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 2015.
The landscape comprises three main areas:
Store Dyrehave,
Gribskov
Gribskov (Grib Forest) is Denmark's fourth largest forest, comprising c. 5,600 ha of woodland situated in northern Zealand, west and south of Lake Esrum. The forest is owned and administered by the State of Denmark, and a part of the Kongernes N ...
and
Jægersborg Dyrehave/Jægersborg Hegn, and contains the most significant hunting grounds for the medieval nobility in Denmark.
The central-star grid design of the landscape, with numbered roads and stone posts, fences, demonstrates the unique planning and design of hunting landscapes in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Location
The three forests are all located in the North Zealand peninsula to the north of Copenhagen. Jægersborg Dyrehave with the fenced Jægersborg Hegn is closest to the capital on the peninsula's east coast. The square-shaped Store Dyrehave is located further to the north in the centre of the peninsula while Gribskov, further north still, is adjacent to
Esrum Sø. Store Dyrehave and Gribskov are not far from
Frederiksborg Palace and the town of
Hillerød
Background
The forests and related buildings in three locations to the north of
Copenhagen formed parts of a well-preserved Baroque hunting landscape designed in the late 17th and early 18th centuries for the Danish monarchs to participate in
par force hunting. The history of the area for hunting dates back to the
Middle Ages when the Danish kings, the church and noblemen had estates and hunting grounds in the peninsula's hilly forests and undulating farmlands. In connection with the
Danish Reformation
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 ...
, in 1536
King Frederick II confiscated the estates belonging to the Catholic Church. From 1560, the various estates were merged in order to establish an extensive royal hunting park across the North Zealand peninsula. It was, however
King Christian V
Christian V (15 April 1646 25 August 1699) was king of Denmark and Norway from 1670 until his death in 1699.
Well-regarded by the common people, he was the first king anointed at Frederiksborg Castle chapel as absolute monarch since the decree ...
who, from 1670, put his army to work on creating a par force deer park around Ibstrup Castle. In his youth, the king had experienced par force hunting in France's forest of
Saint-Germain-en-Laye. He then imported hounds and huntsmen from England, renaming the castle
Jægersborg (hunter's castle) and the estate
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 ...
(Jægersborg deer park).
One of the most important aspects of the par force hunt was that it provided a basis for demonstrating the absolute power of the monarch by developing connecting roads across the landscape. The entire North Zealand peninsula area was patterned with a Cartesian-based road system consisting of stars surrounded by distinct squares. Stone posts indicated whether roads led towards or away from the centre of the star. The mathematical approach reinforced the king's image as a representative of reason in line with Baroque ideals.
[ The Danish orthogonal geometry of the road systems was an improvement on the star-shaped grids used in France and Germany as it provided equal access to all parts of the forest.][
The Jægersborg hunting park contained no star-shaped road networks but was instead based on the presence of a royal hunting lodge, initially known as the Hermitage or Hubertus House. In 1736, it was rebuilt in Baroque style as or the Hermitage Hunting Lodge, with a grand view over the surrounding landscape from its hilltop location.][
]
Danish Museum of Hunting and Forestry
Much of the preparatory work on the UNESCO nomination was undertaken by Jette Baagøe, director of the Danish Museum of Hunting and Forestry
The Danish Museum of Hunting and Forestry (Danish: Dansk Jagt- og Skovbrugsmuseum) was a state-owned museum in Hørsholm exhibiting objects connected with the history of hunting and forestry in Denmark. It is now closely associated with the UNESCO- ...
in Hørsholm
Hørsholm () is an urban area on the Øresund coast approximately north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It covers most of Hørsholm Municipality and straddles the borders neighbouring Fredensborg Municipality and Rudersdal Municipality.
Hørsholm prop ...
and chair of the steering group which has worked on the nomination since 2010. The museum is expected to be the site manager and principal coordinator of information and news about the Par Force heritage site. On the basis of the significant increase in visitors to Stevns Museum resulting from the inclusion of Stevns Klint
Stevns Klint, known as the Cliffs of Stevns in English, is a white chalk cliff located some southeast of Store Heddinge on the Danish island of Zealand. Stretching along the coast, it is of geological importance as one of the best exposed Cr ...
as a UNESCO heritage site in 2014, Baagøe expects more visitors to the museums of North Zealand, especially to the Museum of Hunting and Forestry where a special exhibition will be devoted to the Par Force Hunting Landscape in October 2015.
See also
* Danish Museum of Hunting and Forestry
The Danish Museum of Hunting and Forestry (Danish: Dansk Jagt- og Skovbrugsmuseum) was a state-owned museum in Hørsholm exhibiting objects connected with the history of hunting and forestry in Denmark. It is now closely associated with the UNESCO- ...
* Kongernes Nordsjælland
Kongernes Nordsjælland (Royal North Zealand) is a national park in the northern region of the island of Zealand, Denmark. It opened in 2018.
Description
Kongernes Nordsjælland cover with the forest of Gribskov and the lake of Esrum Sø at it ...
References
External links
The official site for the UNESCO par force hunting landscape in North Zealand
* UNESCO (2015)
The par force hunting landscape in North Zealand
admission and full description.
* UNESCO (2010)
The Parforce Hunting landscape in North Zealand
submission and arguments.
about the hunting dogs
{{World Heritage Sites in the Kingdom of Denmark
World Heritage Sites in Denmark
Forests of Denmark
Deer hunting
Hunting in Denmark
Tourist attractions in the Capital Region of Denmark