Jammerbugt Municipality is a municipality ( Danish: '' kommune'') in the North Jutland Region on the North Jutlandic Island. It is located along the coast of

Skagerrak The Skagerrak (, , ) is a strait running between the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, the southeast coast of Norway and the west coast of Sweden, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea area through the Danish Straits to the Baltic Sea. T ...

to the north and the

Limfjord The Limfjord ( common Danish: ''Limfjorden'' , in north Jutlandish dialect: ''Æ Limfjord'') is a shallow part of the sea, located in Denmark where it has been regarded as a fjord ever since Viking times. However, it now has inlets both from ...

to the south. It borders the municipalities of

Thisted Thisted is a town in the municipality of Thisted in the North Denmark Region of Denmark. It has a population of 13,461 (1 January 2022)Vesthimmerland,

Aalborg Aalborg (, , ) is Denmark's List of cities in Denmark by population, fourth largest town (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an Urban area, urban population of 143,598 (1 July ...

Brønderslev Brønderslev is a city in Denmark with a population of 12,549 (1 January 2022). The city is the largest urban area in Brønderslev Municipality and is the municipal seat. It is the fourth largest city of Vendsyssel within the North Jutland Regio ...

and

Hjørring Hjørring () is a town on the island of Vendsyssel-Thy at the top of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Hjørring Municipality in the North Jutland Region. The population is 25,644 (ac ...

. Jammerbugt Municipality was formed during the municipal reform of 2007, when the municipalities of

Brovst Municipality Until January 1, 2007 Brovst Municipality was a municipality ( Danish: '' kommune'') in the former North Jutland County, on the North Jutlandic Island, bordering the Limfjord to the south and the North Sea to the north. The municipality covered an ...

, Fjerritslev Municipality, Pandrup Municipality and Aabybro Municipality were merged. Since the municipality's foundation in 2007 the mayor has been Mogens Christian Gade of the Venstre party. Mogens Christian Gade was also the mayor of Brovst Municipality since 2002 and until it was dissolved in 2007. The name of the region, the Jammerbugt, translating to the ''Bay of Woe'', was originally given due to the numerous shipwrecks laid there. The municipality include the uninhabited islands of Fruensholm and Troldholme.

History

In the Middle Ages, Denmark was divided into

syssel A syssel is a historical type of country subdivision in Denmark and elsewhere in Scandinavia. The mediaeval Danish ''sysler'' may be compared to the '' fylker'' of Norway, the ''landskaps'' of Sweden and Finland, the shires of England and Scotland, ...

s. The area that currently make up Jammerbugt Municipality was known as Han Hundred (Danish: ''Han Herred'') and belonged to the syssel of Thysyssel. It later came under the fief of

Aalborghus Aalborghus Castle ( da, Aalborghus Slot) is a castle in Aalborg, Denmark. It is a half-timbered (''bindingsværk'') castle built by King Christian III from 1539 to around 1555 initially as a fortification. A building had existed at the site befor ...

. In 1662 Han Hundred was merged with a number of hundreds and came under Åstrup, Sejlstrup, Børglum County. The county lasted until 1793. Vester Han Hundred, making up approximately half of the current Jammerbugt Municipality's borders, came under

Thisted County Thisted County ( da, Thisted Amt) is a former province in Denmark, located on the north-westernmost part of the country It encompassed the westernmost part of the island of Vendsyssel-Thy. It was dissolved in 1970 when the bulk of it was merged i ...

, while Øster Han Hundred and Hvetbo Hundred, making up the other half, came under

Hjørring County Hjørring County () is a former province in Denmark, located on the northern tip of Jutland and encompassing most of the island of Vendsyssel-Thy and the island of Læsø. Hjørring County was established in 1793 and abolished in 1970 when it merge ...

. These counties lasted until the 1970 Danish Municipal Reform where they came under the

North Jutland County North Jutland County ( da, Nordjyllands Amt) is a former county (Danish: ''amt'') in northern Denmark. It was located on the eastern half of Vendsyssel-Thy and the northernmost part of the Jutland peninsula. It was the largest county in Denmark ...

. In 1842 Denmark was divided into smaller administrative divisions, namely parish municipalities (Danish: ''sognekommunner''). The borders of these municipalities were largely based on the country's

parishes 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 or ...

