17. October 2008
Rubjerg Knude Fyr
Rubjerg Knude is the high point of the long, steep cliff of Lønstrup Klint between Nørre Rubjerg and Lønstrup in Jotland, Denmark. Sand drift has ravaged the area since the end of the middle Ages, forcing the population out. At the same time, the cliff has nibbled its way inland. Both aspects are a dramatic testimony to the struggle between humans and nature in the area.

Rubjerg dune is a massive deposit of shifting sand that covers Rubjerg's almost vertical cliffs. Together, they are known as Rubjerg Knude (node); standing approximately 90 m tall, it is the highest point on the 13 km of coastal incline that constitutes Lønstrup Klint.

The cliff comprises meltwater deposits of sand and clay, compressed by the ice during the last Ice Age around 20,000 years ago. The dune is relatively young. It is only within the last few centuries that coastal erosion has released large quantities of sand from the cliff deposited on Rubjerg Knude by winds off the North Sea.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the ravages of sand drift were so violent that the people living nearest the coast had to relocate their farms further inland. The huge quantities of sand buried everything without mercy. In the parish of Rubjerg, the church was left solitary, and as time went by it became ever more difficult to dig a path to the church door through the sand deposits. The church was abandoned in 1904.

To subdue the sand drift, the dunes were planted with lyme grass, which caused them to grow. More sand was released from the cliff, blew across and covered the planted areas, which were then replanted, and so on.

In 1900, Rubjerg Knude lighthouse was inaugurated with a 23-m tower on the highest point of the coastal incline; it was then a good 200 m inland. Its light could be seen from a distance of up to 42 km away and it benefited both international shipping and the local fishermen.

Over the years, sand drift caused the dunes to grow exponentially, with the result that ships close to the shore could no longer see the beam of the lighthouse. At the same time, coastal erosion brought the cliffs closer and closer to the lighthouse. In 1992, the struggle against sand drift and coastal erosion was abandoned entirely, and Rubjerg Knude lighthouse was left to the power of nature. Its light had been extinguished back in 1968. Buildings to the west are gradually being freed of sand west of the dune; here, it is only a short distance to the incline. They are expected to collapse onto the beach within the next 10-15 years.

17. October 2008
Rubjerg Knude Fyr
Rubjerg Knude is the high point of the long, steep cliff of Lønstrup Klint between Nørre Rubjerg and Lønstrup in Jotland, Denmark. Sand drift has ravaged the area since the end of the middle Ages, forcing the population out. At the same time, the cliff has nibbled its way inland. Both aspects are a dramatic testimony to the struggle between humans and nature in the area.

Rubjerg dune is a massive deposit of shifting sand that covers Rubjerg's almost vertical cliffs. Together, they are known as Rubjerg Knude (node); standing approximately 90 m tall, it is the highest point on the 13 km of coastal incline that constitutes Lønstrup Klint.

The cliff comprises meltwater deposits of sand and clay, compressed by the ice during the last Ice Age around 20,000 years ago. The dune is relatively young. It is only within the last few centuries that coastal erosion has released large quantities of sand from the cliff deposited on Rubjerg Knude by winds off the North Sea.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the ravages of sand drift were so violent that the people living nearest the coast had to relocate their farms further inland. The huge quantities of sand buried everything without mercy. In the parish of Rubjerg, the church was left solitary, and as time went by it became ever more difficult to dig a path to the church door through the sand deposits. The church was abandoned in 1904.

To subdue the sand drift, the dunes were planted with lyme grass, which caused them to grow. More sand was released from the cliff, blew across and covered the planted areas, which were then replanted, and so on.

In 1900, Rubjerg Knude lighthouse was inaugurated with a 23-m tower on the highest point of the coastal incline; it was then a good 200 m inland. Its light could be seen from a distance of up to 42 km away and it benefited both international shipping and the local fishermen.

Over the years, sand drift caused the dunes to grow exponentially, with the result that ships close to the shore could no longer see the beam of the lighthouse. At the same time, coastal erosion brought the cliffs closer and closer to the lighthouse. In 1992, the struggle against sand drift and coastal erosion was abandoned entirely, and Rubjerg Knude lighthouse was left to the power of nature. Its light had been extinguished back in 1968. Buildings to the west are gradually being freed of sand west of the dune; here, it is only a short distance to the incline. They are expected to collapse onto the beach within the next 10-15 years.