Hærvejen
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Hærvejen ( Danish, literally: ''the army road'', , literally: ''
oxen An ox (: oxen), also known as a bullock (in BrE, British, AusE, Australian, and IndE, Indian English), is a large bovine, trained and used as a draft animal. Oxen are commonly castration, castrated adult male cattle, because castration i ...
way'', , literally: oxen path), sometimes referred to in English as the Ox Road, is the name given to an
ancient trackway Historic roads (or historic trails in the US 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 track ...
in Denmark and
Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...
. The route runs from Viborg via
Flensburg Flensburg (; Danish language, Danish and ; ; ) is an independent city, independent town in the far north of the Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. After Kiel and Lübeck, it is the third-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg's ...
to
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
, 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 (; , ''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 ...
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 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 ...
's oldest settlements, Viborg and
Jelling Jelling is a railway town in Denmark with a population of 4,038 (1 January 2025), located in Jelling Parish, approximately 10 km northwest of Vejle. The town lies 105 metres above sea level. Location Jelling is located in Vejle municipality ...
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, Åbenrå,
Flensburg Flensburg (; Danish language, Danish and ; ; ) is an independent city, independent town in the far north of the Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. After Kiel and Lübeck, it is the third-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg's ...
, and Schleswig, 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 Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
: ''Ochsenzoll'' is the locality of the ancient custom post. Part of the tracks westerly bypassed Hamburg towards Wedel bei Hamburg or Blankenese, where a ferry passing the Elbe connected to Cranz (then
Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen The Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen () was an Hochstift, ecclesiastical principality (787–1566/1648) of the Holy Roman Empire and the Catholic Church that after its definitive secularization in 1648 became the hereditary Bremen-Verden, Duchy of ...
). An easterly bypass headed for Zollenspieker Ferry (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 (; ; ) 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 region is almost identical with the h ...
.


Use

The road was primarily a trade road. The most important commodity was livestock (especially the eponymous
oxen An ox (: oxen), also known as a bullock (in BrE, British, AusE, Australian, and IndE, Indian English), is a large bovine, trained and used as a draft animal. Oxen are commonly castration, castrated adult male cattle, because castration i ...
), 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 ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) 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 Republic), then Ge ...
to Viborg.


Notes


External links


Website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haervejen Geography of Denmark Geography of Schleswig-Holstein Trade routes Cycleways in Denmark Cycle paths in Schleswig-Holstein Hiking trails in Denmark Former toll roads Transport in the Region of Southern Denmark Transport in the Central Denmark Region