. In the 1970 municipal reform these parish municipalities were dissolved. Three parish municipalities were merged to create Aabybro Municipality, three were merged to form Pandrup Municipality and seven were merged to form Fjerritslev Municipality. Five parish municipalities had been merged already in 1966 to form Brovst Parish Municipality. This parish municipality was changed to become Brovst Municipality in 1970.

Historical divisions

The table below shows the historical municipal subdivisions of Jammerbugt Municipality.

Towns

These are settlements in the municipality with populations of at least 200 inhabitants (2020).

Aabybro

Aabybro is the main city of the municipality and the seat of the municipal council. It is located in the eastern part of the municipality. North of the town is an ice cream factory from 1888, Aabybro Dairy (Danish: ''Aabybro Mejeri''). Also to the north is an efterskole, as well as Aaby Church and many residential areas. Along the town's main road, on the western part of town, is a number of shops and amenities, including a school and a library. The remainder of the western, central and eastern parts of Aabybro are mainly residential areas. The southern part of the town has an industrial area, which also includes a number of shops and a school.

Fjerritslev

Fjerritslev is located 28 km west of Aabybro, 35 km northeast of

Thisted Thisted is a town in the municipality of Thisted in the North Denmark Region of Denmark. It has a population of 13,461 (1 January 2022)Løgstør. In the town is a number of shops and amenities, including a cinema. Fjerritslev Brewery- and Local Museum (Danish: ''Fjerritslev Bryggeri- og Egnsmuseum'') is also located in the town, and tells about the history of brewery, as well as the local history. In the summer, Fjerritslev hosta a weekly market along its main street.

Pandrup

Pandrup is located in the northern part of the municipality, 1 km north of Kås, 4 km north of Aabybro and 15 km southwest of

. It is located close to nearby vacation homes, and hosts a yearly shopping event during the summer. A sports center is also located in the town.

Brovst

Brovst is located centrally in the municipality, 15 km southwest of Aabybro and 16 km east of Fjerritslev. The central location of the town allows for easy access to the many nature areas located centrally in the municipality.

Villages

With no major towns in the municipality, many citizens of Jammerbugt Municipality live in villages. Only Aabybro, Fjerritslev, Pandrup, Kås, Brovst and Skovsgård has a relatively high population density, with the rest of the municipality being much less densely populated. This leads to a lot of small villages and scattered settlements. One of Denmark's biggest amusement parks, Fårup Summer Park, is located by the villages of Hune and Saltum. Grønhøj, located in the northern part of the municipality, is connected to Løkken and is a large area with vacation homes. The area include a number of amenities, including a public pool and sports hall. In the village of Hune is the Museum for paper art (Danish: ''Museum for papirkunst''). In addition to these villages, there are a number of smaller settlements in the municipality. These are all the settlements with populations of less than 200 people:

Nature

There are many nature areas in the municipality, and many of them are protected. The municipality is also located by the

, which is a large fjord that separates the North Jutlandic Island from mainland

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 ...

. The fjord is home to a large variety of flora and fauna. A beach,

heath 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 a ...

and dune area known as ''Grønnestrand'' and ''Svinkløv'' was protected in 1972. The area is an important place for breeding birds, with a large variety of birds breeding here. ''Hingelbjerge'' is a forest and heath which has been protected since 1968. 129 acres are protected. Southeast of Fjerritslev are 136 protected acres of heath and forest. This area is known as ''Skårhøjene''. In the forest breed several birds, including the

European green woodpecker The European green woodpecker (''Picus viridis'') is a large green woodpecker with a bright red crown and a black moustache. Males have a red centre to the moustache stripe which is absent in females. It is resident across much of Europe and the ...

and

Eurasian nuthatch The Eurasian nuthatch or wood nuthatch (''Sitta europaea'') is a small passerine bird found throughout the Palearctic and in Europe. Like other nuthatches, it is a short-tailed bird with a long bill, blue-gray upperparts and a black eye-strip ...

. Other protected nature areas in the municipality include the hills of ''Alsbjerg Hills'' (Danish: ''Alsbjerg Bakker''), covering 40 acres. Also protected is approximately 9 acres around the large rock of ''Janum Kjøt''.

