The Varde ( da, Varde Å) is a river of

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 ...

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 = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. With a length of approximately , it is the third longest watercourse in Denmark, and has a catchment area of . The river flows through the municipalities of

Varde Varde is a Danish city in southwestern Jutland and is the primary city in the municipality of Varde, in Region of Southern Denmark. In 2015 municipality changed its motto to "We in nature" to emphasize its rural atmosphere. The town has an old ma ...

and

Esbjerg Esbjerg (, ) is a seaport town and seat of Esbjerg Municipality on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. By road, it is west of Kolding and southwest of Aarhus. With an urban population of 71,698 (1 January 2022)

, forming the boundary between them along parts of its course.

Course

The Varde is formed by the confluence of the Grindsted and the Ansager."Varde Å"
''

Den Store Danske Den may refer to: * Den (room), a small room in a house * Maternity den, a lair where an animal gives birth Media and entertainment * ''Den'' (album), 2012, by Kreidler * Den (''Battle Angel Alita''), a character in the ''Battle Angel Alita ...

'', retrieved 6 July 2014 Approximately downstream from that point, the majority of the river's flow was diverted by a

weir A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

into the Ansager Canal leading to a reservoir, Lake Karlsgårde, to be used for hydroelectric power generation at the Karlsgårde Hydroelectric Plant near

. Since 2006, the plant operator, Sydvest Energi, has given up its rights to dam and divert watercourses in the Varde

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

, and the river now flows past Hodde, bypassing the reservoir, which is now fed only by the Holme River. The plant is to be entirely closed down by the end of 2015. In its lower reaches the river winds past the estate of Nørholm, and at Sig, past Sig Fiskeri, one of the largest fish farms in Denmark. The fish farm continues to draw water from the river, because the owner believes the

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated ...

contains too much iron oxide. The Holme then flows into the Varde, bringing with it the water from Lake Karlsgårde. The river flows around the town of Varde and empties into the Ho Bugt bay north of

. The Varde is the only major

tidal river A tidal river is a river whose flow and level are influenced by tides. A section of a larger river affected by the tides is a tidal reach, but it may sometimes be considered a tidal river if it has been given a separate name. Generally, tidal ri ...

in Denmark whose outlet is not regulated with dykes and

sluice gate Sluice ( ) is a word for a channel controlled at its head by a movable gate which is called a sluice gate. A sluice gate is traditionally a wood or metal barrier sliding in grooves that are set in the sides of the waterway and can be considered ...

s. As a result, the river remains under the influence of natural forces; for example, the

tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...

s in the bay affect both water level and flow rate far upriver, often as far as the outflow from Lake Karlsgårde.

Municipal boundaries

For part of its course the Varde makes up the boundary between

Varde Municipality Varde Municipality is a municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in Region of Southern Denmark on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. Its mayor is Erik Buhl Nielsen, a member of the Venstre (Liberal Party) political party. ...

and

Esbjerg Municipality Esbjerg Municipality () is a municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in Region of Southern Denmark on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. Its mayor is Jesper Frost Rasmussen, from the Venstre (Center-Right Party) political ...

Parish boundaries

For parts of its course the Varde makes up the boundary between the following

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

es: * Ansager and Skovlund * Hodde and Thorstrup * Thorstrup and Øse * Thorstrup and Næsbjerg * Varde and Næsbjerg * Varde Sogn and Alslev * Janderup and Alslev * Janderup and Hostrup * Billum and Hostrup

History

The long stretch of the Varde between the Ansager weir and the inflow from Lake Karlsgårde lost approximately 90% of its flow in 1945 when the Karlsgårde Hydroelectric Plant, originally constructed in the 1920s, was expanded with the construction of the Ansager Canal to draw water from the Varde as well as the Holme. In the 1950s, the section of the river between Hessel and Nørholm was dredged and straightened. Originally long, with 35 bends, this stretch was reduced in length to a straight channel long with four concrete sections. A large part of the straightening of the river has been reversed beginning in 2009 in a

land restoration Land restoration, which may include renaturalisation or rewilding, is the process of ecological restoration of a site to a natural landscape and habitat, safe for humans, wildlife, and plant communities. Ecological destruction, to which land resto ...

project supported by the Actions for Houting project of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

LIFE Programme. The lower river valley, west of Varde, was previously under intensive cultivation, among other uses for the production of horse feed with EU support. Beginning in 1994–95, farmers have modified their practices, no longer using fertiliser and keeping vegetation cut, which it is hoped in association with the higher water table will restore habitat for birds, in particular the endangered corncrake. In 1997–2002 more than 250 voluntarily signed 20-year agreements under ''Operation Engsnarre'' (Operation Corncrake), also supported by the EU LIFE Programme.

Aquatic life

The Varde River is home to many species of fish, including brown trout, grayling,

pike Pike, Pikes or The Pike may refer to: Fish * Blue pike or blue walleye, an extinct color morph of the yellow walleye ''Sander vitreus'' * Ctenoluciidae, the "pike characins", some species of which are commonly known as pikes * ''Esox'', genus of ...

and houting, and also

salmon Salmon () is the common name for several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family Salmonidae, which are native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (genus ''Salmo'') and North Pacific (genus '' Oncorhy ...

and sea trout, which attract many sport anglers. Fishing in the river is managed by the Grindsted Sportsfiskerforening (sport fishing association), Varde Sportsfiskerforening and Sydvestjydsk (Southwest Jutland) Sportsfiskerforening. The river is also the only habitat in Denmark of the

freshwater pearl mussel The freshwater pearl mussel (''Margaritifera margaritifera'') is an endangered species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusc in the family Margaritiferidae. Although the name "freshwater pearl mussel" is often used for this species, ...

. The Varde River together with the lower reaches of the Ansager and the Grindsted has been designated an EU

Special Area of Conservation A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and a ...

. The designation also covers the majority of the existing lowlands in the river valley. In the designation, the houting and the freshwater pearl mussel were identified as priority species; especial weight is to be given to fulfilment of provisions relating to their habitat.

Recreation

In addition to fishing, Varde Roklub uses the river for

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...

between April and October on the stretch between the Karlsgårde Hydroelectric Plant and the Tarphage bridge near Billum. The club turned 75 in 2014.John Balje
"Varde Roklub 75 års jubilæum"
5 May 2014

References

{{Coord, 55.5795, N, 8.3190, E, source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:DK, display=title Rivers of Jutland