Gribskov (Grib Forest) is

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

's fourth largest forest, comprising c. 5,600 ha of woodland situated in northern

Zealand Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020. It is the 1 ...

, west and south of

Lake Esrum A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

. The forest is owned and administered by the State of Denmark, and a part of the Kongernes Nordsjælland National Park. In July 2015, it was one of three forests included in a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

, the

Par force hunting landscape in North Zealand The Par force hunting landscape in North Zealand is a collection of hunting grounds and forests north of Copenhagen. The landscape was submitted for admission to the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites on 1 August 2010 and was inscribed on 4 July ...

. Gribskov is usually divided into four sections: The northwest surrounding the small village of Maarum, the northeast on the banks of

, the southwest around the small lake of Gribsø and finally the southeast, enclosing the village of

Nødebo Nødebo is a village located on the southwestern shores of Lake Esrum in Hillerød Municipality, North Zealand, some 40 km north of Copenhagen, Denmark. Nødebo Church, the oldest in the area, is notable for its church frescos and its early ...

on the southern banks of Lake Esrum. Only a thin strip of

Hillerød Hillerød () is a Denmark, Danish town with a population of 35,357 (1 January 2022)Store Dyrehave Store Dyrehave (literally Large Animal Park) is a forest located to the east of the village Ny Hammersholt immediately south of Hillerød, on both sides of Københavnsvej, in North Zealand, Denmark. Consisting of conifers and beech, it was enclo ...

at 1,100 ha, Tokkekøb Hegn at 631 ha and several smaller woods.

Etymology

The

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

name Gribskov translates literally as ''Grib forest'' in English. The first part, 'grib', is the imperative form of the verb for 'catch' or 'grab', but the actual meaning and

etymology Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...

of the word go a bit deeper. 'Grib' refers to the

Old Danish The Danish language developed during the Middle Ages out of Old East Norse, the common predecessor of Danish and Swedish. It was a late form of common Old Norse. The Danish philologist Johannes Brøndum-Nielsen divided the history of Danish into ...

word for something 'without any specific owner', so 'Gribskov' actually means a woodland of common ownership.

Nature

Gribskov and Lake Esrum are designated as EU habitat directive and

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectively ...

areas, as part of an even larger preserve. On top of that, Gribskov is designated as an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

(IBA). Around 20% or c. 1,200 ha of the forest has been reserved as 'forest to be untouched', in an effort to preserve some of the few spots of semi-natural woodland (SNW) in Denmark and stimulate the growth of new. The birdlife in Gribskov is varied and of international importance. The forest is home to the largest populations of

common goldeneye The common goldeneye or simply goldeneye (''Bucephala clangula'') is a medium-sized sea duck of the genus ''Bucephala'', the goldeneyes. Its closest relative is the similar Barrow's goldeneye. The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek ' ...

green sandpiper The green sandpiper (''Tringa ochropus'') is a small wader (shorebird) of the Old World. The green sandpiper represents an ancient lineage of the genus ''Tringa''; its only close living relative is the solitary sandpiper (''T. solitaria''). They ...

and red-backed shrike in DenmarkGribskov
Danish Ornithological Association (DOF) and near Nødebo at Lake Esrum, a noisy colony of

great cormorant The great cormorant (''Phalacrocorax carbo''), known as the black shag in New Zealand and formerly also known as the great black cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the black cormorant in Australia, and the large cormorant in India, is a w ...

s has found a home. Cormorants can be a problematic bird to administer locally, but they are protected in Denmark and on list III in the

Berne convention The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, usually known as the Berne Convention, was an international assembly held in 1886 in the Swiss city of Bern by ten European countries with the goal to agree on a set of leg ...

