Location: Stenbjergvej 120, Snedsted, Jutland
Area: 244 km2 (94 sq mi) Map
Tel. +45 96 19 15 00
Official site
Thy National Park is an incredibly beautiful area that lies on the
Northern coast of Denmark in the Jutland region. It cover an area of
244 km2 (94 sq mi) of sand dunes, pastures, magnificent meadows and
picturesque views of the sea. Thy National Park is a famous for its
beautiful pristine nature, but it is also famous for remains of
military bunkers in the Museum of Hanstolm. It houses a collection
of bunkers and military defenses that date back to the Second World
War. They were constructed by the German military engineers as part
of the Atlantic Wall that was intended to defend continental Europe
against the Allied invasion. Here you will not only see them, but
also can learn about the layout and principles of their work.
Another interesting feature of the Thy National Park is the Aquarium
of the North Sea. Despite frigid temperatures, waters off the coast
of the nature preserve contain a rich diversity of animals,
crustaceous and other types of animals. Aquarium allows its visitors
to see these creatures up close without interfering or hurting this
unique preserve.
Nature and landscape values
The western part of
Thy is shaped by centuries of sand escape and today holds great
national and international natural and landscape values in the
form of coast, dunes, dunes, lakes and dune plantations.
The
area can be characterized by large scale, openness, pristine,
silence and rare habitats. In addition, there is an exciting and
valuable interaction between cultural history and nature, which is a
central part of the idea of a national park in Thy.
Among
the rare habitats, e.g. the clean clear lobel lakes found here. Some
are even characterized as coral reef lakes, such as Nors Sø at the
Hanstholm Game Reserve at the northern end of the park.
The
landscape of Thy National Park
Western Thy was an archipelago
until 4,000 years ago. The country has since risen and the sea has
receded in many places a few kilometers. However, the Stone Age
coast still stands out in some places as inland slopes. It can be
seen, for example, at Nors and Vandet Søer, around Hanstholm Knuden
and not least along the eastern edge of the Hanstholm Wildlife
Reserve, where in particular the Blegsø slope draws a sharp line
between the high limestone plateau and the sandy lowland.
The
uplift brought large amounts of sand to the light of day, and it
provided the basis for the sand escape which greatly characterizes
today's landscape. Both in prehistoric and historical times there
have been periods of sand escape, interrupted by long stable
periods. Studies show that the sand escape has come during periods
of cold climates.
The dune landscapes in Thy today are
together a result of the sand escape periods. Generally, the dunes
closest to the sea are formed during the recent sand flight, while
the opposite is true of the dunes located in the plantations
furthest to the east.
Nature in Thy National Park
Thy is
characterized by great versatility from the salty beach and the
flat, sandy areas in the west to the hilly and fertile agricultural
land in the east. The habitats that characterize the National Park
are dunes, dunes, dune plantations, limestone slopes, lobster lakes,
the big lakes and beach meadows and lagoons furthest south.
Dunes and dunes
Thy National Park contains a large interconnected
part of the country's total dune area. The dune landscape is very
dynamic and can have significant variations, even at short
distances. The different dune types are represented in the national
park, from the foreshore dunes, to the white dunes characterized by
continued sand dipping, to the more stable dune forms, the chalky
and lush green dune and the drier gray dune.
The gray dune
gradually turns into dunes, characterized by a continuous vegetation
of dwarf shrubs such as shrubs, heather, bell and moss. The dune is
a mosaic of dry areas with large dune formations and blow-off
surfaces with temporary lakes and wet dune layers. In particular,
the latter contains many rare plant species.
The largest and
most important dunes in the national park are Hanstholm Wildlife
Sanctuary, Vangså Hede, Ålvand Klithede and the area between
Stenbjerg and Lodbjerg. A large stock of crowned animals, as well as
tears, reels and thinkers breed here.
The lakes in the
national park
There are a wide variety of clear, irrigated
lobster lakes in Thy National Park. These are both smaller lakes on
the moors or in the plantations, but also some of the area's large
lakes such as Vandet Sø and Nors Sø are characterized as lobelie
lakes and are the only places in Denmark where little najade grows.
Among other rare aquatic plants that are found in the lobel
lakes in Thy, in addition to the character plant, there are
double-lobed lobel, both the rare species yellow-green and
black-green bream food as well as cruciferous herb leaves.
In
the southern part of the national park are Ørum Lake and the
brackish Flade Lake. Both lakes were formerly part of Krik Vig and
are very shallow.
Dune plantations
The current dune
plantations in Thy are the result of a long and determined effort to
plant the dunes. The effort was motivated by the desire of the
locals to stop the sand escape and replace the heaths with more
productive areas of forestry.
The first attempts in the early
19th century failed, and so did the very first, Thagaard's
Plantation. It was not until about the middle of the century that
suitable methods and tree species were found. Today, the plantations
are part of the landscape that characterizes Thy, and they offer
good opportunities for practicing active outdoor activities.
As part of the nature-enhancing efforts in the National Park, alien
species of wood are being replaced with native species, and in some
places the plantation has been felled to make room for more cohesive
dunes.
Chalk Cliffs
The high-altitude layers of
subsoil appear in some places in ancient rocky seas from the Stone
Age. They are found especially in the northern part of the national
park and contain a distinctive flora that is very different from the
sandy dunes and plantations. Here, among other things, species of
ensian, white-gray drab and hillfnocurt grow, and not least dune
consolation, which is found only in northern Jutland worldwide.
Beach meadows and lagoons
The farthest south of the national
park lies Agger Tange surrounded by dikes and protected by
headwaters facing the North Sea. Between the dikes are extensive
meadows alternating with shallow lagoons, surrounded by forests.
Tens of thousands of birds pass their tongues each spring and
fall. As it is an obvious place for rest and foraging on the birds'
migratory route along the west coast of Jutland.