Thorvald Hansen's Tower
Tower Keeper Jess showcases Thorvald Hansen's Tower in Byrum, and tells the story of Thorvald and his family, and how the tower was built.
A 17 m high, red viewing-tower on the hill in Byrum, with a great view across the island and the sea.
Built in 1927 with hand-molded semi-circular bricks by Thorvald Hansen - shoemaker, bicycle repairer and former sailor.
One day in 1926, as Thorvald Hansen was lying on his small hill in Byrum, he realised that he could no longer longer see the whole island from this hill - as opposed to when he was a child - but only the roofs of Byrum's houses and trees here and there.
Thorvald wished to get a better view of Læsø from this hill, and decided to build a tower. The first step to doing so, was a trip to Skagen, where Thorvald knew they had a nice lighthouse.
On the journey, Thorvald brought a rope and a stone, to use when he got to Skagen. Here, he climbed up into the lighthouse and at the top, he lowered the rope with the stone tied to the end of it. Once the stone hit the ground, Thorvald tied a knot on the rope. This way, he knew knew how tall a tower was supposed to be, to be a real tower. And he knew how tall his own tower on Læsø should be...
Read the rest of the story, and other interesting tales about the eccentric man and his tower here or on posters in Thorvald Hansen's Tower.