. The forest grows in a hilly terrain (by Danish standards), with lower lying areas in the east and west. The low-lying areas are dominated by

beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

and

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

, but with several forest types mixed in, such as

wood pasture Silvopasture (''silva'' is forest in Latin) is the practice of integrating trees, forage, and the grazing of domesticated animals in a mutually beneficial way. It utilizes the principles of managed grazing, and it is one of several distinct forms ...

s or old

coppice Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management which exploits the capacity of many species of trees to put out new shoots from their stump or roots if cut down. In a coppiced wood, which is called a copse, young tree stems are repeated ...

woodland with

alder Alders are trees comprising the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus comprises about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few sp ...

and

ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

. There are also numerous small ponds, bogs, swamps and springs, some enshrouded by myths, superstition or old folk tales. Gribskov is more than 10,000 years old, dating from the end of the last ice age, but the forest bears the marks of an intensive plantation industry that accelerated from the late 1700s and peaked in the 1800s. Former wetlands were drained and many new tree species were introduced, especially

European spruce ''Picea abies'', the Norway spruce or European spruce, is a species of spruce native to Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. It has branchlets that typically hang downwards, and the largest cones of any spruce, 9–17 cm long. It is very close ...

. These practises have now stopped in Gribskov. Artificial ditches are being filled to allow a more natural waterflow and the spruce plantations are cut down, to be naturally and quickly replaced by

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech-oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 30 ...

and

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...

in coming years. It is expected that Gribskov will comprise more semi-natural woodland of

deciduous trees In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

in the future. The forest of Gribskov offers a rare opportunity to observe free roaming deer of all the four species living in Denmark; namely the

roe deer The roe deer (''Capreolus capreolus''), also known as the roe, western roe deer, or European roe, is a species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. The roe is a small deer, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapt ...

sika deer The sika deer (''Cervus nippon''), also known as the Northern spotted deer or the Japanese deer, is a species of deer native to much of East Asia and introduced to other parts of the world. Previously found from northern Vietnam in the south to ...

red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of wes ...

and

fallow deer ''Dama'' is a genus of deer in the subfamily Cervinae, commonly referred to as fallow deer. Name The name fallow is derived from the deer's pale brown colour. The Latin word ''dāma'' or ''damma'', used for roe deer, gazelles, and antelopes, ...

, with roe and fallow deer being most common in Gribskov. Roe deer have lived here for as long as the forest itself, while fallow deer were introduced at some point during the

middle ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

. The fallow deer population in Gribskov is the largest free roaming fallow deer population in Denmark, at 600-800 animals.

Lakes, ponds and wetlands

There has been a long tradition of surface water draining by ditch-digging and natural waterflow regulation in Gribskov for various reasons, but these practises have now ceased and work is in progress to re-establish a more natural waterflow and improved conditions for wetland areas.Reestablishment of natural hydrology in Gribskov and St. Dyrehave. A pilot project on areas affected by storm damage.
Marie-Louise Olsen. English summary of the report. These measures have already enhanced the

biological diversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') lev ...

and has had a direct positive influence on the living conditions for birds in the forest. There are several interesting bodies of water in Gribskov, seen both from a scientific and a folkloristic viewpoint. ''Store Gribsø'' (Large Grib-lake), or simply ''Gribsø'', is only a 10 ha lake, but is nevertheless the largest forest-enclosed lake in Gribskov. It is a so-called

dystrophic lake Dystrophic lakes, also known as humic lakes, are lakes that contain high amounts of humic substances and organic acids. The presence of these substances causes the water to be brown in colour and have a generally low pH of around 4.0-6.0. Due ...

and it is impossible to see the bottom in its dark waters, even though it is only 11 m deep. The lake has no outflows and it can be ice cold just beneath the surface, so care should be taken when bathing. Tradition says the lake is bottomless and was created when God angrily punished a

nunnery A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican C ...

that once was here. The

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

s showed more interest in the monks at

Esrum Abbey Esrum Abbey, also Esrom Abbey ( da, Esrum or ), was the second Cistercian monastery founded in Denmark, located near Hillerød in Region Hovedstaden, on the island of Zealand (Sjælland), on the north side of the Esrum Sø (Lake Esrum) near Es ...

than in God, so he opened up the ground and the chasm swallowed up all the nuns and the entire monastery. The monastery continued to sink and sink and that was how the lake was created. It is said that one can still hear the monastery's bells ringing down in the lake on quiet evenings.

