Rold Skov

Rold Skov
Rold Skov
	Mariagerfjord, Denmark
Coordinates	56°48′N 9°49′E / 56.800°N 9.817°E
Area	80 km2 (31 sq mi)
Ecology
WWF Classification	Baltic mixed forests

Rold Skov (Rold Forest) is a forest in Himmerland, Denmark. At 8,000 ha, it is the second largest forest in the country, after the Silkeborg Forests.^[1]

The forest is named after the village of Rold which lies in the southern outskirt of the forest. Other towns in Rold Skov include Arden, Rebild, and Skørping.

Description

Rold Skov comprises several distinct areas and woodlands in a very hilly terrain, giving rise to a number of springs (Lille Blåkilde, Ravnkilde, Gravlevkilden, Egebækkilden), streams and lakes such as Madum Lake, Økssø, Mossø, and the newly restored Gravlev Lake.

northern hemisphere

.

The forest is part of the

Ramsar wetland of international importance

.

75% of the forest is privately owned, primarily under the manors of Lindenborg, Nørlund and Willestrup. The state of Denmark owns and administers the rest.

History

Although Denmark is normally considered a safe country nowadays, Rold Skov was formerly associated with robberies and violent assaults for centuries. In the 1830s the authorities succeeded in unraveling maybe the largest gang of all, with more than a hundred robbers and courtcases spanning a total of seven years from 1837 to 1844. The events and the gangs' activities were later described in a novel by Danish writer Steen Steensen Blicher.

The closed civil government atomic bunker of Denmark, named Regan Vest (da:Regan Vest), is located in the forest.^[2]

Flora, fauna, and funga

Rold Skov has a rich and varied fauna. It is home to a large variety of birds and the larger animals here are

squirrels

.

Large parts of the woods are dominated by various

red helleborine

for example. Note: In Denmark all orchids are to be protected and it is forbidden to pick them.

Rold Skov supports a very broad array of

fungi, with 5,000 different species and still counting. There are well-known eating mushrooms to be found, but also fungi like the peculiar Troldsmør ("Troll-butter" or fuligo septica) that can move around, the beautiful fly agaric, the tinder fungus used for lighting fire in the old days or the deceptive bitter bolete

.

In Literature

Steen Steensen Blicher: Bettefanden.

Gallery

Nature scene
At the Jylland Forest Garden.
Rebild Bakker ('Rebild hills').
Art in Thingbæk Kalkminer.

Sources and references

Rold Skov Naturstyrelsen. (in Danish)
Rold Skov Rold Skov Natur- og Kulturcenter. (in Danish)
Rold skov Naturturist Nordjylland (in Danish)
Forest Rold Skov Danish
Rebild Rakker Hills of Rebild Danish
Rold Skov Museerne Knudepunkt for museerne i Rold Skov. (in Danish)

^ Denmark's 10 largest forests Archived 2012-03-08 at the Wayback Machine The Danish Wood Initiative (2004)
^ Nielsen, Adrienne Murray (2023) REGAN Vest: Inside Denmark's secret nuclear bunker BBC

External links

Rebildcentret English available.
Routes, pamphlets, maps pdf-collection on Rold Skov and surroundings. Rold Skov Nature and Culturecenter (in Danish)
Rold Skov Pictures from Rold Skov.

[1] Denmark's 10 largest forests Archived 2012-03-08 at the Wayback Machine The Danish Wood Initiative (2004)

[2] Nielsen, Adrienne Murray (2023) REGAN Vest: Inside Denmark's secret nuclear bunker BBC

[1]

[2]

v t e Rebild Municipality
Towns & villages	Støvring Skørping Terndrup Suldrup Nørager Øster Hornum Haverslev Bælum Blenstrup	Rold Forest
Landmarks	Listed buildings
Transport & Infrastructure	European route E45 Skørping Railway Station Støvring Railway Station Randers–Aalborg Railway Line
Category