Marselisborg Forests

Marselisborg Forests (Marselisborgskovene)
Marselisborg Forest
Forest
Part of Marselisborg Forests, showing the Giber stream running through Moesgård forest.
Official name: Marselisborg Forests
Country	Kingdom of Denmark
Region	Central Denmark Region
Municipality	Aarhus
Part of	Scandinavia
City	Aarhus
Building	Watermills, Pavilion, Manor, Outdoor museum, Restaurants, Hotel, Sportsclubs, Allotments, Camping, Stadium, Tivoli.
River	Varna stream, Giber Å plus several minor streams.
Area	15 km2 (6 sq mi)
Biome	mixed deciduous forest, natural beech wood, temperate coniferous forest plus seventeen special habitats

Marselisborg Forests (Danish: Marselisborgskovene) or simply Marselisborg Forest, is a 1,300 hectares (3,200 acres) forest to the south of Aarhus City in the Kingdom of Denmark. Many present day sources now includes the forest of Fløjstrup, as part of the Marselisborg Forests, upping the total area with another 200 hectares (490 acres). Marselisborg Forests runs along the coastline of the Aarhus Bay in a hilly terrain with steep slopes and deep gullies, especially at the shoreline. There are many traces of prehistoric activities here and the landscape have been covered by woodlands for thousands of years.

Marselisborg Forests is comprised by a collection of small patches of woodland, that have been allowed to merge into a single entity, mainly after 1820. The woodland patches originally belonged to the barony of Marselis, residing at the now gone Marselisborg (meaning "Marselis-castle"), where Marselisborg Gymnasium is located today. Before 1820, there was an extensive forestry in the woods, so most of the trees are no more than 200 years old. Aarhus Municipality took ownership of the land and forests in 1896, when they acquired the Marselis estate.

Marselisborg Forests have a long cultural history as a recreational area for Aarhus and its citizens and today it is among the most frequented forests in Denmark. The forests are used heavily for a variety of purposes, such as kindergarten excursions, camping, mountainbiking, scouting activities and headquarters, horse trails, running events, celebrations, picnics and more everyday unorganized activities like strolling, mushroom hunting, surf fishing, etc.. The forestry business is rather limited today. Marselisborg Forests are home to several important facilities for the citizens of the Aarhus area, such as: