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Where two Seas Meet
About
Few countries have a tip. Some countries have massive, evergreen forests while others have bone-dry, scorching deserts. Some countries offer coastal living while others are landlocked, surrounded by neighbors. Some tips exist on a broader scale, such as the southernmost tip of South Africa (and thus the whole of Africa) or the Isla de Tarifa in Spain. But few places have a tip as clearly delineated and localized as Grenen in Skagen, Denmark.
Grenen is more than just a geographic tip of drifting sand. It’s a meeting of two seas, a maritime hotspot for global commerce, and a sanctuary for birds of prey. It is a place where the swirling currents of the Skagerrak greet the brackish waters of the Kattegat. Standing at the tip of Denmark, you can watch the two distinct waters smash into one another in a never-ending battle which extends hundreds of meters out from shore.
The name Grenen comes from the word “branch” or “shoot”, describing the way in which the tip extends and sprouts free from the rest of the peninsula, growing and changing shape with time.
The land, sea and air around the tip are also major navigational spaces. Around 60,000 vessels pass the tip every year carrying millions of tons of cargo.1 Meanwhile, migrating birds like to make a pitstop on Grenen, making it one of Northern Europe's premier bird observing destinations, particularly for birds of prey.2 Much like maritime vessels, aquatic animals such as porpoises and seals float their way around the tip, the latter often lounging on the WWII-era bunkers partly submerged in the water. Finally, more than 2 million tourists complete the trek out to the very tip every year to witness with their own eyes what the fuss is about.
Grenen is more than just a geographic tip of drifting sand. It’s a meeting of two seas, a maritime hotspot for global commerce, and a sanctuary for birds of prey. It is a place where the swirling currents of the Skagerrak greet the brackish waters of the Kattegat. Standing at the tip of Denmark, you can watch the two distinct waters smash into one another in a never-ending battle which extends hundreds of meters out from shore.
The name Grenen comes from the word “branch” or “shoot”, describing the way in which the tip extends and sprouts free from the rest of the peninsula, growing and changing shape with time.
The land, sea and air around the tip are also major navigational spaces. Around 60,000 vessels pass the tip every year carrying millions of tons of cargo.1 Meanwhile, migrating birds like to make a pitstop on Grenen, making it one of Northern Europe's premier bird observing destinations, particularly for birds of prey.2 Much like maritime vessels, aquatic animals such as porpoises and seals float their way around the tip, the latter often lounging on the WWII-era bunkers partly submerged in the water. Finally, more than 2 million tourists complete the trek out to the very tip every year to witness with their own eyes what the fuss is about.
Shifting Sands
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A beach in Motion
As a defining geographic feature, Grenen is in a constant flux of motion. No two visits are ever the same and the force from the two merging seas batter and shape the tip to their whims at all times. We can also see the ways in which the beach has been moved and shaped over the years from centuries of cartographers' works on mapping out the area.
Take some time to enjoy these maps of the tip from different time periods and compare them with the more recent satellite imagery. Notice how the tip in recent years has pointed further north and the western coastline has bulked up to sit further north than the tip itself.
Every geographic feature on earth has its starting point and everything will transform into something else eventually, but few places on earth offer the constant reminder of change such as Grenen does, packaged into a timescale that we can visually track and study.
Take some time to enjoy these maps of the tip from different time periods and compare them with the more recent satellite imagery. Notice how the tip in recent years has pointed further north and the western coastline has bulked up to sit further north than the tip itself.
Every geographic feature on earth has its starting point and everything will transform into something else eventually, but few places on earth offer the constant reminder of change such as Grenen does, packaged into a timescale that we can visually track and study.
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Birds of Prey
Northern Europe's Bird Watching Mecca
Every year, birders flock to Grenen to observe the migratory patterns of Northern Europe's bird populations. This is particularly true for birds of prey. The Skagen Bird Observatory (Skagen Fuglestation) keeps an annual log of bird observations made throughout the spring and fall migratory seasons. In 2023, they logged over 20,000 observations with almost 14,000 of those being birds of prey.3 Some of the most recorded birds of 2023 include the common buzzard, the Eurasian sparrowhawk, common kestrel, hen harrier, and western marsh harrier.
While Skagen doesn’t rest upon the most direct path for most migratory birds, the clear sightlines caused by a lack of tall vegetation allows for wide observance of passing birds. It also is the first bit of land for birds crossing the Skagerrak and Kattegat from Norway and Sweden, making it either a natural stopping point before the birds venture further south, or a quick pit stop before crossing the channel further north.
While Skagen doesn’t rest upon the most direct path for most migratory birds, the clear sightlines caused by a lack of tall vegetation allows for wide observance of passing birds. It also is the first bit of land for birds crossing the Skagerrak and Kattegat from Norway and Sweden, making it either a natural stopping point before the birds venture further south, or a quick pit stop before crossing the channel further north.
Blue Hour
Providing Artistic Inspiration
During the 19th century, Scandinavian and European artists flocked to Skagen to experiment with their impressionistic and realistic painting styles, creating an artist colony and commune that has gone down in modern history as one of a kind. These artists sought to paint the unique landscape of drifting sand dunes and fishermen hard at work, taking extra care to capture the special light of Grenen in hundreds of works.
Among the painters who made Skagen their summer home were Holger Drachmann, Laurits Tuxen, Marie and P.S. Krøyer, and Anna and Michael Ancher. These artists and many others established a community in which they painted the landscape, people, and even each other.