Landmarks and structures

There are many small ponds, streams and lakes throughout Gribskov, but the larger ones—''Store Gribsø'', ''Solbjerg Engsø'' and ''Strødam Engsø''—all are situated in the southwestern parts. The latter two are the largest and attract a rich birdlife, but they are both on the edge of the forest. The most prominent landmark is perhaps ''Svenskegrøften'' (lit.: The Swedish Ditch) initiated in 1576. It is a 2–3 km long artificial canal, winding its way through the forest from the lake of Store Gribsø and south towards the settlement of Gadevang in the southeastern section. As the name implies,

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

prisoners of war were used for this large project, ordered by King Frederik II. The ditch is just one part of a larger network of ditches dug since the middle ages, to supply the

Frederiksborg Palace Frederiksborg Castle ( da, Frederiksborg Slot) is a palatial complex in Hillerød, Denmark. It was built as a royal residence for King Christian IV of Denmark-Norway in the early 17th century, replacing an older castle acquired by Frederick II ...

with running water, to exploit the water resource for watermills in earlier times and to drain the wetlands so the land could be used for plantations. There are an estimated 526 km of artificial ditches in Gribskov.

Pre-history

There are several relics of the past in Gribskov. One example is the megalithic

passage grave A passage grave or passage tomb consists of one or more burial chambers covered in earth or with stone, and having a narrow access passage made of large stones. These structures usually date from the Neolithic Age, and are found largely in Wester ...

just outside

Kagerup Kagerup is a village in the Gribskov Municipality in North Zealand, Denmark. It is located six kilometers southeast of Helsinge and 10 kilometers north of Hillerød. As of 2023, it had a population of 403. Kagerup is served by Kagerup railway s ...

, a village south of Maarum in the northwest of the forest. It was raised at some point in the neolithic

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with t ...

, about 5–6,000 years ago and is referred to as ''Jættestuen'', simply meaning The Passage Grave in English. Not far from the megalithic tomb are two round

dolmen A dolmen () or portal tomb is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the early Neolithic (40003000 BCE) and were somet ...

s, one of which is heavily deteriorated. Another megalithic passage grave is situated in the southwestern part of the woods. This tomb is known as ''Mor Gribs Hule'' (lit.: Mother Grib's Lair) and of similar age and origin as Jættestuen. Tradition says that the notorious sorceress Mother Grib lived in the grave chamber. She used to whistle at wayfarers, leading them astray to be robbed and killed by her sons A variant of the story says that Mother Grib led travellers astray when they asked her for directions, and by blowing a whistle she signalled her six strong sons to jump forward and attack the unlucky victims. As with most folk tales and

word of mouth Word of mouth, or ''viva voce'', is the passing of information from person to person using oral communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time of day. Storytelling is a common form of word-of-mouth communication where one pe ...

stories, various versions exist and change slightly over the years. ''Mor Grib'' is also known as ''Mutter Grib'', where Mutter translates as "old woman". This story gives an entirely new meaning to the name of Gribskov. Just northwest of Gribskov, the small woodland of Valby Hegn holds a total of seven

long barrow Long barrows are a style of monument constructed across Western Europe in the fifth and fourth millennia BCE, during the Early Neolithic period. Typically constructed from earth and either timber or stone, those using the latter material repres ...

s from the neolithic.

Buildings

Gribskov is cut through by the

Gribskov Line The Gribskov Line or the Gribskov Railway ( da, Gribskovbanen, GDS) is a local passenger railway line in North Zealand north of Copenhagen, Denmark. The line runs north from Hillerød through the Gribskov forest and splits into two branches to t ...

, an old

railway line Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...

laid out in 1878, then offering the urban population a first-time opportunity to visit the forests. Near the village of

at Lake Esrum in the southeastern part of the forest is '' Skovskolen'' (lit.: The Forest School), a large school situated in the old foresters lodge, ''Skovfryd'' (lit.: Forest-joy), from 1829 to 1830. Here forest engineers, landscape engineers and nature guides are educated. In the northeastern corner is the old

. File:Mutter Gribs Hule-4.jpg, Entrance to the Stone Age passage grave of 'Mor Gribs Hule'. File:EsrumMonasteryBack.jpg, The medieval Esrom Monastery. File:Mårum Station.jpg, Mårum train station in the northwestern section of Gribskov. File:Nødebo - Skovridergården 1.JPG, Skovskolen near Nødebo.