Dune plantations

In the northwestern corner of the municipality, bordering Thisted Municipality, is ''Vester Thorup Dune Plantation'' (Danish: ''Vester Thorup Klitplantage''). In it is a small protected area. It's a chalk cliff with a unique flora known as ''Valbjerg Sande''. ''Vester Thorup Dune Plantation'' is home to a rich flora, including plants such as drug eyebright, deer fern,

wintergreen Wintergreen is a group of aromatic plants. The term "wintergreen" once commonly referred to plants that remain green (continue photosynthesis) throughout the winter. The term "evergreen" is now more commonly used for this characteristic. Mos ...

, rought horsetail, lesser twayblade,

marsh helleborine ''Epipactis palustris'', the marsh helleborine, is a species of orchid native to Europe and Asia. Description ''Epipactis palustris'' is a perennial herbaceous plant. This species has a stem growing to 60 cm high with as many as ten er ...

butterwort ''Pinguicula'', commonly known as the butterworts, is a genus of carnivorous flowering plants in the family Lentibulariaceae. They use sticky, glandular leaves to lure, trap, and digest insects in order to supplement the poor mineral nutrition ...

moonwort ''Botrychium'' is a genus of ferns, seedless vascular plants in the family Ophioglossaceae. ''Botrychium'' species are known as moonworts. They are small, with fleshy roots, and reproduce by spores shed into the air. One part of the leaf, the ...

, Danish kidneyvetch and field gentian. Although the flora is similar in most of the dune plantations along the municipality's coast, there are slight differences. In the ''Fosdal Plantation'', located slightly north between Fjerritslev and Brovst, is a heath which is home to the

wolf's bane ''Aconitum'' (), also known as aconite, monkshood, wolf's-bane, leopard's bane, mousebane, women's bane, devil's helmet, queen of poisons, or blue rocket, is a genus of over 250 species of flowering plants belonging to the family Ranunculaceae. ...

, a rare plant in Denmark. Arnica montana (flower)

The fauna in the municipality's dune plantation include many birds and insects. There are mammals, such as polecats and

hares Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The gen ...

, though there generally aren't many mammals in the dune plantations. ''Tranum Dune Plantation'', west of Pandrup, has a population of

roe deer The roe deer (''Capreolus capreolus''), also known as the roe, western roe deer, or European roe, is a species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. The roe is a small deer, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapt ...

, as does ''Blokhus Dune Plantation'' further north. The

carpenter ant Carpenter ants (''Camponotus'' spp.) are large () ants indigenous to many forested parts of the world. They build nests inside wood consisting of galleries chewed out with their mandibles or jaws, preferably in dead, damp wood. However, unl ...

can be found in ''Vester Thorup Dune Plantation''. The

marsh fritillary The marsh fritillary (''Euphydryas aurinia'') is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. Commonly distributed in the Palearctic region, the marsh fritillary's common name derives from one of its several habitats, marshland. The prolonged larval s ...

, rare in Denmark, can be found in ''Tranum Dune Plantation''. Birds breeding in the plantations include

nightjar Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds in the family Caprimulgidae and order Caprimulgiformes, characterised by long wings, short legs, and very short bills. They are sometimes called goatsuckers, due to the ancient folk tal ...

redstart {{Hatnote, For the ship, see USS Redstart (AM-378) Redstart is a name used for a number of songbirds that are not closely related to each other: Old world flycatcher family (Muscicapidae) * ''Phoenicurus'', 14 species found in Africa, Asia and E ...

, European pied flycatcher and red-backed shrike. During the winter the

white-throated dipper The white-throated dipper (''Cinclus cinclus''), also known as the European dipper or just dipper, is an aquatic passerine bird found in Europe, Middle East, Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. The species is divided into several subspec ...

can be found in ''Svinkløv Plantation'' and ''Kollerup Plantation''. A large area of 3,000 acres is protected, including parts of ''Fosdal Plantation'' and ''Langdal Plantation''. It was protected in 1902, then expanded again in 1954, 1956, 1962 and 2009. Also protected is seven separate areas, amounting to 415 acres total, located between Rødhus and Løkken. ''Klim Dune Plantation'' can also be found in the municipality, located between the plantations of ''Vester Thorup'' and ''Kollerup''.

Store Vildmose

Store Vildmose is a bogland located north of Aabybro. It is the remnant of an extensive raised

peat bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...

