Rold Forest

Rold Skov
Forest
Road sign in Rold Skov.
Official name: Rold Skov
Country	Denmark
Region	North Denmark Region
District	Himmerland
Municipality	Rebild, Mariagerfjord
Part of	Scandinavia
City	Rold, Rebild, Arden, Skørping
Landmark	Rebild bakker, Thingbæk limestone mines
Building	Forestry Botanical Garden, Nature Center, Camping, 5 Museums, Atomic bunker, Art exhibitions, Pavilion, Inn.
Area	80 km2 (31 sq mi)
Biome	coniferous forest, mixed deciduous forest
Geology	moraine hills

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.

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.

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. Rebild National Park, a natural site consisting of heather-covered hills, is located in the northern parts of the forest. To the east of the town of Rebild, lies the abandoned limestone mines of Thingbæk ('Thingbæk Kalkminer'), now used for underground art exhibitions and an important site for five species of hibernating bats in the winter months. The mines are administered through Rebildcentret, who also hosts various museums, activities and some conservation efforts in the area. South of Skørping is the Jyske Skovhave ('Jylland Forest Garden'), an open arboretum begun in 1886 and displaying a variety of trees and shrubs from the northern hemisphere.

The forest is part of the Natura 2000 network (#18 Rold Skov, Lindenborg Ådal og Madum Sø) and is both a EU habitat and Ramsar area 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.

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.