Marielyst is a holiday town on the southeast coast of Falster. It
has 725 inhabitants (2020) and is located in Guldborgsund
Municipality, which belongs to Region Zealand. During the influx of
tourists during the summer period, the population rises to over
50,000 in the high season, when the neighboring settlements Bøtø,
Elkenøre, Stovby and Sildestrup are included.
In addition to
one of Denmark's best sandy beaches, the town of Marielyst itself
consists of a center with shopping facilities, clothing stores, pubs
and restaurants, as well as discos.
In 1906, one of the area's four large farms
opened as a seaside hotel. It is this farm, Marielyst, that has
given its name to the area, and since 1971 has been a pensioner
college under the name Højskolen Marielyst. Recently, it had a new
concert hall built. The folk high school offers lectures, concerts
and courses in creative subjects such as painting, sewing, glass,
wood and jewelery making.
Among the bathing hotel's most
famous guests was Franz Kafka in the summer of 1914, which was one
of the hottest summers of the 20th century. Peter Malberg, Carl Holm
and Olaf Rude were also guests this summer. Three cottages were then
built by the beach, all with names inspired by Holger Drachmann. One
was called Kitzwalde and was decorated with Drachmann quotes,
painted by Olaf Rude. However, one quote - "The devil stands in the
woman, because she fools all men" - was removed because the
residents found it inappropriate and untrue.
From the resort
there are approx. 2 kilometers to Væggerløse, 12 kilometers to
Nykøbing Falster and 17 kilometers to Gedser.
In 2011, Kanal
5 broadcast the reality show The Kings of Marielyst, where a group
of young people live in a holiday home in Marielyst and party in the
city. The program series was followed up by later seasons elsewhere
in Denmark (including Rømø and Svendborg).
At the end of the 19th century, after the storm surge in November
1872, spa tourism developed in the area. First, in 1897, only one farm
was converted into the Hotel Marielyst summer pension. The owner Hans
Jørgensen named the farm after his wife Marie. In accordance with the
type of a Danish seaside hotel, it was characterized by simple comfort.
Herman Bang was a popular summer guest and wrote his scandalous novel
Haabløse Slægter (1880) here. Between 1898 and 1901 the accommodations
were expanded to European standards. Now the guests had at their
disposal hot and spa baths, croquet, tennis courts and golf courses, a
casino, billiard halls and a theatre.
The lawyer and later head
of the Danish Ministry of Education Frederik Graae (1875-1948) initiated
the founding of a seaside resort (Østersøbad) on July 28, 1906. In
1908/09 spacious summer villas were built near the dyke, named after
works by the poet Holger Drachmann: Troldtøj, Kitzwalde and Tannhäuser.
The houses are still preserved today. In July 1914 Franz Kafka spent a
few days of vacation in Marielyst together with his friend Ernst Weiß.
In the beginning, it was mainly wealthy residents of the capital who
built summer houses in Marielyst; since the 1920s the town has also
attracted citizens from nearby Nykøbing/Falster.
Since 1971, the
former Hotel Marielyst, located directly behind the market square, has
housed Højskolen Marielyst, a folk high school for seniors.
In
2014, the center of Marielyst Torv was redesigned: the street became a
pedestrian zone, oak wood flooring replaced the asphalt and a promenade
leads to the bathing beach.
Marielyst can also be reached by public transport. There are bus connections to the Gedser ferry port (Rostock-Gedser car ferry) and to the Nykøbing/Falster train station (Vogelfluglinie Hamburg-Copenhagen).
The discounters Aldi, Rema 1000 and Netto are located in the village.
The history of Marielyst, a seaside resort town on the Baltic coast
of the Danish island of Falster, begins long before human settlement. At
the end of the last Ice Age approximately 12,000 years ago, melting
glaciers deposited an 18-kilometer-long mound of clay, sand, and rocks
stretching from Idestrup to Gedser, forming the foundational terrain of
the area. This glacial activity created three initial islands—Langø,
Bøtø, and Bøtø Fang—which gradually silted up over time. An inlet at
Gedesby persisted, connecting to the 16-kilometer-long Bøtø Nor lake,
which extended from Sildestrup to Gedesby. Between 1860 and 1865,
efforts to close this inlet included constructing a dike and draining
the inland areas, transforming the marshy landscape into arable farmland
and setting the stage for later agricultural and residential
development. Nearby prehistoric sites, such as the 5,500-year-old
megalithic barrow Grønsalen on Falster, indicate human activity in the
broader region during the Neolithic period, though Marielyst itself
shows no direct evidence of ancient settlements.
19th-Century
Foundations and the 1872 Storm
The modern origins of Marielyst trace
back to the mid-19th century when the area was primarily low-lying,
flood-prone land used sporadically for fishing and rudimentary farming.
