Mols Bjerge National Park, also known as Nationalpark Mols Bjerge, is a Danish national park located in the area called Mols Bjerge (Mols Hills, or Mols Mountains) in Syddjurs Municipality, Central Jutland. The park was opened on August 29, 2009. The protected area covers 180 square kilometers (69 square miles). The Mols Hills, which reach a height of 137 meters (449 feet), are in the center of the park and occupy 2,500 hectares. More than half of all wild plant species in Denmark can be found at Mols Bjerge.

Legal status

The park, which is Denmark's second, was announced by Minister of the Environment Troels Lund Poulsen on January 17, 2008. It became part of national law through Executive Order 789, which was issued on August 21, 2009. The park was officially opened by Queen Margrethe II on August 29, 2009.

Geography

Mols Bjerge National Park includes most of the southern part of the Djursland headland. On the east, the park is next to the Kattegat Sea. To the west, it borders the Kaløskovene forests, and to the south, it is near several inlets, coves, and areas of land shaped by glaciers. The town of Ebeltoft, along with nearby villages and areas where people live in summer homes, is part of the park. Some land in the park is owned by the government, and some is owned by private individuals. About 33% of the park is used for farming, and 80% of the hill areas are privately owned. The park also includes an 18th-century manor house and the ruins of a 14th-century castle. Visitors can reach the park by car, bicycle paths, or hiking trails, and there are several parking areas throughout the park.

The park has rolling hills and a mix of forests and open land, formed at the end of the last ice age. The highest point in the park is 137 meters (449 feet) in Mols Hills. The area includes many different environments, such as heath, forests, pastures, bogs, meadows, and various coastal areas near the sea.

Attractions

Some of the attractions in the park include the forest areas of Skovbjerg, Strandkær, the ruins of Kalø Castle, Ørnbjerg water mill, Jernhatten, Ahl Plantation, Bjørnkær-Egedal Forest, and the Kalø woodlands.

Granite barrows, dolmens, and passage graves, which were used for burying chieftains, can be seen throughout the landscape. These structures are reminders of people who lived in the area during the ancient Stone Age. The well-preserved burial mound of Stabelhøje, which dates to the Bronze Age, is one example.

The castle ruins in the southwest of the park are the remains of Kalø Castle. This castle was once an important place and is located on the small island of Kalø. A 500-meter stretch of medieval road on a cobblestone embankment leads to the ruins. The marina of Nappedam is located in the cove east of the embankment. On the mainland, the Kalø woodlands of Hestehave and Ringelmose are found. Hestehave Wood is a place where people can watch birds and see the Stone Age long barrow of Store Stenhøj. The coastal cliffs at Hestehave Wood provided clay for bricks used to build Kalø Castle in the early 14th century. The forest here was likely planted later, between the 1500s and 1600s. Further inland, the former manor of Kalø Gods from the early 18th century and the hunting lodge of Jagslottet, designed by architect Hack Kampmann in 1898, can be found. Jagslottet was originally owned by the German Jenisch family, who used it for summer retreats. After World War II, German property in Denmark was taken to pay a compensation claim of DK 11.6 billion. Now, the secretariat of the national park is located at Jagslottet, while Kalø Gods is owned by the state and holds several schools and an environmental administration. The restored 18th-century barn of the Kalø estate, Karlsladen, now serves as a visitor center to the Kalø ruins.

The old farm of Strandkær, located in the middle of the park, includes the houses of Øvre and Nedre Strandkær (Upper and Lower Strandkær). Nedre Strandkær was built around 1730. The farmhouse now houses research activities on the national park and also functions as a training center for nature guides. Øvre Strandkær holds the Visitor Centre of the Danish Forest and Nature Agency. A trekking path leads from Strandkær through forests of pine and deciduous trees and across old grassland pastures with grazing cattle.

The protected landscape south and east of the Strandkær visitor center has many tumuli. The open heath and grassland, along with the many hilltops, offer grand views of the entire region. Patches of woodland grow here and there, mostly young plantations, but the deciduous wood of Skovbjerg is one of the few remaining parts of the ancient forest in the national park. Further south lies the cove of Begtrup Vig and the peninsula of Helgenæs. Begtrup Vig is a protected Natura 2000 area, but visitors are welcome. The shallow cove offers good and safe opportunities for snorkeling and windsurfing. Helgenæs is not part of the national park.

Mols used to have several water mills. The village of Femmøller, located a few kilometers north of Strandkær, was built around five water mills. None of the mills remain today, but the millponds and the timber-framed houses of the old village can still be seen. Nowadays, Ørnbjerg Mølle, further east, is the only functioning water mill in the park area. Located south of Feldballe and enclosed within a forested area, it is run by a group of volunteers. The current timber-framed buildings date to 1833, but there has been a mill here since the 16th century. It works as a grain mill, powered by the Ulstrup Stream. The path to the mill follows the valley to Stubbe Lake, the largest lake in Djursland.

