Varde is a town in Southwest Jutland with 14,022 inhabitants
(2020). Varde is the capital of Varde Municipality and, like the
rest of southern Jutland, belongs to the Region of Southern Denmark.
Varde has chosen to have a greater focus on being in a municipality
where nature is very versatile and offers many opportunities. Among
other things. therefore, they have now challenged the city's motto
"Handelsbyen Varde" and are now working under the common motto "We
in nature".
The city is located approx. 18 kilometers north
of Esbjerg, and is located by Varde Å It has a city center
characterized by an old market town environment, which makes it
well-visited as a holiday and tourist town in the summer, as the
distance to the North Sea is not great from the city. Varde's age is
not known exactly, but is mentioned in written sources in 1107, and
its actual origin is thus lost in the early part of the Middle Ages.
From the beginning, the city name appears in two different
versions: Warwath and Warwik. The prefix "War-" is identical for
both words, and it is interpreted as "exaggerated", possibly.
"beach" or other "uncultivated area". The suffixes "-wath" and
"-wik" stand for terms such as "ford" and "cove", respectively. The
explanation for the two partially deviating versions of the city
name thus seems completely natural, all depending on whether one has
viewed the city from the land or the sea side.
Like other
older cities in Denmark, Varde is located in a place where the
landscape in various ways favors settlement and other human
activity. The city has thus grown close to a river with a convenient
berth for ships in a place where the north-south-going road traffic
had a significant ford or crossing point, which has since been
replaced by a bridge.
Varde is a very old town. The name occurs as early as the beginning
of the 12th century, when Esge Ebbesøn, a knight of Wartwik, was killed
by Agi Thuer; in King Valdemar's land register from 1231, Warwith is
mentioned (perhaps from "var", meaning "dam", and "with", meaning
"forest"); however, the name probably applies in both places not to the
city but to the castle that was located on the site; later the name is
spelled Warwyth, Warwid, Wareth, Warthe and Wardhe. When the city arose
and when it became a market town is not known; however, the church shows
that it must be at least from the 13th century. Its oldest known
privileges were issued by Christopher of Bavaria in 1442 (by which he
gave Varde similar privileges that he had given Viborg in 1440) and
these were often later confirmed, thus 1450, 1504, 1549, 1558, 1570,
1588, 1597 and 1606 . , Vardehus, which was located by the river to the
west of the city and protected the city from the lake side. Two
ramparts, which were on both sides of the stream, are referred to in
Resens Atlas as the castle's ramparts and are also mentioned in the
Danish Atlas, but have later disappeared. The castle has been very old.
The above-mentioned Esge Ebbesøn must have been a chieftain there at the
beginning of the 12th century. From the time of Valdemar Sejr, it and
the lien were in German possession, and when Queen Margrete redeemed it,
she pledged it to Henneke Limbek; after he fell in 1404, it came back to
the Crown; in 1433 Henrik Rantzow is mentioned at Vardehus. According to
a priest's report from 1638, the castle was destroyed on 2 April 1439
during a peasant revolt. It was never built again, but its barn, whose
lands were called "Kongsgaardsmarken" (later simply "Gaardsmarken"),
existed as its own property until the 17th century.
The town also
had in the Middle Ages, in addition to Saint Jacobi Church (also: Saint
Ibs Church), another church, Saint Nicolai Church (also: Saint Nilaus
Church), which is already mentioned approx. 1340, and which lay somewhat
west of Storegade (the street names Nicolaigade and Nicolaikirkegade are
reminiscent of it). It was a two-nave building without a chancel, but
with a tower to the south. By royal letter of 21 March 1537, it was
decided that since the citizens had become so impoverished during the
Count's Feud that they could not maintain two parish churches or
entertain more than one parish priest, they had to demolish St. Nilau's
Church and add the parish to St. Ibs. However, the provision was not
carried out, not even after the church was destroyed in 1551 by fire and
it was recommended in a royal letter of 11 June 1551 to demolish it and
use the materials to restore the Church of Saint Ibs, also destroyed by
fire, and there continued to be two parish priests until in 1732 one
parish priest came with a chaplain. Furthermore, according to the
priest's report from 1638, there was a chapel north of the town, which
was still used for funerals after the Reformation, and of which remains
were still seen in 1638.
It is known that Erik of Pomerania held
court in the city in 1396 and 1406.
During the Reformation, Niels Andersen Svansø (died 1555) was a
priest here and was probably one of the most eager for its introduction.
In the Count's Feud, when skipper Herman, a follower of skipper Klement,
was surprised here in 1534 by Johan Rantzau and killed, the town
suffered greatly as previously mentioned. The town's most important
export was probably bullocks, which were exported to Kolding and Ribe.
