(also until 1919). The population (3,600 in 1823) was all peasantry or sailors. A popular local anecdote, to put this in perspective, tells of the smith of Troense, who owned a small patch of land next to his house, and proudly announced that "Me and the Baron owns the entire island!" The male line of the barons Juel were however not necessarily only harsh lords, but introduced several new occupations and innovations to the island through the years, such as the (later) important apple farming, attempts at industrial cloth production (a klædefabrik, 1752–58) and public schools (1795) among other things. Today, Valdemars Slot and surrounding area are among the most well known tourist spots on the island. The nearby village of Troense, situated slightly opposite Svendborg, picturesque with a view to Svendborgsund and neighboring Valdemars Slot, is particularly famed for its well-dimensioned and idyllic half timbered houses, build by wealthy sea captains and sailors through the golden period in the Age of Sails, when large sailing ships were being constructed on local shipyards and manned for faraway destinations. By the end of the 19th century, the Troense area was extremely popular among tourists (and still is), becoming easier to reach with modern transportation such as train and ferry, and with cheap accommodations and activities such as sea bathing, excursions, relaxation, social gatherings, etc. In the summer season, the visitors would typically book one of several private pensions, a large part of the village effectively becoming a resort town in the early decades of the 20th century. Among the more well known visitors were the composer Rued Langgaard and the writer Henri Nathansen. Troense is also known as the last place where Elvira Madigan and Sixten Sparre stayed in July 1889, before going on a "picnic with Death" in the nearby Nørreskov forest. This tragic, infamous incident has become an integral part of the island's lore. Today it is a tourist magnet as the couple is resting side by side in the churchyard at nearby Landet Kirke. The precise location of their murder-suicide in the forest of Nørreskov is marked by a granite boulder. About a kilometer west of Valdemars Castle, next to the road leading there, stands the so-called Ambrosius Oak, which is a 400-year-old giant oak with a circumference of around 7.5 meters. The name refers to the Danish rococo poet Ambrosius Stub (whose surname literally means '(tree) stub'),