A pivotal event was the devastating storm surge of November 1872, which
caused widespread flooding across southern Falster and Lolland, claiming
the lives of around 80 people in the region. This catastrophe prompted
local resilience and innovation; residents secured the coast by building
protective dunes, which still line the beach today. A memorial stone on
the beach road commemorates the victims and the community's response. In
the aftermath, farmer Hans Jørgensen successfully drained the flooded
lands for agriculture, establishing a new farmhouse that he named
"Marielyst" in honor of his wife, Marie. This name, combining "Marie"
and "lyst" (meaning "pleasure" or "delight" in Danish), would later
extend to the surrounding area. By the late 19th century, a dyke was
constructed behind the sand dunes to further prevent inland flooding,
enabling sustained farming and marking the transition from a vulnerable
coastal zone to a more habitable landscape. Spa tourism began to emerge
in the area following the storm, capitalizing on the natural beach and
Baltic Sea for health and relaxation.
Early 20th-Century
Development as a Seaside Resort
Marielyst's transformation into a
recognized seaside resort accelerated in the early 20th century. In
1906, Copenhagen lawyer Frederik Graae (1865–1938) purchased the
original Marielyst farmhouse and converted it into a 12-room hotel named
Marielyst Østersøbad (Baltic Sea Bath). The hotel opened on July 28,
1906, with a grand event inviting local dignitaries, national figures,
international guests, celebrities, and the press, establishing it as a
fashionable destination. Demand quickly outgrew the facilities, leading
Graae to repurpose the nearby Nørrevang farmhouse for additional
accommodations. Between 1908 and 1909, he commissioned three elegant Art
Nouveau summer villas near the dyke—Troldtøj, Kitwalde, and
Tannhäuser—named after works by the Danish poet Holger Drachmann and
adorned with paintings by artists Olaf Rude and Carl Holm. These villas,
still preserved today, were acquired by affluent families from
Copenhagen, signaling the area's appeal to the urban elite.
The
resort's growth continued with commercial ventures. In 1919, Laurits
Hansen opened the first grocery store on Marielyst Torv (square), soon
expanding it to include a restaurant. In the 1920s, local residents
began constructing two-story brick houses with sea views, followed by
smaller wooden homes as land prices rose. The area attracted a broader
clientele, including residents from nearby Nykøbing Falster. A notable
visitor was the writer Franz Kafka, who spent a few days in Marielyst in
July 1914 with his friend Ernst Weiß. The early 20th century also saw
Marielyst become a haven for artists and writers, and it was frequented
by the Danish royal family, including King Christian X and Queen
Alexandrine, who summered there with their children, Crown Prince
Frederik and Princess Ingrid.
Infrastructure improvements further
boosted development. The 1937 opening of the Storstrøm Bridge,
connecting Falster to Zealand, enhanced accessibility from Copenhagen
and other regions. This led to the construction of Strandhotellet in
1938, later renamed Østersøens Perle (Pearl of the Baltic). In 1932, the
Tannhäuser villa was converted into a guest house, with a restaurant
added in 1939.
Mid-20th Century to Present: Holiday Boom and
Modernization
By the 1940s, around 500 small holiday homes had been
built between Bøtøvej and Storkevej, laying the groundwork for
Marielyst's identity as a summer house enclave. Interest exploded in the
1960s and 1970s, resulting in over 6,000 holiday homes today, many
clustered around the central town. The 1956 establishment of the Ivanna
hotel (renamed Marielyst Strandhotel) catered to growing tourism, though
it was demolished in 2006 for holiday apartments. Institutional
landmarks emerged, such as the Strandkirken (Beach Church), opened in
1957 as part of the Danish National Church, offering bilingual summer
services in Danish and German. The original Marielyst hotel served as a
summer guest house from 1906 to 1971 before becoming Højskolen i
Marielyst, a folk high school for seniors offering educational courses
and music events in its sea-view concert hall.
Marielyst's
20-kilometer white sandy beach, often voted Denmark's best (e.g., first
place in a 2011 survey with 19.2% of votes), has been central to its
enduring popularity. The resort evolved a Mediterranean flair with
outdoor cafes, restaurants, shops, and discothèques, attracting families
and tourists year-round. Modern additions include recreational
facilities like the Golf & Fun Park (minigolf and children's
activities), a go-kart center, and kite/windsurfing schools. In 2011,
the reality TV show "The Kings of Marielyst" spotlighted the town's
vibrant party scene. A 2014 redesign of Marielyst Torv turned it into a
pedestrian zone with oak wood flooring and a promenade to the beach.
Today, with a permanent population of about 633 (as of 2025), Marielyst
thrives on tourism, offering activities like yoga, salsa, golf, bowling,
segway tours, and paintball, alongside Denmark's largest wooden terrace
for leisurely strolls. Notable figures include model and TV presenter
Sarah Grünewald, raised in the town.