A JAUNT THROUGH JUTLAND--I
Jutland is the only province left to Denmark which can claim to be
mainland, and though it is the most northern part of the country, some
of its scenery is very beautiful.
The "Jyde," as the people of Jutland are called, are proud of their
birthplace, of their language, and of their pronunciation, which the
Copenhageners call "accent," but the Jyde declare they speak the purest
Danish in the kingdom. However this may be, I am not in a position to
judge, but I do know that I can understand the Jyde Danish better, and
that it falls upon my ear with a more pleasing sound than does the
Danish of the Copenhageners.
The east coast of Jutland is quite charming, so we will start our tour
from the first interesting spot on this route, and try to obtain a
glimpse of the country.
In Kolding stands a famous castle, which was partially burnt down in
1808. This gigantic ruin is now covered in, and used as an historical
museum for war relics.
Fredericia is a very important place. Here that part of the train which
contains the goods, luggage, and mails, as well as the first-class
passenger carriages for Copenhagen, is shunted on to the large steam
ferry-boat waiting to receive it. This carries it across the smiling
waters of the Little Belt. A fresh engine then takes it across the
island of Funen to the steam-ferry waiting to carry it across the Great
Belt to Korsör, on the shores of Seeland, when a locomotive takes the
train to Copenhagen in the ordinary way. These steam-ferries are
peculiar to Denmark, and are specially built and equipped for this work.
Danish enterprise overcomes the difficulties of transport through a
kingdom of islands by these ferries.
Fredericia is an old fortified town with mighty city walls, which make a
fine promenade for the citizens, giving them a charming view of the
Little Belt's sunlit waters. In this town the Danes won a glorious
victory over the Prussians in 1849.
Vejle is one of the most picturesque places on the east coast. Along the
Vejlefjord the tall, straight pines of Jutland are reflected in the
cool, still depths of blue water, and the tiniest of puffing steamers
will carry you over to Munkebjerg. The fascinating and famous Munkebjerg
Forest is very beautiful--a romantic place in which the youthful lovers
of Denmark delight. These glorious beech woods extend for miles, the
trees sloping down to the water's edge from a high ridge, whence you
have a magnificent view of the glittering fjord. Most inviting are
these cool green shades on a hot summer's day, but when clothed in the
glowing tints of autumn they present to the eye a feast of gorgeous
colour. A golden and warm brown carpet of crisp, crackling leaves
underfoot, the lap of the fjord as a steamer ploughs along, sending the
water hissing through the bowing reeds which fringe the bank, make the
soothing sounds which fall on lovers' ears as they wander through these
pleasant glades.
[Illustration: HARVEST TIME.]
In winter this forest is left to the snow and hoarfrost, and cold, cairn
beauty holds it fast for many days.
The pretty hotel of Munkebjerg, standing on the summit of the ridge,
which you espy through a clearing in the trees, is reached by some
scores of steps from the landing-stage. Patient "Moses," the hotel
luggage-carrier, awaits the prospective guests at the pier. This
handsome brown donkey is quite a character, and mounts gaily his own
private zigzag path leading to the hotel when heavily laden. His
dejection, however, when returning with empty panniers, is accounted for
by the circumstance of "No load, no carrot!" at the end of the climb.
Grejsdal is another beautiful spot inland from the fjord, past which the
primitive local train takes us to Jellinge. In this quaint upland
village stand the two great barrows, the reputed graves of King Gorm and
Queen Thyra, his wife, the great-grandparents of Canute the Great, the
Danish King who ruled over England for twenty years. A beautiful Norman
church stands between these barrows, and two massive Runic stones tell
that "Harald the King commanded this memorial to be raised to Gorm, his
Father, and Thyra, his Mother: the Harald who conquered the whole of
Denmark and Norway, and Christianized the Danes." Steps lead to the top
of these grassy barrows, and so large are they that over a thousand men
can stand at the top. The village children use them as a playground
occasionally.
Skanderborg, which is prettily situated on a lake, is a celebrated town.
Here a famous siege took place, in which the valiant Niels Ebbesen fell,
after freeing his country from the tyrannical rule of the German Count
Gert.
Aarhus, the capital of Jutland, is the second oldest town in Denmark.
Its interesting cathedral is the longest in the kingdom, and was built
in the twelfth century. The town possesses a magnificent harbour, on the
Cattegat, the shores of which make a pleasant promenade.
Randers is a pretty place, with many quaint thatched houses belonging to
the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries. The Gudenaa,
Denmark's only river, skirts the town. This river is narrow and
slow-moving, as there are no heights to give it force.
Hobro, situated on a fjord, wears an air of seclusion, lying as it does
far away from the railway-station. A sail on this fjord will bring us to
Mariager, the smallest town in Denmark. Renowned are the magnificent
beech-woods and ancient abbey of this tiny town. In the surroundings we
have a panoramic view of typical Jutish scenery--a charming landscape in
the sunset glow, forest, fjord, farmsteads, and moor affording a rich
variety of still life.
Aalborg, the delightful old market town on the Limfjord, is fascinating,
especially at night, when its myriad lamps throw long shafts of light
across the water. Scattered through the town are many old half-timbered
houses. These beautiful buildings, with their cream-coloured rough-cast
walls, oak beams, richly carved overhanging eaves, and soft-red tiled
roofs, show little evidence of the ravages of time. The most famous of
these houses was built, in the seventeenth century, by Jens Bang, an
apothecary. The chemist's shop occupies the large ground-floor room, the
windows of which have appropriate key-stones. On one is carved a man's
head with swollen face, another with a lolling tongue, and similar
grotesques.
To be an idler and watch the traffic going to and fro over the pontoon
bridge which spans the Limfjord is a delightful way of passing the time.
Warmed by the sun and fanned by the breezes which blow along the fjord,
you may be amused and interested for hours by the life that streams past
you. Occasionally the traffic is impeded by the bridge being opened to
allow the ships to pass through. Small vessels can in this way save time
and avoid the danger of rounding the north point of Jutland. If you
look at your map you will see that this fjord cuts through Jutland, thus
making a short passage from the Cattegat to the North Sea.
Jutland north of the Limfjord is called Vendsyssel. Curious effects of
mirage may be seen in summer-time in the extensive "Vildmose"[7] of this
district.