In the watch tower you have a fine view of the meadows and will be able to see far over Møn. And bird watchers are nice people. It is often possible to have a look in a pair of binoculars or even better in a telescope. It is a great experience to get a close look at the birds. The rich bird life on Nyord is the result of a fine partnership between nature and man. Every year the meadows are flooded with nutritious sea water. This makes the grass grow. The cows grass and keep the turf at a height which suits ducks and wading birds fine. This is the way it has been for centuries.

In the watch tower you will find a poster which shows the most common birds you will be able to see in Nyord meadows.

The town of Nyord is exciting and with a character of its own, among other things because all the farms and houses in Nyord,­ except one,­ are still placed together in the town. In Denmark they have in most cases been moved out to the fields. Nyord has not been relocated. When you visit the town of Nyord you thereby get a picture of what a village looked like in the old days ­ before the land reforms 200 years ago.

For many years there have been approximately 20 farms in the village ­ and an increasing number of houses. Each farm had a large garden with apples, pears and plums and lots of vegetables were grown here. The little insular community was practically self-sufficient. About 100 years ago 360 persons still lived in the town ­ today there are 50 at the most. In 1942 there were four grocer’s now there is one left.

In 1769 the King sold Møn with adjoining islands to farmers or landed gentry. Like Bogø Island the farmers of Nyord managed to buy themselves free. They got the land cheap and in return they had to take on the compulsory pilotage, i.e. help ships navigate through the treachorous waters around Nyord. It was a good business because there were many ships to pilot. In the years 1835-45 more than 3200 ships passed each year. At that time the ships had the same role as the trucks have today. You sailed all freight, all goods, all material. Land separates, water unites, they said. The pilotage was often combined with fishing and they caught seals. Take a walk in the town, into the church, down to the harbour and out to Møllestangen ­ the pilots’ observation post.

Back then they made the best of the natural ressources on Nyord as they did in all other places in Denmark and often without leading to overexploitation of the ressources. The rather simple technology of the time made exploitation impossible.