Skagen - Gheos Worldguide

Skagen

Skagen was settled in the Middle Ages and it has been a fishing port for many centuries. During the 19th century many artists moved there to get inspiration from the area's beautiful sand dunes. The town's population peaked in 1980, when it had around 14,000 inhabitants. The population has been declining ever since.

Points of interest

There are numerous excellent beaches in the vicinity of town.
Brøndums Hotel is an old hotel in Skagen.
Det Hvide Fyr (The White Lighthouse) was originally erected in 1747, making it Denmark's oldest brick-built lighthouse. If fell into disrepair after the Grey Lighthouse was erected 2 km to the north, but in 1960, it was restored. The White Lighthouse is now used for art exhibitions. It is 21 m (69 ft) tall.
Det Grå Fyr (The Grey Lighthouse) was built in 1858 to replace the White Lighthouse, which had become obsolete. It is officially called Skagen Fyr (Skagen Lighthouse).
Grenen (The Branch), 3 km northeast of Skagen, is Denmark's northernmost point, if Greenland and the Faroe Islands are excluded. It is the area where the Baltic Sea meets the North Sea and a clear line can be seen in the water, as both seas have different densities. As a result, the sea is often turbulent there and shipwrecks were common. To prevent this, a lighthouse was built at Grenen in 1627. A path that leads to the beach there crosses the rose-covered dunes where the grave of poet Holger Drachmann (1846-1908) is located.
- Vippefyr is one of Denmark's oldest lighthouses. It was built at Grenen in 1627, to prevent beachings and shipwrecks. The current building is a faithful copy of the originial.
Klitgaarden (The Dune House) is a former summer residence of the Danish royal family. The building was completed in 1914 and it is located to the south of Skagen.
Skagen Kultur- og Fritidscenter (Skagen Culture and Recreation Center) opened in 1972. It was later expanded with an aquatic center and training facilities.
The Hvide Klit Golf Club (White Dune Golf Club) is 17 km (11 mi) south of Skagen.
Skagen Station is the northernmost railway station in Denmark. It connects Skagen with the rest of Denmark.
There is an old Wind Mill in Skagen.

Museums

The Anchers Hus (Anche's House) is the former residence of painters Michael and Anna Anche. It was converted into a museum. The building dates from the early 19th century. It is located at Markvej.
Drachmanns Hus (Drachmann's House), is also known as Villa Pax. It was built in 1829 and it used to be the home of writer and painter Holger Drachamnn. It was converted into a museum in 1911 and it is located at Hans Baghs Vej.
Skagen Bamsemuseum is a teddy bear museum. It opened in 1998 and it is the only teddy bear museum in Scandinavia. The collection includes more than 1,000 teddy bears.
Skagen By- og Egnsmuseum (Skagen Town and Regional Museum) is an open-air museum, where visitors can see examples of fishermen's cottages and the homes of Skagen's poor. Most of the buildings date from the 19th century. The museum illustrates Skagen's development. The museum originally opened in 1927 and in 1938 the buildings were moved to their current location on Svallerbakken.
Skagens Museum displays paintings by P.S. Krøyer and Michael and Anna Ancher, amongst others. The artists came to Skagen at the end of the 19th century. The museum was established in 1908, but in 1926 the collection was moved to its current location.
Skagen Odde Naturcenter (Skagen Odde Nature Center) is a museum that is devoted to the effects of sand, water, wind and light. It opened in 2000. The museum is located at on Bøjlevejen and it is the northermost building in Skagen.

Churches

Den Tilsandede Kirke (The Sand-buried Church) is officially called St. Lawrence's Church. It is a whitewashed medieval church tower that is partly buried by sand dunes. Originally the church was built between 1355 and 1387 in the center of a town, but the moving sand dunes slowly buried the entire settlement at the end of the 18th century. The church once used to be the largest in Denmark, but in 1795 is was closed, because the sand kept blocking the entrance. In 1810 the church was demolished, but the tower was spared to serve as a navigational landmark. It is located about 2 km (1.2 mi) southwest of the town center.
Skagen Church opened in 1841. It was built to replace St. Lawrence's Church, which became buried by sand.

There are many hotels and restaurants in and around Skagen, as well as numerous craft shops and small gallereis. Fresh fish coming in at the port of Skagen, forms a major ingredient in many of the town's restaurants. The town sits at Denmarks northernmost tip, 250 km northwest of København (Copenhagen). Its port is Denmark's main fishing port.

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