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Denmark: a runestone, Kronborg and tidal marshes
The Jelling monuments in Vejle Municipality, Kronborg at Helsingør, where UNESCO says the Sound is at its narrowest, four kilometres across, and Wadden Sea marshes in south-west Jutland, where large evening starling flocks gather, sit in three corners of Denmark.
At a glance
A place worth remembering
Jelling: a runestone set between two mounds
Jelling lies in central Jutland, in Vejle Municipality, Region of Southern Denmark. The large runestone, raised around 965, presents Harald’s account: he commissioned the monument for Gorm and Thyra, then claims to have brought Denmark and Norway under his rule and converted the Danes to Christianity. The Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces places the stone midway between the North and South Mounds, aligned along their axis. Excavations found the mounds within a palisaded enclosure exceeding 10 hectares, above a ship-shaped stone setting more than 350 m long; the South Mound, completed around 970, covers part of that setting. The National Museum dates the North Mound’s burial chamber to 958–59.[1][2][3][4][5][6][13]
Kronborg at the Sound’s narrows
The Wadden Sea: starlings over the marsh
The national park describes the Wadden Sea as extending from Ho Bay near Esbjerg to Den Helder in the Netherlands. Its history page records that in March 2009 the municipalities of Varde, Esbjerg, Fanø and Tønder agreed to have the national park proposal drawn up. Nationalpark Vadehavet opened on 16 October 2010; the Danish portion joined the World Heritage property in 2014. The park says that starlings in their hundreds of thousands roost overnight among the reeds of the marshes, and it calls the evening spectacle Black Sun. For watching the flocks, it recommends Tønder marsh, the northern stretch of Ballum marsh and a number of spots near Ribe. The birds may change sites several times in a season, occasionally on successive evenings, and the park says the reason for gathering is not known for certain. Historic water levels are marked on storm-surge columns at Ribe, Mandø and Rømø Harbour, among other places.[9][10][11][12][13]
Good to know
A few clear answers before you explore.
What does the large Jelling runestone say?
The National Museum’s rendering presents Harald’s statement that he commissioned the monument for Gorm and Thyra, then claimed to have brought Denmark and Norway under his rule and converted the Danes. The museum dates the stone to around 965.[1]
How narrow is the Sound at Kronborg?
UNESCO places Kronborg at Helsingør, where it says the Sound is narrowest, four kilometres across.[7][8][13]
What is the Black Sun in the Wadden Sea?
The park uses Black Sun for the evening scene of large starling flocks settling in the marshes. It points to Tøndermarsken, northern Ballum and sites near Ribe; roosts can shift more than once during a season, sometimes on consecutive nights.[9]
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