Gjøl is a town on the north coast of the

Limfjord The Limfjord (Danish language, common Danish: ''Limfjorden'' , in north Jutlandish dialect: ''Æ Limfjord'') is a shallow part of the sea, located in Denmark where it has been regarded as a fjord ever since Viking Age, Viking times. However, i ...

in North Jutland, Denmark. It is located in

Jammerbugt Municipality Jammerbugt Municipality is a municipality (Danish: '' kommune'') in the North Jutland Region on the North Jutlandic Island. It is located along the coast of Skagerrak to the north and the Limfjord to the south. It borders the municipalities of This ...

, west of

Aalborg Aalborg (, , ) is Denmark's fourth largest town (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an urban population of 143,598 (1 July 2022). As of 1 July 2022, the Municipality of Aalb ...

, extending along the base of a glacial

moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice shee ...

. The shallow part of the fjord to the west of the ridge, Gjøl Bredning, is a

wildlife preserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

.Egon Jensen, Horst Meesenburg and Ulla Kjær
"Gjøl"
''

Den Store Danske Den may refer to: * Den (room), a small room in a house * Maternity den, a lair where an animal gives birth Media and entertainment * ''Den'' (album), 2012, by Kreidler * Den (''Battle Angel Alita''), a character in the ''Battle Angel Alita' ...

'' online, 15 July 2014, retrieved 16 October 2020 .

History

The placename is first recorded in 1231 as ''Giol'' and is related to the word ''gul'' (yellow), a reference to the chalky cliffs of the moraine. Until the early twentieth century, the site of the town was an island. Starting during the First World War, dams were constructed to create dry land from part of Gjøl Bredning and connect the island to the mainland, among them in 1914–1920 a long dam connecting Gjøl to the neighbouring island of Øland.

Thomas Dam Thomas Dam (May 15, 1915-November 12, 1989) was a Danish woodworker and fisherman associated with Gjøl in Denmark. Dam designed and invented the original troll doll also known as the "Good Luck Troll". He created the toy during a period of fina ...

created the first

troll dolls A Troll Doll (Danish: ''Gjøltrold'') is a type of plastic doll with furry up-combed hair depicting a troll, also known as a Dam doll after their creator Danish woodcutter Thomas Dam. The inspiration came from trolls in old Scandinavian folklore. ...

in Gjøl in the mid-1950s and the Dam Things company is still located in the town; in Denmark they are known as Gjøl trolls as well as Dam trolls. The town is also known for

mink Mink are dark-colored, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammals of the genera ''Neogale'' and '' Mustela'' and part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters, and ferrets. There are two extant species referred to as "mink": the A ...

farms.

Church

Gjøl Church was built around 1150 and has a Romanesque

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

and

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

and late

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

tower. The doorways were originally richly decorated with carvings; the signature of master carver Goti is preserved. The choir was decorated with

frescos Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

in the 1530s. It is the main church of (parish).

In media

Hans Kirk Hans Kirk (11 January 1898 – 16 June 1962) was a Danish lawyer, journalist and celebrated author, who penned the best-selling novel of all-time in his native Denmark, '' The Fishermen'' (1928). From 1926 to 1928 he was among the contributors of ...

's 1928 novel '' Fiskerne'' (The Fishermen) is based on the true story of a group of fishermen from the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

coast who moved to Gjøl and came into conflict with those who lived there. Kirk had a connection to the area through his father, and wrote the book while living at the old inn in the town, Gjøl Kro.Morten Pedersen
"Gjøl fishermen hung out to dry?"
1001 Fortællinger om Danmark,

Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces The Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces ( da, Slots- og Kulturstyrelsen) is an agency under the aegis of the Danish Ministry of Culture. The agency carries out the cultural policies of the Danish government within the visual and performing arts, ...

, retrieved 20 June 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gjol Fishing communities in Denmark Cities and towns in the North Jutland Region Jammerbugt Municipality Villages in Denmark