Riis Skov (''Riis' Forest'' or ''The Forest of Riis'') is a forest and park in

Århus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...

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 ...

. It is located south of the district of

Risskov Risskov is the name of both a neighbourhood and a district in the city of Aarhus, Denmark. The district of Risskov is sometimes referred to as Vejlby-Risskov, as it is a merger of the neighbourhood of Risskov and the neighbourhood of Vejlby. The ...

, along the

Bay of Aarhus The Bay of Aarhus, or Aarhus Bay, is a Danish waterway by Aarhus in eastern Jutland. The Bay of Aarhus is bounded by Kalø Vig in the north, Sletterhage and Helgenæs in the east, Samsø and Tunø to the south and the east Jutland coast to the wes ...

History

This small patch of forest, was formally presented to Aarhus in 1395, by Queen Margaret I. Riis Skov was the first public forest in Denmark, where forests traditionally were owned and managed by the Royal family or the nobility and in some cases ordinary farmers. Timber and firewood were very important resources in former times, needed for shipbuilding, house construction and various other important structures, or simply for heating and cooking. Although Riis Skov was a public forest, there was still active

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 ...

going on until around the year 1800, when the large oaks were cut and used for

quay A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths (mooring location ...

-building in the Aarhus harbour. A few of them are still left, as some of the oldest trees in the forest. The forestry aspect gradually diminished and Riis Skov was increasingly viewed as a recreational area by the citizens. On the evening of October 2, 1951, at 18:15, a

meteorite A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or Natural satellite, moon. When the ...

exploded above Aarhus and one of two pieces was recovered in Riis Skov, just a few minutes after impact. A memorial stone commemorates the event.

Recreation

Riis Skov has a long cultural history as a recreational area for Aarhus and its citizens and several buildings in the forest still stands as witnesses; the public sea-bath ''

Den Permanente Den Permanente (lit: The Permanent) is a sea bath and a beach in Aarhus, Denmark. Den Permanente is situated below the woodland park Riis Skov north of the city centre and along the railway line of Aarhus Nærbane. Den Permanente is one of two ...

'' from 1933, the inn of ''Sjette Frederiks Kro'' (named after King

Frederik VI Frederick VI (Danish and no, Frederik; 28 January 17683 December 1839) was King of Denmark from 13 March 1808 to 3 December 1839 and King of Norway from 13 March 1808 to 7 February 1814, making him the last king of Denmark–Norway. From 1784 ...

) from 1825, Aarhus Citizens Shooting Associations headquarters from 1881 and the old Dancing Pavillon from 1869, now a

hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory, with shared use of a lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and have private or shared b ...

.Danhostel Aarhus
/ref> The forest is a protected area and the commercial

activities are limited nowadays.

Nature

The forest is largely 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 ...

, but with

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 ...

larch Larches are deciduous conifers in the genus ''Larix'', of the family Pinaceae (subfamily Laricoideae). Growing from tall, they are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the north and high on mountains furt ...

maple ''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since http ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

mixed in at some places. Although beech is dominant, Riis Skov is not a

natural beech forest Natural beech wood is a beech wood, that is able to replenish and sustain itself on its own. Beech is a valued timber, but most beech woods require human intervention to replace old trees, since the young trees are not able to survive at all, or ...

and new trees are planted occasionally to replenish the old growth. As a curiosity, the forest floor of Riis Skov is covered by

ramson ''Allium ursinum'', known as wild garlic, ramsons, cowleekes, cows's leek, cowleek, buckrams, broad-leaved garlic, wood garlic, bear leek, Eurasian wild garlic or bear's garlic, is a bulbous perennial flowering plant in the amaryllis family Amary ...

s in the spring. It is said, that this culinary plant was brought here by camping Spanish soldiers during

the Napoleonic wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

. While Spanish soldiers indeed camped in Aarhus, ramson have been growing in Denmark since the last glacial period and it might have been here in Riis Skov since the 13th century, before the Spaniards came along. Riis Skov (maj) 01.JPG, In spring, the forest floor is completely covered by ramson. Anemoner i Riis Skov.JPG, A few rare spots are dominated by wood anemones (''

Anemone nemorosa ''Anemonoides nemorosa'' (syn. ''Anemone nemorosa''), the wood anemone, is an early-spring flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to Europe. Other common names include windflower, European thimbleweed, and smell fox, an all ...

'') instead of ramsons. Footpath in Riisskov.JPG, Footpaths crisscross the forest. Riisgaards Bæk 03.JPG, ''Riisgaards Bæk'', a small stream at the bottom of a broad gully. Væltet træ i Riis Skov.JPG, Fallen trees are often left to decay in order to increase and sustain the

biodiversity 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'') l ...

. Beskyttelsesrum i Riis Skov.jpg, Leaffall brings out the colours. The forest is dotted with concrete air-raid shelters from WW II.

References

Sources

* Helge Daus (2010): ''"Riis Skov - Europas mest besøgte skov"'' Forfatterforlaget ATTIKA,
Excursions in Riis Skov (pdf)
Aarhus Municipality (Naturemanagement) (2004)

External links

Excursions in Riis Skov (pdf)
Aarhus Municipality (Naturemanagement) (2004) {{coord, 56, 10, 40, N, 10, 13, 30, E, region:DK_type:forest_source:kolossus-dawiki, display=title Urban forests in Denmark Forests of Aarhus Parks in Aarhus Aarhus N