Hjejleselskabet serves as the gateway to the Silkeborg Lake District from the water. It provides a unique access point to stories of culture and natural history in one of Denmark’s most beautiful natural areas. The purpose of the company is to share our local surroundings with residents and visitors by being excellent hosts to those who wish to experience, enjoy, and learn more about the Silkeborg Lake District.
The story of Hjejleselskabet includes the tale of local patriot Michael Drewsen, who more than 160 years ago founded the company with a handful of other men. They began selling shares for a steamboat but only reached 3,000 rigsdaler out of the initial goal of 8,000. Nevertheless, Drewsen single-handedly ordered a boat costing 10,000 rigsdaler, made possible only because the Danish state had granted a loan of 5,000 rigsdaler. Today, we can be grateful that Drewsen had an exceptionally good relationship with King Frederik 7 and Countess Danner, as without it, we likely wouldn’t have had Hjejlen or any of the other historic boats in Silkeborg.
In 1861, there were neither railways nor cars in Silkeborg. Therefore, it’s easy to imagine how the nearly 2,000 residents gasped at the sight of Hjejlen arriving in the town. 10,000 rigsdaler was an almost inconceivable amount back then. By comparison, an ordinary worker in the town earned only about 150 rigsdaler per month, while most still lived on farms outside the city.
It turned out that the new shipping company was not as profitable as expected. The large number of tourists did not materialize, and the city’s population could not fill the seats on board. Fortunately, Hjejleselskabet was preserved, and Drewsen showed his friends in Copenhagen that they did not have exclusive rights to a city with a magnificent landmark.
Hjejlen was built by Baumgarten and Burmeisters Shipyard in Copenhagen (later Burmeister & Wain). The beautiful steamship was named after the lapwing, which was prevalent in the region at that time. Its official inauguration took place on June 24, 1861, with King Frederik 7, Countess Danner, and Drewsen sailing from Himmelbjerget to Silkeborg alongside specially invited guests. Over the years, the fleet has included a variety of boats. Some of them have been tugboats used to assist the tour boats when the demand was high.
Much has changed in recent decades, but the common goal of these initiatives is to reconnect with the company’s original roots. Today, the fleet consists of eight historic ships, along with the more modern vessel, Mågen, which was introduced in 1996 to meet the growing demand for a spacious boat capable of hosting everything from weddings to business meetings. Events are a significant part of Hjejleselskabet’s daily operations, and the company takes pride in running its business with deep respect for its history.
Today, Hjejlen A/S has 300 shares owned by approximately 220 shareholders. The largest shareholder is Silkeborg Kommune, owning 60 shares. The annual general meeting is held every year at Hotel Dania on the last Friday in February at 7:30 PM, a tradition since 1861. The company considers itself a local patriotic entity and does not distribute dividends, a decision made at a general meeting in the 1960s. Instead, the company serves cognac or liqueur with coffee, a tradition that continues to this day.
Every day, we look forward to opening our doors and welcoming guests aboard. Whether they are regulars or new faces, we cherish the opportunity to create memories as we set sail each day.
Every day, we look forward to opening our doors and welcoming our guests on board. This applies to both regular guests and new faces, and as you can imagine, every day brings new memories as we set sail.
The Hjejle Fleet consists of 9 unique historical boats, which each year provide experiences for more than 135,000 guests on the lakes.
Hjejleselskabet
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