History of Mols Laboratory

The history of Mols Laboratory goes all the way back to 1941 where Natural History Museum, by the owner Ellen Dahl, was handed the rights to perform research on the lands of the yard Nedre Strandkær.

In 1951 the whole property – a dwelling with adjoining barns  and 120 hectares of land – was donated to the museum. Ellen Dahl was the daughter of land tenure and writer Wilhelm Dinesen and the sister of the writers Thomas Dinesen and Karen Blixen.

In 1980 the Mols Laboratory bought another 30 hectares to the exisiting 120 hectares meaning that the areas today include 150 hectares situated in the North of Strandkærvej.
 

The yard Nedre Strandkær itself is a third generation of buildings. It is uncertain when exactly the existing buildings were constructed, however, the oldest parts can probably be dated back to 1730. Today the buildings of Mols Laboratory are, amongst other things, being used as a course site for universities, companies and private groups. 
The Mols Laboratory can house up to 49 sleeping guests right in the middle of nature far away from the busy city. Moreover, there are also offices and laboratory facilities that are used by the staff and guest researchers.

Senior Researcher emeritus Henning Petersen was the manager of the Mols Laboratory for 38 years. He specialised in the structure and function of ecosystems – a research that has received great international aknowledgement.