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Møns Klint is a 6 km stretch of
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
and
chalk Chalk is a soft, white, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock. It is a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton that had settled to the sea floor. Ch ...
cliff In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on co ...
s along the eastern coast of 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 ...
island of Møn in the
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...
. Some of the cliffs fall a sheer 120 m to the sea below. The highest cliff is , which is 128 m above sea level. The area around Møns Klint consists of woodlands, pastures, ponds and steep hills, including ''
Aborrebjerg Aborrebjerg is a hill on the Danish island of Møn. Geography The hill stands at and is the highest point in Møn island and the eighth in Denmark, very close to Møns Klint. Aborrebjerg is mainly covered by wood and shrubs like junipers; b ...
'' which, with a height of 143 m, is one of the highest points in Denmark. The cliffs and adjacent park are now protected as a nature reserve. Møns Klint receives around 250,000 visitors a year. There are clearly marked paths for walkers, riders and cyclists. The path along the cliff tops leads to steps down to the shore in several locations. On 29 May 2007, close to the cliff tops, the
GeoCenter Møns Klint GeoCenter Møns Klint is a geological museum on the island of Møn in southeastern Denmark. Located close to the top of the chalk cliffs known as Møns Klint, it was opened on 29 May 2007 by Queen Margrethe. The building was designed by PLH Archite ...
was opened by Queen Margrethe. The geological museum with interactive computer displays and a variety of attractions for children traces the geological prehistory of Denmark and the formation of the chalk cliffs. The museum was designed by PLH Architects, the winners of an international
design competition A design competition or design contest is a competition in which an entity solicits design proposals from the public for a specified purpose. Architecture An architectural design competition solicits architects to submit design proposals for a b ...
.


Geology

The chalk forming the cliffs consists of the remains of shells from millions of microscopic creatures (
coccolithophores Coccolithophores, or coccolithophorids, are single celled organisms which are part of the phytoplankton, the autotrophic (self-feeding) component of the plankton community. They form a group of about 200 species, and belong either to the kingdo ...
) which lived on the seabed over 70 million years ago. As a result of huge pressure from glaciers moving west, the terrain was compacted and pushed upwards, forming a number of hills and folds. When the ice melted at the end of the last
ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gre ...
about 11,000 years ago, the cliffs emerged. They form part of the same deposits as the cliffs of
Rügen Rügen (; la, Rugia, ) is Germany's largest island. It is located off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic Sea and belongs to the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The "gateway" to Rügen island is the Hanseatic city of Stralsund, where ...
, Germany, on the other side of the Baltic. Today, it is possible to find fossils of various types of shellfish as the sea continues to erode the chalk. Erosion also caused one of the highest points on the cliffs, the ''"Sommerspiret"'', to fall into the sea in 1998, and in January 2007, there was an even larger landslide around the ''Store Taler'', in the northern part of the cliffs, creating a 300-m long peninsula of chalk and fallen trees stretching out into the sea below.


Nature

Because of the special nature of the chalky soil, there are many rare plants in the area, particularly several varieties of
orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowerin ...
which are at their best in early summer. In particular, the tall
lady orchid ''Orchis purpurea'', the lady orchid, is a herbaceous plant belonging to the genus ''Orchis'' of the family Orchidaceae. Description ''Orchis purpurea'' reaches on average of height. The leaves are broad and oblong-lanceolate, forming a ros ...
(Orchis purpurea) grows under the staircases leading down to the beach. The chalk also provides a distinctive light green tint to the beech trees along the top of the cliffs, maintaining their spring hues throughout the summer season. In the hilly park which stretches a couple of kilometers inland, there are a number of ponds and marshes, many populated by trees. Several signposted circuits provide opportunities for walkers, riders and cyclists to discover the surroundings. In recent years, the peregrine falcon, the fastest of all birds as it swoops down to its prey at 350 km/h, has been observed breeding on Møns Klint. And the extremely rare large blue butterfly (Maculinea arion) can also be found in the area.


Points of interest

Liselund Park, at the northern end of the cliffs, is an attractive combination of small houses, ponds and rolling lawns built by Antoine de la Calmette for his wife Elisabeth or ''Lise'' at the end of the 18th century. Klintholm Estate, da, Klintholm Gods, to the west of the wooded area along the cliffs, is a collection of old farm buildings dating back to 1780 and a large park. The manor house which used to form part of the estate was demolished in 2000 as a result of dry rot. The
GeoCenter Møns Klint GeoCenter Møns Klint is a geological museum on the island of Møn in southeastern Denmark. Located close to the top of the chalk cliffs known as Møns Klint, it was opened on 29 May 2007 by Queen Margrethe. The building was designed by PLH Archite ...
is a geological museum close to the top of the chalk cliffs. The museum explains the geology of the chalk cliffs and has exhibitions on the fossils found in the chalk. Near the museum start several walks to the cliffs, including two spectacular stairways from the top of the cliff to the beach.


Access

Møns Klint can be reached by road either directly from Stege or from Klintholm Havn. In the summer, there is a regular bus service. Accommodation is available within the cliff area itself or in hotels and pensions in the vicinity. There is a camping site close to the main entrance to the park and a youth hostel nearby.


Møns Klint in art

Møns Klint has been a popular subject for landscape painters, especially during the
Danish Golden Age The Danish Golden Age ( da, Den danske guldalder) covers a period of exceptional creative production in Denmark, especially during the first half of the 19th century.Kulturnet DanmarkGuide to the Danish Golden Age Although Copenhagen had suffered ...
when the national romanticism movement encouraged artists to take renewed interest in the Danish countryside. A few examples are shown below. File:Eckersberg møns klint.jpg, View of Møns Klint and Sommerspiret by
Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg (2 January 1783 – 22 July 1853) was a Danish painter. He was born in Blåkrog in the Southern Jutland region of Denmark. He went on to lay the foundation for the period of art known as the Golden Age of Da ...
(1809) File:Skovgaard Parti fra Møns Klint.jpg, Part of Møns Klint by Peter Christian Skovgaard (1852) File:Sødring Møns Klint Sommerspiret.jpg, Part of Møns Klint with the Sommerspiret by Frederik Hansen Sødring (1830) File:Louis gurlitt møns klint.jpg, Møns Klint by Louis Gurlitt (1842)
File:Klintekorset ved Møens klint.jpg, Cliff cross at Møns Klint by Christian Dahl (1815) File:Udsigt over havet fra Taleren på Møns Klint, 1851.jpg, View of the sea from Taleren on Møns Klint by Peter Christian Skovgaard (1851) File:Sødring Kreidefelsen Møn.jpg, Chalk cliff on Møn by Frederik Hansen Sødring (1831) File:Djævlekløften i Liselunds have på Møn (Eckersberg).jpg, Devil's cleft at Liselund by
Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg (2 January 1783 – 22 July 1853) was a Danish painter. He was born in Blåkrog in the Southern Jutland region of Denmark. He went on to lay the foundation for the period of art known as the Golden Age of Da ...
(1809) File:Skovgaard Udsigt over havet fra Møens Klint 1850.JPG, View over the sea from Møns Klint by Peter Christian Skovgaard (1850)


References


External links


Hybrid map from Google maps showing the cliffs along the eastern coast of Møn







The large landslide of Store Taler (now Store Taler Fald) in 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mons Klint Cliffs of Denmark Møn Tourist attractions in Region Zealand Geology of Denmark