The sand - buried church in Denmark

At the top of Denmark, you will find this church - St. Laurence Church, also called "The sand-burried Church". On the narrow strip of land that makes up the northern part of Denmark you will find the popular town of Skagen. The town itself is charming, but the beaches and the surrounding landscape is also what draws tourists here.

If you come by car, like I did, you will pass the church tower on your way to Skagen. This tower is all that remains of the church dedicated to St. laurence. There is an information board telling the history of the church and with a drawing that shows what it once looked like. From some of the oldest information available, we know that the church dates back to 1387.

The church was closed in 1795 by the king at that time, King Christian VII. The reason was the drifting sand. It had become impossible to protect the church against the sand. As you can ser on the photo on the information board, the church did suffer from all the sand. The church tower, as seen on the photos, dates back to the 15th century, even though it has undergone some rebuilding processes later. The tower was painted white because it became usefull as a sea mark. This happened in 1816. It was a somewhat special experience to walk around the tower knowing that the rest of the church was beneath us.

A little further north, you will find Skagen city. This is a popular port city that sees a lot of tourist during the summer month. North of Skagen, you can walk along the sandy beach out to Grenen. This is where Denmark ends. It's also the place where Skagerak meets Kattegat. When you stand right out on the tip, you can clearly see that the waves come from two different sides. It is considered a dangerous place to swim because of current conditions. Grenen itself is formed from sand that the sea has transported. Because this is still happening this headland grows every year and in a north-easterly direction. This means towards Sweden. But a walk in the fresh breeze along the beach is a nice end to a trip to the top of Denmark.