Ringkøbing Fjord, despite its name, is in fact a shallow

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') an ...

on the west coast of

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 ...

. Skjern River terminates in Ringkøbing Fjord with a large river delta system to the east, and the lagoon is shielded from the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

by a long

isthmus An isthmus (; : isthmuses or isthmi) is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated. A tombolo is an isthmus that consists of a spit or bar, and a strait is the sea count ...

named Holmsland Dunes to the west. On the Hvide Sande Canal in the middle of the isthmus, there is a floodgate that provides access to the sea to the west. The fjord is about 30 kilometers long and 2 to 3 meters deep with an area of almost 300 square kilometers (115 square miles). In the southwestern corner is the Tipperne peninsula, where there is a bird reservation. The town of

Ringkøbing Ringkøbing (older spelling ''Ringkjøbing'') is a town in Ringkøbing-Skjern Municipality in Central Denmark Region, Region Midtjylland on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in west Denmark. It has a population of 9,830 (1 January 2025).

lies to the north-east. Ringkøbing Fjord was once affected by oxygen depletion, but today both plant and fish life abounds. Ringkøbing Fjord was originally a bay, around which two sandbars have gradually built up, with a sandbank that has shifted repeatedly over time as a result of shifting water currents. In the mid-17th century, the bank was near Sønder Havrvig, but it gradually moved south as sand was deposited on the shoal from the north. By the late 18th century, it was close to the town of Nymindegab. On several occasions, the surrounding dunes collapsed from the effects of the water, causing the old outflow to fill with sand and creating problems for local fisherman. In 1891, a channel was therefore dug south of Nymindegab but, in 1910, it was replaced by a channel in Hvide Sande. A

storm surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the ...

in 1911 created an opening of 230 meters and extensive flooding around the fjord. In 1915, the passage at the southern end of the fjord was therefore reopened while the one near Hvide Sande was closed. It was, however, later reopened with the establishment of a

lock Lock(s) or Locked may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainme ...

in 1931.

Literature

* Erik Johannesen (1997): ''"Danmark Nu"'', Høst & Søn

References

Ringkobing Fjord Cooperation Tourism Center

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ringkobing Fjord Fjords of Denmark Lagoons of Denmark Ramsar sites in Denmark Ringkøbing