The town's decline probably began with the fire on the 3rd of
Pentecost 1551, when a large part of it, together with both churches,
went up in flames; the city suffered such great damage that the Crown
had to grant it relief, and as late as 1573 it received such due to
"poverty and the hardships of the previous year"; St. Dionysii Day 1590
again burned the best part of the city together with the east end of
Saint Jacobi Church. Added to this was the silting up of the river and
the three wars of the 17th century, during which it was occupied by
enemies and friends and suffered greatly, especially in the wars of
1643-45 and 1657-60, as well as the plague during the last war.
The town has had a Latin school (mentioned in 1542), which was closed
down in 1739. The school, which burned down in 1551 and was only rebuilt
in 1560, was behind St. Jacobi Church; after its closure, the building
was the choirmaster's residence.
In 1672, the town had 569 inhabitants. Proof of the town's former
importance as a trading town is that it belonged to the 7 market towns
in Jutland, which, according to the regulation of 28 January 1682, had
to carry on foreign trade, just like the then retained mayor and council
(only by rescript of 1752 was it decided, that it should only have a
town clerk and a town clerk), but in 1682 its good times were already
long over. In the 18th century, conditions in Varde, like everywhere
else, were sad. When the Danish Atlas came out, the city had no ships,
and sailing had virtually ceased, "because the river from the West Sea
up to the city has become so clogged here and there with sand that now
only small boats can pass right through to the city, when large boats or
small barges cannot get closer than to Janderup". In 1769 there were 690
inhabitants. The southern part of the town burned in 1777, the northern
part burned on June 14, 1821.
One of the two annual land mothers
for Ribe Diocese was held from 1618 until well into the 18th century in
Varde.
The city has had 4 gates: Nørre-, Øster-, Sønder- and
Vesterport.
In 1788, a number of citizens submitted an
application that Nicolai Church should be closed down, but only after a
church inspection in 1805, when both churches were found to be very
dilapidated, was it ordered to be demolished by resolution of 1806,
which happened in 1809. However, it was stated still remains of it from
the fire in 1821.
The early industrialization
Varde had around
1900 annually the following markets, 1 in February, 2 in March, 1 in
April, 1 in May, 1 in June, 1 in August, 1 in September, 1 in October
and 1 in November.
In terms of factories and industrial plants
around the middle of the 19th century, the town had: 1 chocolate
factory, 1 wool spinning mill, 2 candle foundries, 4 nail factories, 3
lime kilns, 7 dyeworks, 2 cotton weaving mills, 4 tobacco factories, 2
tanneries, 1 beer brewery, 1 iron foundry, 16 potato flour factories, 2
steam kilns and 1 letterpress. In 1872, the city had factories and
industries: 1 chocolate factory, 2 tanneries, 4 tobacco factories, 1
wool spinning mill, 1 iron foundry, and also 2 printing houses. Of the
factories and industrial facilities, the town had around the turn of the
century: Varde Bayersk- and Hvidtølsbryggeri, connected to the
"Vestjylland" soda factory (10 workers); an iron wire spinning mill
(stock company, established 1897, share capital DKK 50,000; 10 workers);
Varde Uldspinderi og Klædefabrik (stock company from 1900; share capital
DKK 20,000; 10 workers); C. Lund's Sawmill (joiner work, 40 workers);
Varde Cooperative pig slaughterhouse; 2 printing houses.
3
newspapers were published in Varde: "Ribe Amtstidende" and "Vestjyllands
Dagblad" ("Vestjyllands Socialdemokrat" and "Varde Folkeblad" were
published in Esbjerg).
Varde's population was increasing in the
late 1800s and early 1900s: 1,774 in 1850, 1,855 in 1855, 2,103 in 1860,
2,562 in 1870, 3,497 in 1880, 4,167 in 1890, 4,611 in 1901, 4,69 6 in
1906 and 4,816 in 1911.
According to means of livelihood, the
population in 1890 was divided into the following groups, comprising
both breadwinners and dependents: 626 lived from immaterial activity,
1,595 from craft and industry, 891 from trade, 394 from agriculture, 37
from fishing, 474 from various day laborers, 118 from their means, 23
enjoyed alms, and 9 were in prison. According to a census in 1906, the
population was 4,696, of which 346 supported themselves by non-material
activities, 491 by agriculture, forestry and dairying, 15 by fishing,
2,053 by crafts and industry, 874 by trade and more, 482 by transport,
204 were shopkeepers, 113 lived on public support and 118 on other or
unspecified business. In contemporary assessment, the rise of both
Esbjerg and the new station towns had to some extent damaged the city's
business life.
