Fiskeri- og Søfartsmuseet

I 1968 var det 100 år siden, loven om anlæg af en havn ved Esbjerg og en jernbane hertil var blevet vedtaget. Ingen forudså dengang den udvikling, havnen ville sætte i gang – eller at man 100 år senere ville have Danmarks 5. største by liggende, hvor der i 1868 var to gårde, tre huse og boede 23 mennesker.

Esbjerg Byråd besluttede at opføre et fiskeri- og søfartsmuseet som jubilæumsgave til kommunens indbyggere, en ledig byggegrund ved vandet blev fundet på en kommunal grund mellem Sædding Strandvej og Tarphagevej. I midten af 1960’erne lå grunden i Esbjerg Kommunes udkant, da grænsen mellem Esbjerg Købstad og Guldager Sognekommune gik ved den nuværende Solbakkevej. Ved kommunalreformen i 1970 blev de to kommuner lagt sammen, og Fiskeri- og Søfartsmuseet, som åbnede i 1968, lå ikke længere i kommunens udkant.

Museets arbejdsområde var fiskeri- og søfartshistorie i Esbjerg. Ikke mindst fiskeriet var byens vækstmotor. I jubilæumsåret 1968 var der indregistreret omkring 700 fiskekuttere indregistreret i Esbjerg, og slår man faggruppen fiskeskippere op i telefonbogens erhvervsafsnit, fyldte det ti tryksider sat i to spalter.

Museet er tegnet af Halldor Gunnløgsson & Jørn Nielsen og Arkitektfirmaet C. F. Møllers Tegnestue, arkitekter MAA. De vandt arkitektkonkurrencen i 1965.
The museum was designed by Halldor Gunnløgsson & Jørn Nielsen and the architectural firm C. F. Møllers Tegnestue, architects MAA. They won the architectural competition in 1965.

Som supplement til temaerne fiskeri og søfart var der akvarier med de typer fisk, Esbjerg-fiskerne typisk fangede. I 1976 blev museet udvidet med et sælarium med de typer sæler, som findes i Vadehavet, og senere kom der et frilandsmuseum til. I 2016 åbnede museet en offshore-udstilling om den betydning, udvindingen af olie og gas i Nordsøen har haft for Esbjerg og Danmark.

Fodring af sælerne tiltrækker altid et stort publikum, 2006.
Feeding of the seals always attracts a large number of spectators, 2006.

Publikum kigger ned i akvarium med fisk, der typiske for området.
The visitors look down into the aquarium with fish typical for the area.

Luftfoto af frilandsmuseumsdelen, 2008.
Aerial view of the open-air museum section, 2008.

Besøgende – unge og gamle – optaget af aktiviteter på frilandsmuseet, 2015.
Visitors – young and old – are busy with activities at the open-air museum, 2015.

Gæster i kø for at komme ind at se de åbne bunkers på frilandsmuseet, 2006.
Guests in line to get into the open bunkers at the open-air museum, 2006.

Foran museet ud mod Sædding Strandvej findes en række mindesmærker, bl.a. en skulptur af Morten Spangsberg (1896-1761) – den lokale søfareren der sammen med Vitus Bering opdagede Kamtjatka. Desuden er der en mindesten for de 16 Esbjergfiskere, der natten til den 24. februar 1940 mistede livet i Clay Deep ved bevidst at blive sejlet ned af et tysk marinefartøj. 2. Verdenskrig var godt nok i gang, men Danmark endnu neutralt på det tidspunkt.

Mindesten for de 16 Esbjerg-fiskere, der mistede livet i Clay Deep natten til den 24. februar 1940.
Memorial to the 16 Esbjerg-fishermen who lost their lives in Clay Deep on the night of February 24, 1940.

Morten Spangsberg (1696-1761) var en sømand fra Esbjerg-egnen, som gjorde stor karriere som næstkommanderende for Vitus Bering i forbindelse med opdagelsesrejser fra Kamtjatka.
Morten Spangsberg (1696-1761) was a sailor from the Esbjerg area, who made a great career as second-in-command of Vitus Bering in connection with his exploration trips from Kamchatka.

Trekanten
Et af de mere sammenhængende sommerhusområder ved Sædding Strand var området mellem Tarphagevej og Sædding Strandvej, der blev kaldt Trekanten. 

Luftfoto af Trekanten – området mellem Sædding Strandvej og Tarphagevej, juli 1965.
Aerial view of the Triangle – the area between Sædding Strandvej and Tarphagevej, July 1965.

