Coastal types
Denmark has a total of 7,300 km of coastline, which varies greatly in appearance, development and history.
In 2004, the Ministry of the Environment designated 99 National Coastal Landscapes (NCLs), which together describe the enormous range of the Danish coastal landscape. 5 of these national coastal landscapes are located in Geopark Vestjylland, where they are also included in the geopark's designated geosites (see references in brackets). The five national coastal landscapes are:
Lodbjerg – Thyborøn – Bovbjerg, NK no. 80 (Geosites no. 1 , 29 and 37 )
Odby Klint, NK no. 86 ( Geosite no. 42 )
Kås Bredning – Skibsted Fjord, NK no. 87 (Geosites no. 32 , 36 , 41 and 46 )
Geopark Vestjylland has a total of 50 km of coastline along the North Sea and 175 km of coastline in the Limfjord. In addition to the five National Coastal Landscapes, these 218 km of coastline contain examples of almost all Danish coastal types and many great experiences. The map on this page shows a main division of the different coastlines according to soil conditions.
Coasts are among our most variable landscape types. Historically, the coasts in Geopark West Jutland have changed dramatically. If we look back to the period when the ice during the last ice age reached its maximum extent 21-23,000 years ago, Denmark was landlocked with Great Britain and the sea level was 25 - 50 meters lower in our area than we know today. Subsequently, the sea rose again as the ice melted back. About 6,000 years ago, the sea reached its greatest extent, and the so-called Litorina Sea covered large parts of the low-lying areas of present-day Denmark. The coastal slopes from this period can be found in several places in the landscape some distance from the coast. When the ice melted, the land that had been covered by the weight of the ice began to rise at the same time and many of the current coasts appeared.
The changes are still continuing, resulting in clear changes in the coasts. From old maps from 1799, we can see that the west coast off Bovbjerg Lighthouse has moved back more than 300 meters. It is estimated that the coast in the Viking Age was more than 1,000 m further to the west. Since 1875, dikes have been built and sand has been fed along large parts of the West Coast , which has reduced coastal erosion somewhat but not stopped it. In the Coastal Directorate's video series below, you can learn more about the different types of coast we have in Denmark.
