Village trail 6 - Rasmus Madsen, the hermit

Portrait of Rasmus Madsen from approx. 1885-1900.

Rasmus Madsen lived in a wooden house he had built himself on Gammelgård’s field in Jordløse for 23 years. From there he printed his own little books, which are still of interest to certain people today.
He was the brother of Ole Madsen, who owned Gammelgård from 1880-1911.
In August 1910, he was visited at the field by a journalist from Faaborg Folketidende, whose article began:
“At the bottom of a dried-out marl pit in the fields of Jordløse lies a small wooden hut, semi-concealed by bushes and trees.
For a dozen or so years this has been the home of an unusual man who leads the life of a hermit. There is no path to the pit, so those wishing to pay him a visit have to leave the lane and walk across a field.”