, in large part drained by constructed canals in the early 20th century. Some areas are still relatively untouched and give an impression of the original nature of this bog. 1895 acres are protected. The bogland is home to the

cloudberry ''Rubus chamaemorus'' is a species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae, native to cool temperate regions, alpine and arctic tundra and boreal forest. This herbaceous perennial produces amber-colored edible fruit similar to the blackb ...

, which is a rare plant in Denmark. The

Eurasian otter The Eurasian otter (''Lutra lutra''), also known as the European otter, Eurasian river otter, common otter, and Old World otter, is a semiaquatic mammal native to Eurasia. The most widely distributed member of the otter subfamily (Lutrinae) of th ...

can be found here.

Jammerbugten Seafloor

The coast of Jammerbugt forms a stretch of sandy beaches in an inwardly curved bay called Jammerbugten. The seafloor contains many shipwrecks which provide marine habitats for wildlife. It was thought that the majority of the Jammerbugten’s seafloor was sandy with a low density of species, until a 2020 seafloor mapping project, ran by danish explorer Klaus Thymann, found evidence of much greater biodiversity in a range seafloor habitats. The area is subject to further exploration in order to protect it from destructive fishing practices, preserving newly documented species such as Dead Man’s Finger coral, which had never before been recorded in the area.

Politics

In the municipal reform of 2007, the municipalities of

, Fjerritslev Municipality, Pandrup Municipality and Aabybro Municipality were merged to form the current Jammerbugt Municipality.

Municipal council

Jammerbugt's municipal council consists of 27 members, elected every four years. Below are the municipal councils elected since the Municipal Reform of 2007.

Mayors

Since the 2007 municipal reform, the mayors of Jammerbugt Municipality have been:

Economy

The largest industries by number of employees in Jammerbugt Municipality are social institutions,

retail Retail is the sale of goods and Service (economics), services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturing, manufacturers, dire ...

, farming and fishing. Companies with their headquarter in the municipality include Migatronic, a large welding machine company. The company's headquarter is set in Fjerritslev and the company has existed since 1970. Also in the municipality is Aabybro Dairy (Danish: ''Aabybro Mejeri''), located in Aabybro. The dairy is home to the company Ryå Is, an ice cream factory.

Demographics

There are 38,324 people living in Jammerbugt Municipality (2020). 49.40% are women and 50.60% are men. Below is the age distribution of the municipality.

Education

There are 12 ground schools, 4 efterskoles, 4 independent schools and 1 music school in the municipality. There are 4 libraries in the municipality.

Sights

The municipality is a popular vacation area in the summer, with numerous areas with vacation homes. As a result, the sights in the area are mostly open in the summer. * Fårup Summer Park (Danish: ''Fårup Sommerland'') is an amusement park located north of Pandrup. The park covers 90 acres and was first opened in 1975. It was the first summer park in Scandinavia. *The Museum for paper art (Danish: ''Museum for papirkunst'') is located in the village of Hune. The museum displays paper art, and also offers dining and venue services. *Blokhus Sculpture Park (Danish: ''Blokhus Skulpturpark'') is located in Hune. It is a park of sand sculptures. *The Local Collection (Danish: ''Egnssamlingen'') is a local museum in Saltum. The museum's focus is on the history of the surrounding area, approximately the territory of the former Pandrup Municipality. The museum also acts as the area's local archive. *The Troll Museum (Danish: ''Troldemuseet'') is a museum about the troll figures carved by Thomas Dam. The museum is located in Gjøl. *Fjerritslev Brewery and Local Museum (Danish: ''Fjerritslev Bryggeri- og Egnsmuseum'') is located in Fjerritslev. It is both a brewery museum and a local museum.

Castles and manors

*Birkelse is a manor located west of Aabybro. It is named after ''Birkelse Skov'', a nearby birch forest. The manor has belonged to the Skeel family since the middle of the 1600s. *Birkumgaard is a manor located east of Gjøl. It belonged to Børglum Monastery from 1465 and until 1536 where it was taken by the crown. *Bratskov is a manor located north of Brovst. It is known to have existed since at least 1317, though sources mention it from as early as the later half of the 1200s. It was owned by the Torstensen family in 1317, and remained in their possession until 1558. The manor was acquired by Brovst Municipality in 1976. In the 2007 municipal reform it was transferred to Jammerbugt Municipality. *Kokkedal is a manor located south of Torslev. It is known to have existed since at least 1327. During the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of batt ...