Forestry and hunting

Gribskov has a long tradition for

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...

of all kinds. In 1736, the German forester Johann Georg von Langen participated in restoring the Danish woodlands of the time by introducing

European larch ''Larix decidua'', the European larch, is a species of larch native to the mountains of central Europe, in the Alps and Carpathian Mountains as well as the Pyrenees, with disjunct lowland populations in northern Poland and southern Lithuania. It ...

. Some of the first larch trees were planted in Gribskov in 1776 and they still can be seen there today in the northwestern parts, just east of

Mårum Mårum is a town in the Gribskov Municipality in North Zealand North Zealand, also North Sealand ( da, Nordsjælland), refers to the northern part of the Danish island of Zealand which is not clearly defined but generally covers the area no ...

. Known as ''Tinghuslærkene'' (lit.: The Tinghus-larches), one of the trees, now marked with a yellow ring and standing 36 m tall, was picked in 1935 by the Danish forestry geneticist Carl Syrach-Larsen for

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...

experimentation. From the marked tree in Gribskov, he developed a very successful hybrid with

Japanese larch ''Larix kaempferi'', the Japanese larch or karamatsu () in Japanese, is a species of larch native to Japan, in the mountains of Chūbu and Kantō regions in central Honshū.Farjon, A. (1990). ''Pinaceae. Drawings and Descriptions of the Genera ...

, able to withstand the devastating fungal larch canker disease also known as ''Lachnellula willkommii''. The hybrids also had a faster and healthier growth. The hybrid is known as ''Larix × marschlinsii'' or ''L. × eurolepis'' (discouraged name) and can also occur spontaneously, wherever European and Japanese larch grow together. Nowadays parts of Gribskov are used for seed production of species such as

. The history of

hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

in Gribskov also reaches far back in time. The most visible signs are perhaps the extensive path structures laid out in different parts of the forests, especially near Nødebo, in the years 1680–90 by King Christian V. These are long straight lines, usually designed in star-patterns, merging and radiating from strategical points. They were constructed and used for running up and tiring the game (usually deer) in so-called parforce hunting, by horse and packs of hunting dogs. The same kind of layout and design also can be seen in the nearby woodlands of

Store Dyrehave Store Dyrehave (literally Large Animal Park) is a forest located to the east of the village Ny Hammersholt immediately south of Hillerød, on both sides of Københavnsvej, in North Zealand, Denmark. Consisting of conifers and beech, it was enclo ...

and

Jægersborg Dyrehave Dyrehaven (Danish 'The Deer Park'), officially Jægersborg Dyrehave, is a forest park north of Copenhagen. It covers around . Dyrehaven is noted for its mixture of huge, ancient oak trees and large populations of red and fallow deer. In July ...

, just south of Gribskov. They all are former royal game reserves. Gribskov still is used for hunting today—in particular

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

—and some areas are not to be disturbed, but parforce hunting is illegal and has been since the year 1777.

References and notes

Sources

* Flemming Rune (2009):
Gribskov
', Vol. 1, 2 and map-appendices, Forlaget Esrum Sø, . * Lars Viinholt-Nielsen, Ole-Chr. M. Plum (2009): ''Gribskovbanen'', Dansk Jernbane-Klub, .
The Parforce Hunting landscape in North Zealand
UNESCO * Areas within Gribskov: ** Northwest

Danish Nature Agency. Pdf. and map of the area. ** Northeast

Danish Nature Agency. Pdf. and map of the area. ** Southwest

Danish Nature Agency. Pdf. and map of the area. ** Southeast

Danish Nature Agency. Pdf. and map of the area. {{World Heritage Sites in the Kingdom of Denmark Forests of Greater Copenhagen Forestry in Denmark Special Areas of Conservation in Denmark World Heritage Sites in Denmark