Engelsborg Naval Shipyard

Engelsborg (described Engelborg and Engelskborg) is a castle ruin from the 16th. century on the island Slotø in Nakskov Fjord primarily served as a shipyard for the Royal Danish Navy.

Slotø was purchased by King Hans of Denmark in 1508 or 1509 with the objective of using the island as a shipyard for the building of a large fleet. This happened probably because of the expectation of an impending war with the Hanseatic League because the king had allowed other nations to pass the Oresund and thus compete for trade in the Baltic Sea.

From the earliest times has been the main objective shipbuilding and the castle was also built with two large sealed arms around the slipway trend down to the beach from the circular fortress tower in a v-shape. At the end of these out in the fjord was called brad benches allowing final accomodation and equipping of new constructions and repair of ships.

The castle was of the form of a minimum two-storey tower with a moat located south of, as protection against attacks from within the country, as well as an outer moat, which went from wall to wall. The outer moat had no connection to the inlet. Engel Borg could only visited by brad benches.

Historian Arild Huitfeldt writes that there allready was built two large naval vessels called respectively "Engelen" and "Maria" but only "Engelen", which most likely built as ship without anything on Slotø and end fitted in Sønderborg in spring and summer 1510 . "Angel" was the biggest naval vessel which currently had been built in Europe, and "Engelen" was later leased to the Duke of Geldern in the Netherlands, it was used to transport the Habsburg Crown Prince later Emperor Karl 5. "Engelen" never went back to Denmark.

The castle also acted as an administrative center, as it was between 1510-1523 for Lolland Nørre hovedlen and Sønder herreder. The king stayed occasionally at the castle.

In 1534 the fortress was conquered by lübecks, along with Danish farmers who were angry about deforestation of Lolland to build ships, burned down the plant, but it remained in Danish hands after peace has been achieved.

Christian 4 used from 1624 also the slipway and the great brad bench at Engelsborg, supplemented by a number of newly built workshops and housings, as the shipyard, and approximately 10 large naval vessels was built on the island until 1633. It was then abandoned and stones from the ruins were used for repair of Nykøbing Castle. In addition, farmers in the area could retrieve rocks to their own buildings, which quickly caused to the plant ended up in the Condition when it was found in 1944.

Enclosed is a link in danish with informations and photos.