Søhøjlandet (English: ''The Lake-highland'') is the highest lying region in

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 ...

and at the same time, it has the highest density of lakes.Det midtjyske Søhøjland
Danish Nature Agency.

Administrative structure

Søhøjlandet lies within

Central Denmark Region The Central Denmark Region ( da, Region Midtjylland), or more directly translated as the Central Jutland Region and sometimes simply Mid Jutland, is an administrative region of Denmark established on 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish mu ...

in eastern

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 ...

and comprise

Silkeborg Municipality Silkeborg municipality is a municipality (Danish, '' kommune'') in Region Midtjylland on the Jutland peninsula in central Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 857.16 km², and has a population of 89,707 (1 April 2014). Its mayor is S ...

Aarhus Municipality Aarhus Municipality ( da, Aarhus Kommune), known as Århus Municipality ( da, Århus Kommune) until 2011, is a municipality in Central Denmark Region, on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in central Denmark. The municipality covers an area ...

Samsø Municipality Samsø Municipality is a municipality (Danish: '' kommune'') in Region of Central Denmark. Samsø municipality covers an area of 115 km2 in the Kattegat sea, between the Danish mainland of Jutland and Zealand and comprises the island of Sams ...

Odder Municipality Odder Municipality is a municipality (Danish language, Danish: ''Municipalities of Denmark, kommune'') in the Region Midtjylland, Central Denmark Region on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in Central Denmark south of Aarhus. It is a part of ...

Skanderborg Municipality Skanderborg Municipality is a municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in Region Midtjylland on the Jutland peninsula in central Denmark, just southwest of Aarhus. It has an area of 429.17 km², and has a population of 61,974 (1 January 2019). ...

, the northern part of

Horsens Municipality Horsens municipality is a municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in Region Midtjylland on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in central Denmark. The municipality includes the island of Endelave, and covers an area of 524.21 km2. It has ...

and smaller parts of Hedensted Municipality and

Favrskov Municipality Favrskov Municipality ( da, Favrskov Kommune, ) is a municipality in Central Denmark Region in Denmark north of Aarhus and is a part of the Aarhus area. According to municipal and regional key figures the municipality covers an area of and had a ...

.Søhøjlandet
Danish Nature Agency. A map of the administrative borders. The area is administered by a special department under the

Danish Nature Agency The Danish Nature Agency ( Danish: ''Naturstyrelsen'') is part of the Ministry of Environment ( da, Miljøministeriet), and deals with a number of tasks in nature conservation and forestry. In addition, the agency is in charge of operation and admi ...

; ''Nature Agency - Søhøjlandet'', who has responsibility for the management of nature, outdoor activities and public guidance in the area. In practice this implies tasks such as administering the forestry laws, advisory service to private woodlandowners on subsidies, advisory service about damage to or by wild animals and handling exemptions to game management within the area. Nature Agency - Søhøjlandet has its headquarters in the southernmost part of

Silkeborg Silkeborg () is a Danish town with a population of 49,747 (1 January 2022).Vejlsø lake.

Nature

The landscape of Søhøjlandet is characterized by extensive forests, lakes enclosed by woodlands,

heathland A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler ...

s and many smaller

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or artifi ...

s and pasture commons, covering hilly terrains. Several of the larger lakes are interconnected by the

Gudenå Gudenå or Gudenåen (), is Denmark's longest river and runs through the central parts of the Jutlandic peninsula. An anglicized version of the name often seen is 'The River Guden'. Gudenåen has its spring in Tinnet Krat, Vejle Municipality (be ...

, the longest river in Denmark. The river of Salten Å also marks the landscape. Several of the lakes in Søhøjlandet are of biological interest and the lake of Slåensø, is considered among the cleanest lakes in Denmark. Forests accounts for more than 30% of the total area of Søhøjlandet, primarily found in

Silkeborg Forests Silkeborg Forests is Denmark’s largest forest. It comprises a collection of several independent private and public woodlands, that have been allowed to merge into a single connected forest south of the city of Silkeborg. At 22,400 ha, it is Denm ...

. A larger part of Søhøjlandet is to be protected and is designated as

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 ...

EU Habitats Directive The Habitats Directive (more formally known as Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora) is a directive adopted by the European Community in 1992 as a response to the Berne Convention. The E ...

Ramsar Ramsar may refer to: * Places so named: ** Ramsar, Mazandaran, city in Iran ** Ramsar, Rajasthan, village in India * Eponyms of the Iranian city: ** Ramsar Convention concerning wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran ** Ramsar site, wetland listed in ...

and various bird protection areas. The bird life is rich and varied and of international importance.

Gallery

Typical landscapes of Søhøjlandet: File:Blakshøj udsigt mod syd 02.jpg File:964Silkeborgsøerne.jpg File:Tranevig.jpg File:HimmelbjergetView.jpg File:Gudenaa ved Langsøs Udloeb.jpg File:Ørnsø.jpg File:Sejs-Svejbæk set fra Sindbjerg 2.jpg

References

Sources

Søhøjlandet
Danske Bjerge

External links

Søhøjlandet
Danish Nature Agency Central Denmark Region Nature in Denmark Nature conservation in Denmark Forestry agencies Environmental agencies in Denmark Forestry in Denmark Extreme points of Denmark {{CentralDK-stub