Gadekæret - engelsk
Gadekæret.
Intro
This is the only remaining village pond. A village pond typically served as a water supply in the event of fire, as a watering spot for cattle, and was a much loved ice-skating venue for the children during the winter.
This is the only remaining village pond. A village pond typically served as a water supply in the event of fire, as a watering spot for cattle, and was a much loved ice-skating venue for the children during the winter.
The village pond is also home to a variety of animals and plants. The mild climate on the island provides optimal conditions for the European green toad (Bufo viridis), which breeds in this pond. It is a protected species and its northernmost European habitat is the islands of Tunø and Samsø.
In 1996 the European green toad had become extinct on Tunø, since the last surviving specimen was believed to have been run over on this car-free island by a bike! By 2002, however, it had reappeared. Whether the species had actually become extinct on Tunø and had deliberately been reintroduced later isn’t clear, but today the European green toad can be heard in several locations around the island, which is likely due to the nature restoration project undertaken in 2006, which focused on the rehabilitation of small ponds.
The co-operative society
The first dedicated co-op was located by the village pond. The Tunø Co-op was established in 1897, initially housed in a farmhouse, but moved down to the village pond soon afterwards.
A great many co-ops were established nationwide; the underlying principle being that the co-op societies were able to buy in bulk at a better price.
In 1923 the co-op manager bought one of the village ponds in the centre of the village, filled it in and built a new store. This is the building that now houses the grocer shop. The co-op closed in 1990 and was replaced by the grocer shop known as Tunø Købmandsgård.
Getting back to the village pond and its immediate surroundings, this is where we find the old smithy built in 1877. It’s now a museum displaying smithy tools of former times. Tunø’s last smithy closed down in the 1960s.