Nature and culture

So let's outline the background to the project, geographically and in terms of population: Als is an elongated island lying close to the foot of Jutland, separated from it only by a fjord and a narrow strait. The island's area is 317 square kilometres. While the west coast is formed by numerous sandy coves and bays, the east coast is an unbroken coast with no narrows and alternating sandy and rocky beaches. The watershed is quite close to the east coast. The soil on Als is mainly moraine clay with a few sandy areas and some marshland. Until the end of World War II, the island was characterised by agriculture, mainly small-scale farming. Apart from one large town, Sønderborg in the south and the two hamlets of Augustenborg and Nordborg, the island is characterised by dozens of small villages, almost all located west and south of the watershed. In one of the villages, Elstrup, a small factory, Danfoss, developed after the war into a major industry in the product area: Automatic control valves for refrigeration, heating and industrial plants. Over the next 20 years after the war, the factory grew from 200 to 7,000 employees. Much of this growth in employees came from the agricultural sector, who unleashed their perhaps inhibited creativity by being exposed to new tasks. People flocked to the island from all over the country, as well as from abroad, many with degrees. The number of engineers in the municipality alone increased by 700 over the 20 years. The explosive expansion created a new-build atmosphere. Anything was possible.

Another major factor influencing the community was the sense of quality, as the fine mechanical production of control devices requires quality at every stage.
As nowhere on the island is further than 5-6 kilometres from the beach, the easy access to the sea has resulted in a large number of pleasure craft and fishing dinghies.