The painters were able to easily enjoy the light of both sunset and sunrise due to the Grenen’s unique shape. Of particular interest was the “blue hour”, which was the period right before or right after the sun rises or sets. In this period, the sky turns a gentle shade of blue, nearly merging with the calm hues of the two seas.
The output of Skagen’s artist colony can be viewed today at Skagen’s Museum with a small selection also shared online.4
Among the painters who made Skagen their summer home were Holger Drachmann, Laurits Tuxen, Marie and P.S. Krøyer, and Anna and Michael Ancher. These artists and many others established a community in which they painted the landscape, people, and even each other.
The painters were able to easily enjoy the light of both sunset and sunrise due to the Grenen’s unique shape. Of particular interest was the “blue hour”, which was the period right before or right after the sun rises or sets. In this period, the sky turns a gentle shade of blue, nearly merging with the calm hues of the two seas.
The output of Skagen’s artist colony can be viewed today at Skagen’s Museum with a small selection also shared online.4
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Traffic
A Global Shipping Lane
Standing anywhere on the beaches of Skagen and you’ll be hard pressed not to notice the line of ships which dot the horizon. Over 60,000 maritime vessels pass around Grenen every year. And it’s not exactly surprising, as one of only two routes into the Baltic sea, the narrow waters around Skagen show international maritime trade in its most visually striking form.
While the narrowest portion of the kattegat is a full 40 kilometers wide, the shallow waters and frequent reefs mean that the lanes of travel for ships is quite small. This is especially true for today’s ever larger commercial shipping vessels. Historically, control of Grenen has meant the ability to regulate and control the flow of shipping into the Baltic sea. Today, the tip still plays an important role of marking the first step on the thin paths through the Danish straits.
In 2020, the Danish Maritime Authority established new shipping lanes through the Skagerrak and Kattegat, designed to accommodate modern ships and increased global trade.5
While the narrowest portion of the kattegat is a full 40 kilometers wide, the shallow waters and frequent reefs mean that the lanes of travel for ships is quite small. This is especially true for today’s ever larger commercial shipping vessels. Historically, control of Grenen has meant the ability to regulate and control the flow of shipping into the Baltic sea. Today, the tip still plays an important role of marking the first step on the thin paths through the Danish straits.
In 2020, the Danish Maritime Authority established new shipping lanes through the Skagerrak and Kattegat, designed to accommodate modern ships and increased global trade.5
Before 2020 rerouting
New rerouting including congestion areas
Information from Effects of Rerouting Shipping Lanes in Kattegat on the Underwater Soundscape by the Danish Centre for Environment and Energy (2023).
Future
A Changing Climate,
A Changing Landscape
Much as the shape and character of Grenen has changed over the years, decades, centuries, so it will continue to move and reshape in the years to come. This is particularly true as experts predict the effects of human-driven climate change to grow more pronounced.
Probably the most characteristic feature of Grenen has been its physical growth over time. As wind and water whips sand from along the west coast and up the tip, this movement has added shoreline and mass to Grenen over and over again. Every year,1 million cubic meters of sand and gravel are deposited along Grenen’s northern shores.6
The area has been protected by the Danish state since 1940 ever since developers first hoped to build summer houses on the western shore.7 Several expansions of that protection have taken place since, resulting in an area of 670 hectares of land and 1,000 hectares of water preserved from future development.
Probably the most characteristic feature of Grenen has been its physical growth over time. As wind and water whips sand from along the west coast and up the tip, this movement has added shoreline and mass to Grenen over and over again. Every year,1 million cubic meters of sand and gravel are deposited along Grenen’s northern shores.6
The area has been protected by the Danish state since 1940 ever since developers first hoped to build summer houses on the western shore.7 Several expansions of that protection have taken place since, resulting in an area of 670 hectares of land and 1,000 hectares of water preserved from future development.
Repourposed from Skagen Udviklingsplan, 2020.
Future
Skagen Development
Plan 2020
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Even though Grenen is protected from commercial development, efforts are underway to make the area more accessible to tourists and less impactful on the natural environment. Frederikshavn Kommune has undertaken a plan to add cultural and conservational improvements to the area while managing the firmly established character of the region and its inhabitants.
The Skagen Development Plan 2020 is a multi-year plan which aims to make changes to how people visit Grenen while also trying to better incorporate the geographic feature with its neighboring town. The plans include an arrival and parking area that incorporates the natural landscape better, thus creating a more directed footpath from the Grenen tourist center and past several points of interest leading towards the tip itself. The path will include more gathering and rest areas, such as benches and viewing platforms, that make clever use of the natural landscape.
As Grenen is further developed, several potential projects aim at merging the area with the city of Skagen itself. These three proposals are listed here. Click the arrows to read all three.
The Skagen Development Plan 2020 is a multi-year plan which aims to make changes to how people visit Grenen while also trying to better incorporate the geographic feature with its neighboring town. The plans include an arrival and parking area that incorporates the natural landscape better, thus creating a more directed footpath from the Grenen tourist center and past several points of interest leading towards the tip itself. The path will include more gathering and rest areas, such as benches and viewing platforms, that make clever use of the natural landscape.
As Grenen is further developed, several potential projects aim at merging the area with the city of Skagen itself. These three proposals are listed here. Click the arrows to read all three.
