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Jutland
Jutland (Jylland) is the centre of Danish agriculture and
contains the richest farms. Here are bred the pigs that supply the
wealth of Denmark - bacon.
Arhus, the capital of Jutland, reflects this bucolic opulence. It is
very much a market-town, despite recent expansion and a great deal of
modern archi¬tecture. The Town Hall is one of the most celebrated pieces
of contemporary Danish design, and the new Arhus University lies not far
behind. The Arhus Old Town is an open-air museum of ancient Jutland
buildings. There are some interesting old houses outside Arhus in the
Marselisberg Woods, which is an extraordinarily pretty belt of country.
Ships and ferries run from Arhus to Copenhagen and Kalundborg, some put
in at Samso, an island of some character in the Kattegat.
Between Arhus, Skanderborg, and Silkeborg lies a chain of miniature
lakes, much favoured by Danish holiday-makers. This so-called Lake
District also contains the highest point of Denmark: Himmelbjaerget (the
Heavenly Mountain), which stands all of ,500 ft above sea-level.
South Jutland, between Kolding and the German border, is soft, rolling,
pastoral, almost continental. Many of the villages show traces of N.
German architecture, relics of the Prussian occupation in the last
century.
The West coast of Jutland has long beaches, heaths, and sand-dunes.
Lying on the North Sea, it is saltier than the rest of Denmark. Most of
the coastline is protected land, so it is free from unpleasant property
development. Fano, an island outside the port of Esbjerg, has a
particularly fine, sandy beach. Senderho and Nordby, on its shoreline,
are well preserved old villages of traditional houses with low walls and
thatched roofs.
Ribe, near Esbjerg, is the only town in Denmark to retain a medieval
appearance. It has a very fine I 2th-cent. church and the oldest Danish
inn, built in the I 5th cent.
North Jutland is separated from the rest of the peninsula by the
Limfjord, a long, tortuous, natural channel joining the North Sea to the
Kattegat. The scenery is flat and somewhat wind swept, but the island of
Mors, in the Limfjord, has charm. Oysters from the Limfjord are highly
esteemed by Danish gourmets. Alborg, at the eastern outlet of the
Limfjord, is a modern town, chiefly celebrated as the source of a Danish
aquavit.
The Skagerrak coast of N. Jutland is favoured by many Danes for its
bathing. Lokken and Lonstrup are two small seaside resorts in the
district.
The Skaw, the northernmost tip of Jutland, has a small fishing town of
great character, Skagen. It has long been a haunt of Danish artists, who
delight in its old houses and fishermen wearing sou'-westers. The
surrounding country, known as the Spit of Skaw, is a wild stretch of
moor and dune. Grenen, at the very tip, separates the Kattegat from the
Skagerrak. South of the Skaw there is a church buried in the sand-dunes.
Frederikshavn is a fishing town; it is also the port for ferries to
Gothenburg in Sweden and Oslo in Norway.
Regional food specialities include home-made liver paste and Jutland rye
bread made of the whole grain.
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