Esbjerg Kommune ejede arealet, men udlejede til borgere, der var interesseret i et fritidshus. Kravene til husene var ikke mange, så både bebyggelsesplan og arkitektur var overladt til det frie initiativ. Det gjaldt også navngivningen, hvor beboernes kreativitet fik frit spillerum. Et af husene hed f.eks. »Prøv at gæt«. Det brugte en af de unge beboere over for politiet, da de spurgte efter hans bopæl, og han endte på politistationen.

Nogle af sommerhusene i Trekanten, juli 1935.
Some of the cottages in The Triangle, July 1935.

Et af husene i Trekanten hed »Midepå«, som formodentlig betyder Midtpå. Om ikke andet består huset af to forskellige dele, hvad bl.a. tagbelægningen viser.
One of the houses in the Triangle was called »Midepå«, which probably means »Mid-on« or »In the Middle«. If nothing else, the house consists of two different parts, what the roof covering among other things shows.

Da Fiskeri- og Søfartsmuseet skulle opføres, blev Trekantens huse fjernet. Kun bunkeren blev bevaret og indgår i dag i frilandsmuseet.

Den åbne natur
På vandsiden præges kyststrækningen af bl.a. åben natur, som blev sikret ved en deklaration i 1913 i forbindelse med anlæg af bl.a. Hjertingvejen. Et tidligt eksempel på naturbeskyttelse.

Bygninger af træ blev dog tilladt. Det gjaldt f.eks. søbadeanstalten ved Fovrfeld Bæk, som omkring 1920 var et af områdets attraktioner. Her mødtes bl.a. medlemmerne af gymnastikforeningen Hermod om søndagen til solbad og havbad, hvis vandet ellers var hjemme.

Søbadeanstalten ved Fovrfeld Bæk set ved lavvande, ca. 1920.
The bathing facility at Fovrfeld Bæk at low tide, approx. 1920.

 

Herregymnaster fra Gymnastikforeningen Hermod holder »store badedag« på søbadeanstalten i Sædding, ca. 1920.
Men's gymnasts from Gymnastikforeningen Hermod have a »big bathing day« at the bathing facility at Fovrfeld Bæk approx. 1920.

Strandpavillon Langli
I 1934 byggede Mads Langli (en bror til Esbjergs store erhvervsmand Claus Sørensen) Strandpavillonen Langli som en let trækonstruktion. Den havde en nedgang til vandet, så en svømmetur var mulig, men ellers var den lagt an på inden- og udendørs servering. Fra en udendørs terrasse kunne man f.eks. nyde indsejlingen til Esbjerg Havn.

Strandpavillonen Langli, ca. 1935.
Langli Beach Pavilion approx. 1935.

I 1939 overdrog Mads Langli Strandpavillonen til andre, og den overlevede adskillige tiår endnu, bl.a. med navneskifte til Restaurant Langli og senere Neptun Kro. Som restaurant og dansested havde den i mange år fordel af at ligge i Guldager Kommune og ikke i Esbjerg Kommune. Bevillingen i Guldager tillod længere åbningstid end i Esbjerg, så når værtshusene lukkede inde i byen, kunne festen fortsætte nogle timer endnu på Restaurant Langli/Neptun Kro. Køkkenet holdt også åbent til langt ud på natten, i hvert fald med hensyn til smørrebrød. Kravene til musikerne var heller ikke så hårde – havde medlemmerne af et orkester ikke fagforeningsbogen i orden eller den pligtige alder, var optræden i Esbjerg ikke mulig, men den slags spørgsmål stillede man ikke i på Restaurant Langli/Neptun Kro.

Der var direkte adgang fra Strandpavillonen Langli til stranden, 1934.
There was direct access from the Beach Pavilion Langli to the beach, 1934.

Roxy Kvartetten var ét af de lokale orkestre, der f.eks. ikke kunne få lov at spille på Børsen i Esbjerg, men på Restaurant Langli var der ingen problemer.
The Roxy Quartet was one of the local bands that could not be allowed to play, say, on Børsen in Skolegade in Esbjerg, but at Restaurant Langli there were no problems.

Måske var sammenlægningen af Guldager og Esbjerg kommuner i 1970 én af årsagerne til Neptun Kros endeligt. I sine sidste år havde den mange ejere indtil den endte på tvangsauktion i 1974. Der blev den solgt til nedrivning med forventet tilladelse til opførelse af tre villaer på grunden.

Sådan kom det ikke til at gå – i 2000 blev Sædding Strandvej 18 opført på en del af grunden.

