The Port of Skagen, Denmark
ABOUT
The town of Skagen was originally a fishing village that began in the Middle Ages. It is Denmark’s northernmost town and is located at the Grenen headland, where the North Sea and Baltic Sea meet.
In 1413, Erik of Pommern granted Skagen the status of market town with the result that for a time it became Vendsyssel’s (or Jutland’s) largest community with up to 2,000 inhabitants. In 1561 Skagen’s first lighthouse was constructed.
Skagen known for its natural beauty, artistic heritage, and maritime history. The Råbjerg Mile sand dunes are a notable feature of the area, and the Buried Church, also known as the Old Skagen Church, is located within the dunes.
Skagen was a popular destination for artists, writers, and poets in the 19th century. The Skagen Painters, a group of artists who lived and worked in the area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, are famous worldwide. You can see their work at the Skagen Museum, as well as at other art museums, galleries, and craft outlets in the area.
In January 2024 the population was just under 7,500.
Currency is the Danish Krone.
THINGS TO DO
On first look it may seem that there is not much to see or do in Skagen. That’s not really the case. Highlighted below are some examples.
Grenen – is a protected nature reserve where the North Sea and Baltic Sea meet. A great place for a walk.
Skagens Art Museum founded in 1908. Exhibits include an extensive collection of works by famous members of the colony of Skagen Painters.
Some of the properties belonging to these artists are now open to the public. There is also a natural history museum and other historic sites.
As always the town itself is interesting to look around with its beautiful yellow painted houses and souvenir shops.
There are options outside of the town, some of which require transport to travel the distances – so perhaps an organised tour would be a good idea.
OUR FAVOURITE THINGS TO DO
This being our first visit to the region we thought it would be a good idea to take an organised trip. The one we chose was to see Voergaard Castle and then to stop for a traditional cake and coffee.
It was drive of about 1 hour from Skagen but that enabled the guide to give us plenty of information about the area.
The beginning of the drive took us through built up areas of the town so that we could view the exterior of the houses and get an appreciation of how the area developed.
It was interesting to see the design of the houses, which had a bearing on the weather. The exterior paint originally would have been white. However in the 1800s, ochre pigments became the preferred paint for the houses because they were more durable than white paint and could withstand the harsh coastal environment.
VISITING VOERGAARD CASTLE
Voergaard Castle is a unique renaissance building from the 16th century, surrounded by the broadest moat in Denmark. The property pre-dates that and is first listed in 1481.
In 1578 King Frederick II ceded the property to Karen Krabbe. In turn she passed it to her daughter Ingeborg Skeel who carried out an expansion which was completed in 1588.
The castle has 2 wings and is L-shaped. The east wing is flanked by 2 octagonal towers. The sandstone portal was gifted by King Frederick II.
Born in 1545 Ingerborg Skeel was a Danish noblewoman, major landowner and a county sheriff.
A skilled business women, she personally managed her estates and held several lifelong endowments. In her own day, she had an infamous reputation for greed and cruelty but there is no historical evidence for any of the rumours associated with her name.
The tour of the castle relives some of the tales surrounding her and you also get te chance to briefly visit the cellar.
There are no paintings of Ingeborg of her time but this image has been painted portraying her in her Sheriff robes. It is quite amazing how the eyes of the portrait follow you around the room.
The property changed hands over the centuries until it was eventually acquired in 1955 by Ejnar Oberbech-Clausen. He lived in France for many years and became a Count when he married Marie Henriette Chenu-Lafitte, widow of his former employer. She sadly died in an air raid in 1941 and eventually Ejnar returned to his homeland. With approval from the French State, he brought with him 12 train cars of art.
He undertook an extensive renovation of the property which included the art he brought with him. After his death in 1963, the castle and collections were passed to a foundation and opened to the public.
The art collection contains works attributed to Francisco Goya, Peter Paul Rubens, Raphael, El Greco, Watteau and Frans Hals.[2]
The furniture includes pieces which have belonged to Louis XIV and Louis XVI.
As is so often the case, the castle park beautiful and we had time to wander and capture some of the gardens while there. The park was originally laid out in 1768 and re-designed in 1955 in the French style.
Apologies for the poor quality photo of the swans – but we kept a respectful and safe distance from them!
TIME FOR A BREAK
Our next stop was to a local beauty spot and cafe, It is obviously very popular with locals and tourists alike.
The tour group had seating reserved in the cafe and were served with beverages and a local cake.
This Dam George was really tasty and is cooked by families throughout the country with variations as to location, time of year etc.
So proud are they, that we were given a copy his family’s recipe which can be seen here. Wondering though if Lindsey can ever get it to taste as good as the one we had on that day – time will tell!
OUR CONCLUSION
We had a lovely day on this trip but it was a long bus journey and there were restrictions on photographs that could be taken at Voergaard Castle.
I think our next visit will concentrate more on the town of Skagen itself. Meanwhile some more photos of our day below.
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