New:Show Hven on GoogleEarth

The Swedish island of Hven (pronounced ‘Ven’) may be small (4.5km by 2.6km), but it has lots to offer, from historical astronomy sites to one of the biggest private whisky collections in Scandinavia, or just the good old beach and sun. Hven lies in the Öresund Strait between Denmark and Sweden and within full view of the new and very impressive Öresund Bridge (7845m) connecting Copenhagen and Malmö. In fact, you may well have flown over Hven without realizing it, as many planes flying into Copenhagen Airport fly out over the Öresund before turning in to touch down.

Hven has a lot to offer any age group. While, during the off season, it is quite a sleepy little island with a tight-knit island community, the island attracts many more visitors during the spring and summer months. The island is popular with day-trippers who make the 30 minute ferry crossing from Landskrona (Sweden), but equally attracts many “part-time” islanders, who spend the entire summer in their summer house.

Discover the island by bike
Hven is awash with bikes and it truly is the best way to get around. While you can bring your car onto the island the ferries only have a limited capacity and you will probably end up missing most of what is going on around you. Instead, hire one of the bikes available from the ferry terminal at Backviken Harbour and discover the island at your own pace. The island is an oasis for wild life, with no natural predators for birds, hares or other animals - so keep an eye out off the beaten track. Only very few of the island’s roads are dirt tracks, so you can get around very easily. Sign posts help you navigate your way around, but at the end of the day it is a small island and you’d have to be very talented to get lost.

Kyrkbacken harbour and Hven’s brick manufacture history
On the west side of the island (facing Denmark) is the small port of Kyrkbacken, which still has many traditional buildings from the turn of the 19th to 20th century. At this time Kyrkbacken harbour boomed, with the island’s brick trade and strategic position in the Öresund making the harbour Sweden’s fifth largest merchant shipping tonnage handler. The island was one of the largest brick producers due to its rich clay deposits and most of the buildings in Copenhagen’s city centre are made with bricks or tiles from Hven.

Hven’s Cliffs - Backafall
Within throwing distance of Kyrkbacken Harbour, and stretching all the way to the south tip, are the island’s cliffs or “Backafall” rising as high as 40 meters from the sea. They make an ideal viewing platform to see the Sound, as well as both countries’ coastlines and the rest of the island. Also standing at the top the cliffs is the church of St. Ibb.

Astronomy
One of the island’s longest running historical features are the observatories of Tycho Brahe who lived in the second half of the 16th century. He was a well-known astronomer and astrologer (as well as being an alchemist) and did most of his research at his castle ‘Uraniborg’ located at the island’s highest point (45m). Using instruments he had developed himself, Tycho would combine the knowledge of Copernicus with other theories to develop his own. These theories would later be extended by one of his assistants, Johannes Kepler, and many of Tycho’s observations led to the development of the ‘Laws of planetary motion’ (by Kepler).

Whisky
Whisky? Why would this island be known for its whisky? Well, technically it is not whisky made on the island – although there are rumours of a whisky distillery being planned here. Instead, it is the private whisky collection of one of the island’s inhabitants. Henric Molin, owner of the Backafallsbyn Hotel, has a proud selection of Single Malt Scotch whiskies that can be consumed in the hotel’s bar, but he also has an impressive private collection. If you are on the island and like your whisky – the Backafallsbyn bar is not to be missed.

Play a round of golf – mini-golf or full-size 9 hole
Many Swedes and Danes come to the island to play on the 9 hole golf course. It is located on the north-east side of the island and borders on the coast. There is also a mini-golf (crazy-golf) for those who feel more comfortable with the smaller scale version.

Tip: Not all places take credit cards, so make sure you have some Swedish Kroner with you.

Getting there:

From Sweden:
By Ferry from Landskrona to Bäckviken. Ferries make the 30 minute crossing throughout the day from around 6am to around 9pm (check time tables for exact dates). Tickets are SKK 80 for adults and SKK 40 for children up to the age of 16. Group tickets are available but require pre-booking. There is a limited amount of car spaces available on the ferries.

From Denmark:
While there is no designated ferry service from Denmark, you can get taxi boats to take you across (for more info call the harbour master on +46 418 72 400). Alternatively, make the slightly longer – but also more interesting – trip across the Öresund Bridge. You can go by car or catch the highly efficient train service across to Malmö. You may have to change trains to get to Landskrona where you can either get the bus or a taxi to take you to the ferry terminal.

For Travel to this destination also read GlobalDetail's Ultimate Guide to no-frills airlines

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