access there. In Hundie, on the other hand, we were ourselves and could turn away those we didn’t like.

Why did Hundige become the favourite?

It was right by the water, only 17 km from the Town Hall Square and in itself ideal.

next step

Further development of Lejrklub Danmark

LD’s purpose clauses were to organize and develop, as well as support camp clubs throughout the country.

In the meantime, the club had been renamed Lejrklubben for Denmark with the express aim of creating a truly nationwide organisation. A slogan had also come up for “A camping sportsman is always a conservationist” and negotiations were carried out with Denmark’s Nature Conservation Association to get camp sites throughout the country.

Obtaining camp sites across the country immediately proved more difficult. The landowners, including the state, were very skeptical and apprehensive about accepting an invasion of all sorts of tent-dwellers. The amount of newspaper coverage of unfortunate behavior on the first tent pitches made people feel grateful. The LFD then proposed that members of the LFD should bring a legal copy from the club in the form of a camp pass with a complaint card attached in order to gain access to private or state-owned areas. If the complaint card came back criticizing the pass holder’s stay, it meant immediate exclusion from the club.

This arrangement was accepted by the Nature Conservation Association and started to help us in this field. The idea has proven to be right, but it took many years to make the scheme slip into the consciousness of the members and the general population. Excerpt from LFD’s 60th anniversary book, quote from approx. 1930