Hærvejen (

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 ance ...

, literally: ''the army road'', german: link=no, Ochsenweg, literally: ''

oxen An ox ( : oxen, ), also known as a bullock (in BrE British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Oxford Dictionaries, "English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer spec ...

way'', nds, Ossenpadd, literally: oxen path), sometimes referred to in English as the Ox Road, is the name given to an ancient trackway in Denmark and

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sch ...

. The route runs from Viborg via

Flensburg Flensburg (; Danish, Low Saxon: ''Flensborg''; North Frisian: ''Flansborj''; South Jutlandic: ''Flensborre'') is an independent town (''kreisfreie Stadt'') in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the ...

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, the territory of which it entered at Ochsenzoll ("oxen toll", "toll" in the meaning of "customs") and where it connected with other roads. It has been known by several other names throughout history, most importantly "the Cattle Road" (''Studevejen'') and "the Oxen Road" or "Ox Road" (''Oksevejen'' / ''Ochsenweg'').

History

The road runs more or less along the

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

of the

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

Peninsula, known as the ''Jyske Højderyg'' (Jutland Ridge), similar to the ridgeways in England. By using this route one could avoid rivers, or ford them close to their origins where they were still shallow. As time went by this route was improved with paved fords, embankments and bridges. Concentrations of mounds, defensive ditches, settlements and other historic landmarks can be found along the road. While sections of it can be traced as far back as 4000 BC, newer road construction has erased many traces. Some of them show a width of up to .''Drunter oder drüber: Elbquerungen gestern und heute'' (Brochure on the exhibition in Staatsarchiv Hamburg between 30 October till 20 December 2002 on occasion of the opening of the 4th bore of the Elbe Tunnel), Joachim W. Frank (ed.), Hamburg: Staatsarchiv Hamburg / Amt für Geoinformation und Vermessung, 2002, p. 8. The use of the road declined during the Viking age, as transportation by ship became more convenient. New cities were constructed along the coast instead of the road. Two of

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 oldest settlements, Viborg and Jelling are situated along the road. In the southern, narrow part of the Jutish peninsula the trackway followed the edge of western marshes and eastern moraine country. Near Haderslev,

Åbenrå Aabenraa (; , ; Sønderjysk: ''Affenråe'') is a town in Southern Denmark The Region of Southern Denmark ( da, Region Syddanmark, ; german: Region Süddänemark, ; frr, Regiuun Syddanmark) is an administrative region of Denmark established ...

, and Schleswig, it branched into western bypasses on the hills and accesses to the towns, each of them localized at the inner end of a long, narrow bay. One of the southern ends of the Ochsenweg has given its name to a suburb of

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

: ''Ochsenzoll'' is the locality of the ancient custom post. Part of the tracks westerly bypassed Hamburg towards Wedel bei Hamburg or Blankenese, where a ferry passing the Elbe connected to Cranz (then Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen). An easterly bypass headed for

Zollenspieker Ferry The Zollenspieker Ferry is a ferry across the Elbe river (here Unterelbe) in Germany. It crosses between ''Zollenspieker'', a part of the quarter Kirchwerder of the Bergedorf borough of the city-state of Hamburg, and ''Hoopte'', part of the town Wi ...

(a Hamburg-Lübeckian condominium between 1420 and 1868), passing the same river towards Hoopte in the then Principality of Lunenburg.''Drunter oder drüber: Elbquerungen gestern und heute'' (Brochure on the exhibition in Staatsarchiv Hamburg between 30 October till 20 December 2002 on occasion of the opening of the 4th bore of the Elbe Tunnel), Joachim W. Frank (ed.), Hamburg: Staatsarchiv Hamburg / Amt für Geoinformation und Vermessung, 2002, p. 11. From south of the Elbe the cattle tracks continued up to

Westphalia Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regio ...

Use

The road was primarily a trade road. The most important commodity was livestock (especially the eponymous

), but also amber, hides, honey and fur went south. Annually up to 50,000 head of cattle came along the oxen road prior to the Industrial Age. Metal, glass and weapons went north. In spite of the most familiar Danish name, it was seldom used for military invasions, neither northwards, nor southwards. Nevertheless, many defensive constructions can be found straddling the road up through Jutland.

Today

Today modern highways follow the route of the old road. At a few places it is still possible to see the old tracks, embankments, sheep pens and fords. Parts of it have been converted into a long-distance walking route. A popular walk known as ''Hærvejsmarchen'' takes place each year. An international cycle route has been marked from the

Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Repu ...

to Viborg.

Notes

External links

Website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haervejen Geography of Denmark Geography of Schleswig-Holstein Trade routes Cycleways in Denmark Cycle paths in Schleswig-Holstein Hiking trails in Denmark Former toll roads Transport in the Region of Southern Denmark Transport in the Central Denmark Region