Området mellem »Mennesket ved Havet« og Sædding Strandvej 18 (det hvide hus i det fjerne) er et eksempel på bevaret natur.
The area between "Man by the Sea" and Sædding Strandvej 18 (the white house in the distance) is an example of preserved nature.
 

The Fisheries and Maritime Museum

In 1968, it was 100 years ago that the law on the construction of a port at Esbjerg and a railroad to the West Coast had been passed. Then no one had an idea of the development that the harbour would set in motion – or that it 100 years later would have created the 5th largest city of Denmark, where there were only two farms, three houses with a population of 23.

Esbjerg City Council decided to build the museum as an anniversary gift for the people of Esbjerg and a building site by the water was found on municipal land between Sædding Strandvej and Tarphagevej. In the mid-1960s, it was yet in the outskirts of Esbjerg Municipality with the border between Esbjerg and was at the current Solbakkevej. During the municipal reform of 1970, the two municipalities were merged, and the Fisheries and Maritime Museum, which opened in 1968, was no longer in the outskirts of Esbjerg.

The focus of the museum was then fishing and maritime history of Esbjerg – particularly fishing that had been the growth engine. In 1968 – the year of the anniversary – about 700 fishing boats were registered in Esbjerg, and when the professional group of owners of trawlers were listed in the business section of the annual phone book in 1970, it filled ten printing pages in two columns.

In addition to the themes of fishing and shipping, there were aquariums with the types of fish that Esbjerg fishermen typically catch. In 1976, the museum was expanded with a sealarium with the types of seals found in the Wadden Sea, and later an open-air museum was added. In 2016, the museum opened an offshore exhibition on the importance of oil and gas extraction in the North Sea for Esbjerg and Denmark.

In front of the museum facing Sædding Strandvej there are a number of memorials, including a sculpture of Morten Spangsberg (1896-1761) – the local sailor who, together with Vitus Bering, discovered Kamchatka. Furthermore, there is a memorial stone for the 16 Esbjerg fishermen who lost their lives in Clay Deep by deliberately being sailed down by a German naval vessel on the night of February 24, 1940. World War II had been declared, but Denmark was still neutral at that time.

The Triangle
One of the more cohesive cottage areas at Sædding Strand was the area between Tarphagevej and Sædding Strandvej, which was called The Triangle.

Esbjerg Municipality owned the land, but rented lots to citizens who were interested in a cottage. The requirements for the houses were not many, so the development plan as well as the architecture were left to the free initiative. The naming of the houses were also left to the renters. One of the houses was named »Try to guess«. It was once used by one of the young residents when he was stopped by the police and they asked for his address. By keeping answering »Try to Guess« he ended up in the police station.

When the Fisheries and Maritime Museum was to be erected, the Triangle houses were removed. Only the bunker was preserved and is now part of the open-air museum

Nature Conservation
In 1913, a declaration was passed to put a restriction on the construction along the coast. The early nature conservation has saved open space and green areas for the public. Only lightweight constructions were accepted such as bathing facility at Sædding Strand close to Fovrfeld Bæk. Around 1920 it was a major attraction. Members of the Hermod Gymnastics Association met here on Sundays for bathing (at high tide) and tanning (at low tide).
 

Beach Pavilion Langli
Another lightweight wooden construction was the Beach Pavilion Langli, built in 1934 by Mads Langli, a brother of Claus Sørensen, the great businessman of Esbjerg). It had easy access to the sea, so a swim was possible, but otherwise it had indoor and outdoor dining. From an outdoor terrace, you could have a view of the fairway to the Port of Esbjerg, enjoying a drink or a lunch.

In 1939, Mads Langli sold the Pavilion to others, and it survived for several decades, among other things by changing its name to Restaurant Langli and later Neptun Kro. As a restaurant and dance venue, for many years it had the advantage of being located in Guldager Municipality and not in Esbjerg. In Guldager restaurants were allowed longer opening hours than in Esbjerg, so when the dance halls and restaurants in Esbjerg had to close, the partygoers could continue for a few more hours at Restaurant Langli/Neptun Kro. Also the kitchen stayed open until late into the night, at least regarding open face sandwiches. The requirements for the musicians were not so tough either – if the members of an orchestra did not have the trade union book or the required age, performance in Esbjerg was not possible, but that kind of questions were not asked at Restaurant Langli/Neptun Kro.

Perhaps the amalgamation of Guldager and Esbjerg municipalities in 1970 was one of the reasons why Neptune Kro closed. In its last years, it had many owners until was sold on auction in 1974 for demolition with the expected permission for the construction of three villas on the site.

That's not how it turned out – in 2000 Sædding Strandvej 18 was built on part of the plot

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