The interwar period
Throughout the interwar
period, Varde's population grew: in 1916 4,799, in 1921 5,261, in 1925
5,817, in 1930 6,514, in 1935 6,869, in 1940 7,044 inhabitants. No
suburban development took place.
At the census in 1930, Varde had
6,514 inhabitants, of which 420 supported themselves by non-material
activities, 2,635 by craft and industry, 916 by trade etc., 603 by
transport, 751 by agriculture, forestry and fishing, 506 by housework,
628 were out of business and 55 had not stated the source of income.
The post-war period
After the Second World War, Varde continued
its population growth. In 1945 there were 8,118 inhabitants in the
market town, in 1950 8,290 inhabitants, in 1955 9,135 inhabitants, in
1960 9,577 inhabitants and in 1965 11,161 inhabitants. In Varde
Landsogn, a new suburban settlement emerged, which shortly after was
incorporated into the market town by a municipal merger.
As a
result of Esbjerg's rapid urban development, an urban development
committee was set up, which drew up an urban development plan for
Esbjerg-Varde, which also included both the market towns and several
rural municipalities. The Varde municipal plan from 1963 assumed the
layout of new residential areas, especially northwest of the city, and
new industrial areas, especially south of Varde Å.
Varde's city seal is Denmark's oldest city coat of arms. It depicts a
blue shield with a walking golden leopard (a mythical animal) with a red
tongue. It looks more like a lion, but golden leopard is the official
name.
Varde Torv
At Varde Torv is, among other things, St.
Jacobi Church from the 12th century, Sillasen's House from 1797, the old
town hall from 1872 and Den Schultzke Gård.
There has been a
cattle market on the square around the year 1900, and for a period in
the middle of the 20th century a bus station. The square is now used for
weekly market days with food and flowers, and other events.
The
square was resurfaced in 2003. Landscape architect Charlotte Horn was
inspired by Varde Å and the Vardemuslingen with the black pearl in the
design of the square. In front of Varde Town Hall lies a large, round
and black stone, symbolizing the Varde pearl, in a pool of water. From
here, a section of Varde Å runs across the square in a smaller version.
Varde Library's webcam shows life on Varde Torv. Pictures are taken
around the clock.
The current Varde Municipality was created in 2007 in connection with
the municipal reform, where Gl. Varde Municipality was merged with the
then Blaabjerg Municipality, Blåvandshuk Municipality, Helle
Municipality and Ølgod Municipality, which created Denmark's 5 largest
municipality measured by area with 1240.1 km2.
Varde is the main
town in Varde Municipality and, with its 13,771 inhabitants, is the
municipality's largest town, followed by Ølgod and Oksbøl with 3853 and
2852 inhabitants respectively. Overall, there are 50,122 residents with
permanent residence in Varde Municipality, who are supplemented during
holiday periods by several thousand tourists, who cause Varde
Municipality's coastal towns, including especially Blåvand (Oksby),
Henne Strand and Vejers Strand, to grow to many times their actual size
.
Varde Municipality is housed at Bytoften 2, in the new town
hall, opened in 2015. At the opening of the municipality's new town
hall, a poem and three pictures were received, by order, under the title
"Sonate for sun" from artist Hans Tyrrestrup. The artwork now adorns the
meeting hall at Varde Town Hall.
Varde stretches from Ansager in the east to Blåvands Huk in the west
and from Skallingen in the south to Nymindegab/Ølgod in the north and,
due to its large area, covers a wide range of different landscape types.
In connection with the vision "We in nature", the eyes have once
again been opened to the possibilities of Varde municipality's versatile
and in many places untouched nature, which has also led to investments
to make nature accessible to the guest.
At Varde Municipality,
the Wadden Sea National Park, which in June 2014, along with the Wadden
Sea areas in Germany and the Netherlands, was named a UNESCO World
Heritage Site, meets the Western Sea Nature Park, which stretches over
an area of 22,500 hectares between Blåvands huk and Nymindegab. The
parks along the Varde coast offer many different types of nature and the
area is characterized by dune landscapes, moors, dune plantations,
coastal lakes and, in the case of the Wadden Sea, large mudflats where
the guest can experience the exposed seabed.
Where the national
park meets the nature park is also Denmark's westernmost point, adorned
by Blåvand lighthouse, which was supposed to guide the ships around
Horns Rev, where the sand ridges stretch far into the water. If you look
out over the water at Hukket, you can see the offshore wind farms at
Horns Rev in clear weather.
