Åkrogen (lit.: River-nook) is an urban, public beach and park in the northern parts of

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

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. Åkrogen is situated in both the neighborhood 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 ...

and the suburb of Egå on the Bay of Aarhus at Egå Marina. The beach park is divided by the marina in a southern and a northern section. Kalø Vig and Helgenæs is in the east and a bit inland to the west is the lake of Egå Engsø. The beach itself is fairly slim, between wide, with a beachline stretching for some at the southern section and in the northern section. It is coarse sandy beach with gravel and several coastal protections composed of rows of boulders extending into the sea. A few short stretches of the beach are broader with white sand. The waters are very shallow with a sandy bottom and reach a depth of some from the coast. Saline content is 20-35‰ and there's a weak northbound current. Åkrogen is a popular beach for windsurfers and kitsurfers due to the shallow waters and brisk winds. Each beach section is equipped with a

jetty A jetty is a man-made structure that protrudes from land out into water. A jetty may serve as a breakwater (structure), breakwater, as a walkway, or both; or, in pairs, as a means of constricting a channel. The term derives from the French la ...

extending into the sea, from which small watercraft can be landed or launched. The

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

newspaper ''"The Globe and Mail"'' voted Åkrogen one of the 10 best beaches in the world in 2008. The beach is maintained in conjunction with two park areas south and north of the Egå Marina. The southern section is situated along the Egå river where it terminates in the

Kattegat The Kattegat (; ; ) is a sea area bounded by the peninsula of Jutland in the west, the Danish straits islands of Denmark and the Baltic Sea to the south and the Swedish provinces of Bohuslän, Västergötland, Halland and Scania in Swede ...

sea. Both park sections comprise large grassy areas, trees and rows of bushes, designed to provide windbreaks and limited privacy for beachgoers and sunbathers. The grass extends to the beach itself, providing enough room to fly kites or play team sports and there is a playground for children.

Access

The park lies at end of the cul-de-sac ''Åkrogs Strandvej'', which culminates in a parking lot with room for some 20 cars and a parking space for the public buses that serve the area. Buses run from central Aarhus and the

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

to the bus stops in the area. Danish National Cycle Route 5 runs along the coast of eastern

Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...

from

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 ...

to central Aarhus, passing the Docklands, before it leads north past Den Permanente and Bellevue Beach. The route eventually reach Åkrogen and continue further north. A coastal footpath leads most of the way from Riis Skov in the south. Egå

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...

lies north of the beach, providing access by sea for larger boats and ships.

Safety

Åkrogen is not a

Blue Flag beach The Blue Flag is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that a beach, marina, or sustainable boating tourism operator meets its standards. The Blue Flag is a trademark owned by FEE, which is a Not-for-profit organi ...

and there are no life guards in either summer or winter but both the south and north sections has a safety station with a lifesaver and the entire park is located in a populated area.

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

frequently tests the water for harmful bacteria and algae and rates all beaches on a yearly basis. In 2014 and 2015 the beach received the highest possible 3/3 rating. The Egå river empties immediately south of the Egå Marina and swimming is prohibited here and some south. Warning signs signals the restricted beach stretch.

References

Sources

* Stadsarkitektens kontor (2003)
Lokalplan nr. 684

. The local plan for the area.

External links

* Arkitema
Åkrogen
. A building project by the beach. * Aarhus Kommune
Åkrogen - bynær strand
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akrogen Beaches of Aarhus Parks in Aarhus