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 ...
, literally: ''the army road'', german: link=no, Ochsenweg, literally: '' oxen way'', nds, Ossenpadd, literally: oxen path), sometimes referred to in English as the Ox Road, is the name given to an
ancient trackway
Historic roads (historic trails in USA and Canada) are paths or routes that have historical importance due to their use over a period of time. Examples exist from prehistoric times until the early 20th century. They include ancient trackways ...
in Denmark and
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sc ...
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
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, postal ...
, the territory of which it entered at Ochsenzoll ("oxen toll", "toll" in the meaning of "customs") and where it connected with other roads. It has been known by several other names throughout history, most importantly "the Cattle Road" (''Studevejen'') and "the Oxen Road" or "Ox Road" (''Oksevejen'' / ''Ochsenweg'').
History
The road runs more or less along the watershed of the
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 ...
Peninsula, known as the ''Jyske Højderyg'' (Jutland Ridge), similar to the ridgeways in England. By using this route one could avoid rivers, or ford them close to their origins where they were still shallow. As time went by this route was improved with paved fords, embankments and bridges. Concentrations of mounds, defensive ditches, settlements and other historic landmarks can be found along the road. While sections of it can be traced as far back as 4000 BC, newer road construction has erased many traces. Some of them show a width of up to .''Drunter oder drüber: Elbquerungen gestern und heute'' (Brochure on the exhibition in Staatsarchiv Hamburg between 30 October till 20 December 2002 on occasion of the opening of the 4th bore of the Elbe Tunnel), Joachim W. Frank (ed.), Hamburg: Staatsarchiv Hamburg / Amt für Geoinformation und Vermessung, 2002, p. 8. The use of the road declined during the Viking age, as transportation by ship became more convenient. New cities were constructed along the coast instead of the road.
Two of
Denmark
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, 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 ...
Jelling
Jelling is a railway town in Denmark with a population of 3,658 (1 January 2022), located in Jelling Parish, approximately 10 km northwest of Vejle. The town lies 105 metres above sea level.
Location
Jelling is located in Vejle municipal ...
are situated along the road.
In the southern, narrow part of the Jutish peninsula the trackway followed the edge of western marshes and eastern moraine country. Near
Haderslev
Haderslev (; german: Hadersleben ) is a Danish town in the Region of Southern Denmark with a population of 22,011 (1 January 2022).Åbenrå, Flensburg, and
Schleswig
The Duchy of Schleswig ( da, Hertugdømmet Slesvig; german: Herzogtum Schleswig; nds, Hartogdom Sleswig; frr, Härtochduum Slaswik) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km ...
, it branched into western bypasses on the hills and accesses to the towns, each of them localized at the inner end of a long, narrow bay. One of the southern ends of the Ochsenweg has given its name to a suburb of
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
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, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
: ''Ochsenzoll'' is the locality of the ancient custom post.
Part of the tracks westerly bypassed Hamburg towards Wedel bei Hamburg or
Blankenese
Blankenese () is a suburban quarter in the borough of Altona in the western part of Hamburg, Germany; until 1938 it was an independent municipality in Holstein. It is located on the right bank of the Elbe river. With a population of 13,637 as of ...
, where a ferry passing the Elbe connected to Cranz (then
Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen
The Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen (german: Fürsterzbistum Bremen) — not to be confused with the modern Archdiocese of Hamburg, founded in 1994 — was an ecclesiastical principality (787–1566/1648) of the Holy Roman Empire and the Catholic ...
). An easterly bypass headed for
Zollenspieker Ferry
The Zollenspieker Ferry is a ferry across the Elbe river (here Unterelbe) in Germany. It crosses between ''Zollenspieker'', a part of the quarter Kirchwerder of the Bergedorf borough of the city-state of Hamburg, and ''Hoopte'', part of the town Wi ...
(a Hamburg-Lübeckian condominium between 1420 and 1868), passing the same river towards Hoopte in the then Principality of Lunenburg.''Drunter oder drüber: Elbquerungen gestern und heute'' (Brochure on the exhibition in Staatsarchiv Hamburg between 30 October till 20 December 2002 on occasion of the opening of the 4th bore of the Elbe Tunnel), Joachim W. Frank (ed.), Hamburg: Staatsarchiv Hamburg / Amt für Geoinformation und Vermessung, 2002, p. 11. From south of the Elbe the cattle tracks continued up to
Westphalia
Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants.
The territory of the regio ...
.
Use
The road was primarily a trade road. The most important commodity was livestock (especially the eponymous oxen), but also amber, hides, honey and fur went south. Annually up to 50,000 head of cattle came along the oxen road prior to the Industrial Age. Metal, glass and weapons went north. In spite of the most familiar Danish name, it was seldom used for military invasions, neither northwards, nor southwards. Nevertheless, many defensive constructions can be found straddling the road up through Jutland.
Today
Today modern highways follow the route of the old road. At a few places it is still possible to see the old tracks, embankments, sheep pens and fords.
Parts of it have been converted into a long-distance walking route. A popular walk known as ''Hærvejsmarchen'' takes place each year. An international cycle route has been marked from the
Elbe
The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Re ...