Stay in unique hi­sto­ri­cal settings in the Old Commander’s Yard

Poppelgården near Havneby is an ideal place for a vacation if you and your family dream of staying close to the Wadden Sea and having easy access to Rømø’s beautiful nature. If you also love houses with a rich history and plenty of charm, there’s no doubt that you are looking at the perfect holiday home. Inside the thatched commander’s yard, the rooms are carefully decorated with wall tiles and painted panels, providing you with a beautiful and extremely at­mosp­he­ric setting for your holiday.

Welcome inside
Around Rømø, you can find several old commander’s yards, and Poppelgården dates back to the golden age when the island’s com­man­ders sailed out as captains on large whaling boats. A summary of the yards history can be found further down this page – it should just be noted that much has happened in the meantime, as the yard has since been used as both a B&B and a hostel, and is now rented out as a holiday home with four separate units. In this par­ti­cu­lar unit, there is room for 16 people, and the layout spreads over two floors with bedrooms both upstairs and down­stairs. The house's two bathrooms and one guest toilet are all located on the ground floor – and it is also here on this floor that you will find the large and well-equipped kitchen as well as the lovely living spaces, which include a games room with a table tennis table and a living room with an electric fireplace, sofa, and flat-screen TV. The most beautiful room is the dining room, which features Dutch tiles on the walls, folk-painted panels, and other details cha­ra­cte­ri­stic of a classic commander’s yard. Here, you truly feel the whispers of history, and it is a lovely place to enjoy a delicious meal in good company.

Enjoy life outside
Adjacent to the house is a lovely terrace where you and your loved ones can enjoy the sunny weather and relaxed holiday life in tranquil sur­ro­un­dings. Ad­di­tio­nal­ly, you have plenty of space to enjoy your­sel­ves on Poppelgården's huge natural area, which you share with the three other holiday homes located on the property. Find a ball or frisbee, and head over to the sports fields. Bring your dog out into the green for some running and playing – or lie down in the grass while enjoying the birdsong from the treetops and the sight of but­ter­flies flut­te­ring around. This is vacation at its best! The sur­ro­un­dings are plea­sant­ly quiet, partly because cars must stay in the parking lot, where you will also find a charger for electric vehicles.

Get up close to the local at­tra­ctions
A large part of your holiday can easily take place in the beautiful sur­ro­un­dings of Poppelgården, but there is also much to see and ex­pe­ri­en­ce in Havneby and the sur­ro­un­ding area. You are located right next to the local mini-golf course, and if you want to play on a real golf course, you are less than one and a half ki­lo­me­ters away from Rømø Golf Club. The Wadden Sea extends a few hundred meters from the holiday home, and you can easily reach the island's west coast by bike or car if you want to drive a kite buggy on Sønder­strand or swim in the North Sea at Lakolk Strand. You can come into close contact with Rømø’s beautiful nature, whether you go on an im­pro­vi­sed run, a guided oyster safari, or a bunker tour – and you are also con­ve­ni­ent­ly located for shopping, with a bakery and grocery store nearby, as well as a short distance to Havneby’s su­per­mar­ket and fis­h­mon­ger.

A glimpse into Poppelgården's history

The son of Jesper Madsen, Jesper Jespersen, who is a commander in Hamburg from 1756 to 1760, owns the property, and his daughter Maren takes over the property with her husband Niels Chri­sten­sen, who is a seal catcher commander. The couple has no children, so the property is sold.

Peder Christian Bundes (born in Sønderby in 1756) comes from a poor ba­ck­gro­und but manages to become a captain and shipowner of the brig "Anna Maria." He sees large parts of the world, including on voyages to Southern Europe and South America. Peder Christian Bundes is a wealthy man and he expanded the property. However, he is not happy for long, as his wife Maren dies – like many other women during this period – in child­bir­th after giving birth to their 8th child. A harsh reality, though there are only 4 surviving children left to care for after Maren's death.

Peder Christian Bundes’s oldest daughter, Karen, takes over the property and marries Jesper Lausten Degn in 1824, who gives up seafaring to become a farmer. The couple remains childless, and Karen dies dies at the age of 32 in 1834. He marries again to the estate's maid, Mette Cathrine Winter. They are very rich and have a daughter, Caroline, in 1842.

Jesper Lausten Degn's daughter Caroline marries Peder Tønnis List in 1861. They have 5 children and take over the farm.

Rømø becomes German in 1864.

The family sells the property in 1887 to the cousin Julius Brodersen. He made money as a cross skipper (captain on a customs cruiser) and wanted to turn to agri­cul­tu­re. In 1908, all Mølby land is sold, and the estate serves as a venue for dance parties around 1915. When Julius Brodersen dies in 1920, the property is sold.

Hartvig Conrad Harald Schmidt (born in Østerhede in 1871) is a ship­ma­ster and shipowner residing in Flensburg. He owns the property from 1920 with his wife Louise Ebbesen (born in Sønderby).

At the re­u­ni­fi­ca­tion in 1920, Rømø becomes Danish again.

The place falls into disrepair and is con­fi­sca­ted after World War II, and it is allotted to the Herberg Council in 1948.