The Coast at Elverdam on Røsnæs
Below the slopes at Elverdam on the south coast of Røsnæs, J.Th. Lundbye painted one of his fresh beach studies in 1847. Fifty years later a band of young painters settled on the cliff and built the Hellenes' hut. Come down to the water and experience a coastline that has drawn artists for generations.
Røsnæs stretches like a long finger westwards from Kalundborg, and along the peninsula's south coast clay slopes, grazing land and open sea meet. At Elverdam, where a ravine cuts down through the landscape, you reach a beach with a special place in Danish art history. The site is one of the marked points on Lundbye Landmarks, and the landmark post stands on the beach below the campsite.
Lundbye's study from the beach
The Golden Age painter J.Th. Lundbye visited Røsnæs, then called Refsnæs, in both 1843 and 1847. He was captivated by the wild, untouched landscape and wrote in his letters that this was exactly the kind of nature a painter needed. In June 1847 he painted a small oil study from the beach at Refsnæs, which now belongs to the National Gallery of Denmark (SMK). It is a quick sketch painted outdoors, with no people or vegetation, in a soft, reddish evening light. In a letter to his friend, the painter Lorenz Frølich, Lundbye wrote that he had painted around ten studies on Refsnæs that summer. The shoreline on the beach today still resembles his picture.
The Hellenes on the cliff
In the 1890s the coast received new artist visitors. A group of about ten young painters from Kristian Zartmann's painting school, among them Johannes Ottesen, Gunnar Sadolin and Svend Hammershøi, wanted to form a community built on the ancient Greek ideal of beauty, art and a healthy body. They called themselves the Hellenes. Here they did sport, sunbathed and painted models outdoors. Plans for a Greek-style temple could not be funded, so they first lived in a tent and later built a brick hut on the slope. The group broke up after a few years, but it is regarded as one of the first groups of artists in Vitalism, the movement that celebrated nature, the body and health. The Hellenes' hut still stands, partly hidden among the trees above the ravine at Elverdam.
What you can experience
On the beach you see the clay slopes, open sea and wide sky that both Lundbye and the Hellenes painted. Above lie grazed meadows and gentle ridges, and about 300 metres to the west you reach the first small headland, with views along the coast. The walk down to the water is short, and it is a fine place for a stroll along the beach or simply to sit and gaze out across the sea.
How to find it
Drive along Røsnæsvej and turn down Elvervej. From there, follow the path to the coast at the gate by the campsite. Please be considerate of campsite guests and of the animals in the fields. From Elverdam it is not far to other places on Røsnæs that Lundbye painted, including Hellede Klint, Vindekilde and the tip of Røsnæs. Find more nature areas and experiences on Røsnæs and across the region at destinationsjaelland.dk.
Who is it for?
The coast at Elverdam is for nature lovers, walkers and anyone interested in art history. It fits well into a tour around Røsnæs and is a natural stop for those who want to follow Lundbye's trail from Kalundborg out towards the tip of the peninsula.
Dernière mise à jour par :Destination Sjællandinfo@desj.dk