the forests of Kokkedal were cut down and never recovered. The manor house was bought by the Ministry of Social Affairs in 1948, and turned into a school house for boys. It returned into private ownership in 1988. *Oxholm is a manor located south of Brovst. It is a former monastery, formerly named ''Ø Kloster''. *Rævkærgaard is a manor located northwest of Aabybro. The manor has existed since the 1500s and has been in the Skeel family since the 1600s. *Aagaard is a manor located slightly south of Fjerritslev. It is known to have existed since at least 1355, where it was in the Gyldenstierne family. During peasant rebellions in 1438—1441 the manor was taken by the rebels. It was looted and burned. Aagaard was in the Gyldenstierne family until 1627, when Knud Gyldenstierne died. His widow, Sophie Lindenov, sold the manor to her mother in 1630, ending the Gyldenstierne's reign over the manor.

Churches

See List of churches in Jammerbugt Municipality

Events

The Saltum Wool Festival (Danish: ''Uldfestival Saltum'') is a yearly event hosted in Saltum. The event focuses on wool, yarn and clothes and has existed since 2007. The event is the largest of its kind in Scandinavia.

Parishes

There are 28

in Jammerbugt Municipality. Shown in the table below are the populations of each parish, as well as the percentage of that population that are members of the

Church of Denmark The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark or National Church, sometimes called the Church of Denmark ( da, Folkekirken, literally: "The People's Church" or unofficially da, Den danske folkekirke, literally: "The Danish People's Church"; kl, ...

. All numbers are from 1 January 2020.

Symbols

The coat of arms of Jammerbugt Municipality is named ''Fuglen'' (Danish for ''"The Bird"''). It was accepted by the city council on 6 June 2006. It features a white bird dividing the coat of arms in half. One half is blue, the other is green. The blue represents the ocean around Jammerbugt Municipality, with the green representing the land. The bird is free and embraces the entire area as a whole, while marking the coastline of Jammerbugt Municipality. The bird is looking ahead, to represent the municipality's vision and ambitions. It is meant to symbolise unity, openness, focus on the future and recreational nature areas.

Notable residents

Public thought and politics

Jens Haven Jens Haven (June 23, 1724 – April 16, 1796) was a Danish-Canadian Moravian missionary and the prime mover behind the founding of the Moravian missions in Labrador. Biography Jens Haven was born at Sønderhaven in Vust parish, Jammerbugt, ...

(1724 in Vust — 1796), missionary in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

Henriette Nielsen Birgitte Dorothea Henriette Nielsen, pen name Theodora, (23 January 1815 – 17 January 1900) was a Danish author and playwright born in Strandgården, Vester Thorup, in the north of Jutland. Her ''Slægtningene'' (1849), presented in Copenhagen' ...

(1815 in Vester Torup — 1900), author * Kirsten Kjær (1893–1985), painter * Helle Juul (born 1954 in Vester Hjermitslev), architect *

Ole Christensen Ole Christensen (born 7 May 1955) is a Danish politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2004 until 2019. He is a member of the Social Democrats, part of the Party of European Socialists. During his time in parliame ...

(born 1955 in Pandrup), politician and former MEP * Mogens Gade (born 1961 in Øster Svenstrup), politician and mayor of the municipality * Lone Drøscher Nielsen (born 1964 in Aabybro), wildlife conservationist * Thomas Danielsen (born 1983 in Fjerritslev), politician and MF * Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen (born 1983 in Brovst), politician and MF

Sport

* Hans Nielsen (born 1959 in Brovst), speedway rider * Rikke Nielsen (born 1977 in Fjerritslev), handball player * Pernille Holmsgaard (born 1984 in Pandrup), handball player * Nicolaj Ritter (born 1992 in Brovst), football player *

Kasper Pedersen Kasper Pedersen (born 13 January 1993) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Stabæk Fotball. Club career Pedersen started his youth career at Aabybro IF, before moving to Jetsmark IF – a club affiliated with A ...

(born 1993 in Aabybro), football player * Søren Reese (born 1993 in Ingstrup), football player * Mikkel B. Andersen (born 1996 in Fjerritslev), speedway rider

References

External links

*
VisitJammerbugten
official tourism website {{Authority control Municipalities of the North Jutland Region Municipalities of Denmark Populated places established in 2007