Large parts of the natural areas
along Varde's west coast are military training areas, but can also be
visited by guests when the red signal is not raised. In Varde
Municipality there are therefore also 3 barracks in Varde, Oksbøl and
Nymindegab respectively. The Nymindeg camp looks different from the
other barracks, as it was built by the German Armed Forces in 1941 as an
anti-aircraft artillery school. The camp was supposed to look like a
village from the air so it wouldn't be bombed, which it never was.
Across from the camp lay the Atlantic Wall, which stretched from the
North Cape, in Norway, to the Pyrenees on the Spanish border. You can
therefore see many exposed bunkers along the coast, as a persistent
reminder of the Second World War, including The Tirpitz position which
was supposed to secure the entry to Esbjerg.
After World War II,
it was necessary to clear the west coast's beaches of the many mines
that had been dug up as a defense against the allied forces. The
clearing of the mines along the Danish west coast was problematized in
2015 in the Danish film "Under the Sand," where the conditions of the
German soldiers who cleared the Danish west coast after the end of the
Second World War are described. More German soldiers died during mine
clearance on the Danish beaches than during the invasion and occupation
1940-45 combined.
The museum for Varde city and surroundings acts as an umbrella for
many of Varde Municipality's museums, including the Varde museum, the
Tirpitz position, the Nymindegab museum, Denmark's Rav museum, etc.
The Tirpitz position is (2015) under reconstruction and, upon
completion, will house, in addition to the bunker itself, exhibitions
about the Atlantic Wall, life on the west coast and one of the world's
finest amber collections.
The mini city in Arnbjergparken is a
miniature version of Varde anno 1866 in the size ratio 1-10, which is
created with the help of 12 volunteer "mini masons", whose work with the
small houses can be seen from May to October.
Blåvands huk/ Blåvand
lighthouse, Denmark's westernmost point, with a view of offshore wind
farms.
The beaches in Varde Municipality are some of the big draws,
with the wide beaches at Blåvand, Vejers Strand and Henne Strand
attracting many tourists.
Filsø was formerly Denmark's second largest
lake, until it was dammed for agricultural use in the mid-19th century.
In 2010, the area was bought by Aage V. Jensen Naturfond Filsø Avlsgods
with a view to restoring the lake and in 2012 the water was opened to
Søndersø.
Varde Sommerspil is organized by 7-kant and is shown every
summer on the outdoor stage in Arnbjergparken.
Wadden Sea National
Park (Unesco World Heritage) - Large Wadden Sea area from Varde in the
north to Holland in the south.
Nature Park Vesterhavet - 22,500
hectare Nature Park between Blåvands huk and Nymindegab.
Skallingen -
relatively new, self-formed land that first arose after a storm surge in
1634 by the deposition of sand by the sea, and it is still undergoing
transformation. Contained Denmark's last minefield.
Otto William Frello - died 2015, local artist with permanent
exhibition at Varde museum. Frello is known for his surreal, but at the
same time very realistic and detailed paintings.
Laurits Tuxen has
become known as one of Skagen's painters, but visited Nymindegab as
early as 1879, where he was instrumental in the creation of the painter
colony Nymindegabmalerne. During the summer months, the painters rented
accommodation at Nymindegab Kro, where they painted their sketches,
after which they traveled back to Copenhagen to complete the paintings.
Some of Tuxen's works can be seen at the Nymindegab museum.
West
Jutland's Art Museum (Janus Building) in Tistrup, between Varde and
Ølgod, with a collection of 2000 works, primarily with contemporary art
and changing exhibitions.
Varde classicism - as Varde is exposed to
several large fires, many houses were built at the end of the 18th
century and the beginning of the 19th century, i.a. Sillasen's House on
Varde torv and the Kampmann farm. Classicism prescribed that the walls
should be plastered, which was not done in Varde, as they had just found
out how to produce many red bricks. Instead, various details were
highlighted. The result was red walls, red tiled roofs, but with some
white details.
Varde's profession can be roughly divided into 5 pillars, where 4
categories according to "Kontur 2014" are above the national average.
This includes food, furniture/clothing, tourism and
construction/housing.
The big ones - Under Vardes municipality's
bigger companies we find, among other things, Nobia, which includes the
kitchen brands HTH and Invita and which has up to 2,000 employees in
Denmark. BoConcept, furniture and accessories manufacturer. The Danish
production is gathered in Ølgod. Fibervisions, which is a global leader
in bicomponent fibers for everything from fiberboard to tea bags. Titan
Europe, manufacturer of turbine towers, subcontractor to Titan Wind
Energy.