Jernhatten (The Iron Hat) is a viewpoint on the coast of the Kattegat Sea, in the eastern parts of the park. The cliff above the sea drops 49 meters. The formation is very hard and not easily worn away by sea waves. From the car parking area, the site is approached along a track through the beechwood of Troldeskoven (The Troll Forest). The hill offers panoramic views of the surrounding area and across the Kattegat Sea, with the small island of Hjelm in the southeast. The path to Jernhatten continues to the hills of Hyllested Bjerge, the forest of Bagskoven, and down to the beach. The seafloor along the coast here includes a cold water stony reef with an extensive kelp forest known as the Blak, offering good snorkeling opportunities in the summer months. Harbour porpoises may also be seen.

The woodlands of Bjørnkær-Egedal Forest and Ahl Plantation are both located near Ebeltoft. Just south of Ebeltoft is also the small woodland of Tolløkke Wood. This is the only remaining patch of old forest on the entire Ebeltoft peninsula and has many large, old trees. Deciduous trees such as beech, oak, ash, black alder, and willow dominate. The forest floor is covered with plants that grow only in ancient woodlands, such as the white-flowered Wood Anemone, the purple Early Dog-violet, and the yellow Lesser Celandine. Many trees are covered with common ivy, and cavity-nesting birds like the great spotted woodpecker live here. Tolløkke Wood has been owned by the citizens of Ebeltoft for centuries and used to host summertime celebrations at Skovpavillionen, a dance pavilion in the middle of the forest.

Bjørnkær-Egedal Forest was once an important oak forest owned by the Crown but was cut down for firewood to produce salt during wars with Sweden in the 1660s and 1670s. The forest was replanted between 1940 and 1945 during World War II as a labor project for the unemployed. Now, conifer trees dominate, but various deciduous trees, such as beech, are also present. Bjørnkær-Egedal Wood is located just east of Ebeltoft in the hilly terrain of Skelhøje, offering scenic views of the landscape.

Ahl Plantation is a

Flora and fauna

Mols Bjerge National Park is home to many rare or endangered species and unique natural areas. A large part of the park is protected as part of Natura 2000, a European program to preserve important habitats. The park was created to protect and manage separate, scattered areas of land that were previously divided.

Farming has greatly shaped the landscape and ecosystems of Mols for many years. Today, only small areas of ancient forests remain. These forests, such as Tolløkke Skov or Skovbjerg (which means "Wood-Hill"), are mainly made up of oak trees. Although Skovbjerg is an ancient forest, its habitat has been used for grazing and cutting trees for centuries. This has created areas with young shrubs and open grasslands. In recent years, 15 hectares (37 acres) of land in Skovbjerg has been used for moderate grazing by beef cattle. In Denmark, 10% of protected forest land is allowed for wood pastures to help maintain healthy forest ecosystems. The forest in Skovbjerg includes old oak trees that grow in acidic soil, which supports few types of plants with veins but many types of lichens that grow on trees. Roe deer are the only large grazing animals found here, with about 20 deer per square kilometer.

Important plants in the park include the pasque flower, catchfly, and cudweed. Habitats like beach meadows, coastal heath, and salt marshes are also protected because they support rare plants and animals. Many rare and endangered fungi species have been found in the park, some of which are not found anywhere else in the country.

Mammals in the park include red foxes, hares, and roe deer. Reptiles such as the viviparous lizard and the European adder also live there. The park has a wide variety of birds, including seabirds, wading birds, forest birds, birds that nest in tree holes, and birds of prey.

• Green-winged orchid
• Pink waxcap
• Wart-biter
• Wasp spider
• Red kite
• Jernhatten has a unique grassland-like environment
• Coastal heath at Øer
• Natural pine and birch forests
• Meadows
• Beach meadows near Ebeltoft

Sources and references

• Berezin, Henrik (2006). Adventure Guide Scandinavia. Hunter Publishing, Inc. ISBN 978-1-58843-579-8.
• Fauchald, Ole Kristian; Hunter, David; Xi, Wang (January 7, 2011). Yearbook of International Environmental Law 2009. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-960882-9.
• Bain, Carolyn; Bonetto, Cristian; Stone, Andrew (June 1, 2012). Lonely Planet Denmark. Lonely Planet. ISBN 978-1-74321-287-5.
• Rotherham, Ian D. (March 5, 2013). Trees, Forested Landscapes and Grazing Animals: A European Perspective on Woodlands and Grazed Treescapes. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-62611-8.