Råbjerg Mile
Råbjerg Mile is a shifting dune on the northern tip of Jutland , Denmark . It has been under nature protection since 1900 . This ensures that the dune hike can continue unhindered.
Natural phenomenon
The sand masses reach heights of over 40 meters and cover an area of around 120 ha. Due to the prevailing westerly winds, the sand moves in an easterly direction towards the Kattegat . Every year the dune covers an average of 15 meters. It is estimated that Råbjerg Mile will reach the 3.5 km distant road to Skagen around the year 2130 and will disappear into the Baltic Sea after another 30 years. The question of whether the Frederikshavn – Skagen railway line will have to be led around the dune to the west in one hundred years has not sparked any political debate.
In the middle of the 19th century, the northern town of Skagen also suffered from increasing drifting sand, a consequence of deforestation and the destruction of the dune vegetation to ensure the need for fuel. The community finally offered the parliament to transfer the inhospitable areas to the state. From 1887 this operated an extensive reforestation program. The forests ( klitplantager ) in Bunken and Skagen were created. At the same time Skagen received a paved road to Aalbæk and a railway connection. Before that, every transport had to be done with horse-drawn vehicles across the impassable beach of the Baltic Sea.
However, the taming of the raw forces of nature also aroused resistance. The poet Jeppe Aakjær (1866–1930) advocated nature conservation early on. In 1900, the Danish state acquired the area around Råbjerg Mile to protect it from human interference.
Movie set
While the First World War was taking place in Europe, the desert panorama served as the setting for the Danish silent film Sfinxens Hemmelighed (German: "The Secret of the Sphinx") by director Robert Dinesen . The monumental wooden backdrop of the Sphinx of Giza protruding from the sand attracted so many onlookers that filming was occasionally interrupted to allow the summer guests to enjoy themselves.
See also
- Silted up church in Skagen
- Rubjerg Knude shifting dune
Individual evidence
- ↑ TV documentation Badehoteller - Kandestederne , DR2 2010/14.
- ↑ Sfinxens Hemmelighed Det Danske Film Institute, accessed on January 15, 2015
Web links
- Råbjerg Mile , naturturist.dk (German)
- Råbjerg Mile , Naturstyrelsen (Danish)
Coordinates: 57 ° 38 ′ 55.3 " N , 10 ° 24 ′ 25.1" E