You are now on your way through, what we might call, the “Pleasure Forest”, a forest designed for recreation. It was laid out by the duke at the same time as Augustenborg Palace. The Forest is an extension of the palace garden, which dates back to the 18th century. The “pleasure forest” was created by planting fruit trees, laying out three avenues of lime trees, building temples and establishing bathing sites on the fjord. The large forest with the avenues leading off the garden made the garden seem endless, which was a very popular idea at that time.

Today, Augustenborg Forest is a habitat area for many birds, and has been declared a Natura 2000 area. The vegetation is very varied with many old trees. The large amount of dead wood provides an excellent habitat for birds that like to nest in holes, such as the short-toed treecreeper, stock dove, goosander and the great spotted woodpecker, all of which can be found in the Forest and Gardens.

About 50 years ago, the original squirrel population on Als became extinct, but in recent years, a new population has emerged in Augustenborg forest. How they arrived from the mainland is a mystery, perhaps on a truck loaded with Christmas trees.

On the forest floor, you can find edible salmonberries, which is a Northwest American raspberry plant and has probably spread from the old palace garden. In spring, the forest floor is covered with a rich flora of white and yellow anemones. The Forest also contains three mounds and two cup-marked stones.

In the Northern part of the forest lies the so-called “philosophical residence” of Prince Æmil and the White Mansion, which today is part of Augustiana – Art Park & Art Gallery.

Other attractions in the Forest include the Three Oath-Oaks, the Rowing Club, the Rabbit Lake and the Bathing Huts. Learn more about these features in the app when you get to them.