Thy National Park
| Thy National Park | |
|---|---|
| National Park Thy | |
|
IUCN category II (national park)
|
|
Coastline from Thy National Park
|
|
 |
|
| Location | Thy, Denmark |
| Nearest city | Klitmøller |
| Coordinates | 56°56′49″N 8°25′19″E / 56.947°N 8.422°ECoordinates: 56°56′49″N 8°25′19″E / 56.947°N 8.422°E |
| Area | 244 km2 (94 sq mi) |
| Established | 2007 |
| Governing body | Danish Ministry of the Environment |
| Thy National Park | |
Thy National Park is a National Park area in Thy, Denmark, opened to the public on 22 August 2008. It is located in Northwest Jutland, along the coast from Hanstholm to Agger Tange and it spans 55 km (34 mi) north to south and 5–12 km (3.1–7.5 mi) east to west. The total area of the national park is 244 km2 (94 square miles).
The dune and heath landscape of Thy was officially selected on 29 June 2007 to be the first national park in Denmark proper (Northeast Greenland National Park was established in 1974). In total, seven outstanding areas are candidates for the status.
The governmental Forest and Nature Agency states:
"A Danish national park contains the most unique and characteristic Danish nature.
...
The idea is about improving and strengthening the Danish nature, and giving both local and foreign visitors better possibilities to experience, use and get knowledge about nature, the landscape and the history of civilization."
Thy National Park is thus not just a simple tourist attraction.
The landscape comprise windy coasts and dune systems, either bare, covered by heaths, meadows or plantations, with a great number of conifers. Low-nutrient wet hollows (a kind of bog) also occur, and between this varied coastal landscape, small ponds and lakes can be found. Remains from the Stone Age Littorina Sea are visible here, in the form of occasional limestone cliffs along the coast or further inland.
The drifting sands in Thy have plagued the locals for centuries, encroaching on their lands and buildings. But it was not until around the year 1800 that something was done about it and plantings of various grasses and trees was organized. Marram grass and various conifers was the main solution and the dune plantations are here today as living witnesses to the hard struggles against the forces of Nature. The plantations provided not only protection against the unrelenting sand, but also jobs, timber and firewood and with them a whole new fauna could establish in Thy, with red deer and roe deer as the largest animal.
...
Wikipedia