Skagen

The town at the northern tip of the Jutland peninsula, and therefore at the northernmost point of all Denmark, has a very special appeal for visitors. According to a definition revised only in 2014, this is where the Baltic Sea and the North Sea meet. No visitor can resist its distinctive charm. The vast seascape is punctuated by the lighthouse and shaped by endless dunes. Its exposed location has always attracted artists to Skagen. Known as the Skagen Painters, they founded an artists’ colony here in the late 19th century and devoted themselves especially to Impressionist landscape painting. Their works can now be viewed at the Skagen Museum.

At 46 metres tall, the Skagen Lighthouse is the second tallest in Denmark. Not far from the headland of Grenen, the grave of Danish poet Holger Drachmann (1846–1908) lies among the dunes. The tip of the Grenen peninsula advances ten metres into the sea towards Sweden each year; in 2001, it advanced as much as 100 metres. Here you can observe the phenomenon of waves from the west and east running into one another, even though the wind, of course, can blow from only one direction. Because of the constantly changing and very strong currents, swimming around Skagen is prohibited for the safety of bathers.

Just a few kilometres southeast of Skagen, the great migrating dune of Råbjerg Mile is reminiscent of the Sahara Desert. It moves up to 15 metres eastwards every year. The “Buried Church” of St. Laurentii, about three kilometres south of Skagen, bears eloquent witness to the shifting sands. Originally, there was no road connection to Skagen. It was only after the migrating dunes had been stabilised that road construction became possible. Around the year 2200, Råbjerg Mile will have reached the road, forcing residents to choose between holding it back through stabilisation or letting nature take its course. The latter would mean cutting off both road and rail connections. The surroundings of Skagen, with their unique natural conditions, are one of the most visited tourist destinations in all of Denmark.


Photo © nordlicht verlag