Tourism – Varde is one of the country's largest tourist
municipalities and therefore also has several major tourist businesses
that characterize the West Sea coast in Varde Municipality. In this
category we find e.g. Hvidbjerg Strand Holiday Park (Blåvand Badeland)
which was Denmark's 42nd most visited attraction in 2013,
Udlejningsbureaurene which is responsible for renting out holiday homes,
Dayz Seawest in Nymindegab etc. and supplementary occupations used by
the holidaymakers when they visit the area, see attractions and
activities.
Agriculture – East of the summer house, coastal and
training areas in waterfront Varde, Varde Municipality is a large
agricultural area with associated extensive agricultural production.
Gastronomy – In connection with the business development of the project
"Nature on the table", in South-West Jutland the community of interest
Sydvestjyske Smagsopplesninger has been created, to continue and promote
the project after the publication of the book "Nature on the table."
Stakeholders in this regard, i.a. Varde ådal lam, Mr. Forest in Blåvand,
Henne Kirkeby inn, NaturKulturVarde and many more.
The armed forces -
The armed forces have three barracks/camps in Varde Municipality: Varde
Barracks, Oksbøllejren and Nymindegablejren. In connection with the 2013
defense settlement, the Army's Sergeant School was moved from Sønderborg
to Varde, with which the Army's Sergeant's School, the Army's
Intelligence Center and the Army's Combat and Fire Support Center are
now based in Varde Municipality. In addition, the Home Guard School also
has a branch in Varde Municipality.
With a long stretch of beach from Skallingen in the south to
Nymindegab in the north and with the area's characteristic appearance,
the area in the beginning (19th century) primarily attracted artists,
who found inspiration in the landscape and thus helped initiate the
construction of holiday homes, where both artists and the better
citizens built their own houses. When the ordinary worker in the 1920s
got the right to 2 weeks' holiday, this gave a real boost to the
construction of holiday homes as we know it today and made the ordinary
worker search for the destinations along the North Sea. The goal of such
a trip could, for example, also have been Henne Mølle Å Badehotel, which
was designed by Poul Henningsen in 1935, built in 1936 and intended as a
culturally radical refuge.
Varde is Denmark's largest coastal
tourism municipality and especially attracts tourists to the many
coastal destinations along the North Sea, from Blåvand in the south over
Vejers Strand and Henne Strand to Nymindegab in the north. The vast
majority of tourism in Varde Municipality consists of summer house
rentals, where Germans in particular are a large customer group, but
where an increase in Danes and Norwegians visiting the west coast of
Jutland is also reported.
Car
The majority of traffic to and from Varde takes place on
primary route 11, which runs from Tønder over Varde and further up the
west coast all the way to Aalborg. Primary route 11 crosses with E20
(Esbjerg motorway) at Korskro, from where it is 10 km to Varde via
primary route 11.
Getting there
It is possible to reach Varde
by train via Esbjerg and Skjern. In addition, trains run between Varde
and Nørre Nebel.
Varde has 6 stations, the largest of which is
Varde station with 104,743 boardings in 2021, followed by Varde Vest
with 40,583, Varde Nord with 14,908, Varde Kaserne with 10,800,
Frisvadvej with 9,868 and Boulevarden with 2,351.
Varde Kaserne
station and Varde station both have trains between Esbjerg and Skjern
and between Esbjerg and Nørre Nebel, while Frisvadvej station, Varde
Vest station and Boulevarden station only have trains between Esbjerg
and Nørre Nebel, and Varde Nord only has trains between Esbjerg and
Skjern.
Varde is the city in West Jutland with the most train
stations.
Bike
In recent years, Varde Municipality has
expanded the network of cycle paths considerably, to a large extent with
goodwill from landowners in the municipality, whereby, among other
things, has had the opportunity to build approx. 20 km cycle path from
Varde to Nørre Nebel and approx. 10 km from Varde to Næsbjerg. In
addition to this, there were already approx. 25 km cycle path from Varde
to Blåvand and a small 20 km cycle path between Varde and Esbjerg.
-Among other things. this was honored in 2014 by the Cyclists'
Association, which chose Varde as "Cycling Municipality of the Year," a
prize that is awarded each year to a municipality that prioritizes the
conditions of cyclists and that can demonstrate a multi-year strategy in
the area.
Speedway is generally a sport that takes up more space in Varde than
in many other areas.
In addition, Varde's geography offers good
opportunities within:
Cycling/Mountain biking
Beach-related sports
Alternative sports
Fishing, Golf, Hunting.
Skydiving
Open Air Ward.
Varde Summer Games (7-corner).
Forest, River,
Lake, Sea day.
Krondyr Festival
Amber Festival
Lamb Festival
Wadden Sea Festival
Ho sheep market
Varde Nisse-Tri
Additional
events can be seen on "Det sker i Varde Kommune" and Kultunaut