Varde is a Danish city in southwestern

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 ...

and is the primary city in the municipality of Varde, in

Region of Southern Denmark The Region of Southern Denmark (, ; , ; ) is an administrative region of Denmark established on Monday 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform, which abolished the traditional counties ("amter") and set up five larger regions ...

. In 2015 municipality changed its motto to "We in nature" to emphasize its rural atmosphere. The town has an old market environment and is located by Varde stream/river and is a short distance away from the beaches by 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 ...

. These features make it a tourist destination. The age of Varde is not known precisely, but it is mentioned in written sources from 1107 A.D. and is therefore thought have been founded sometime in the early

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

The history of Varde

Early on the name of Varde is presented in 2 different versions "Warwath" and "Warwik." War is identical in both and is believed to mean

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

, maybe beach or in other ways uncultivated area. The

suffix In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns and adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Suffixes can ca ...

es "wath" and "wick" are believed to mean respectively

ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

and

inlet An inlet is a typically long and narrow indentation of a shoreline such as a small arm, cove, bay, sound, fjord, lagoon or marsh, that leads to an enclosed larger body of water such as a lake, estuary, gulf or marginal sea. Overview In ...

. The differing versions of the name occur quite naturally, depending on where you are located "on ground" or "on water". As with other older Danish towns, Varde is located, where the countryside in different ways favors human settlement and other human activity. The town was founded near a stream allowing a convenient port for ships near a place, where north and south bound traffic by land had an important ford/crossing, which was later replaced with a bridge. Varde was from olden times protected against sudden attacks from outsiders, partly because of its distance from the shore and partly because of its neighbourship with the built royal castle/fortress/fort/estate (Vardehus). Vardehus was the administrative center of the district and from this base of power a royal official governed the shire of Varde a sizeable area corresponding to the former Ribe Amt. On the greater scale Varde has never been a big town, but the fact that Varde already in the early Middle Ages had 2 churches, means that it had some status.

Royal castles by the stream/river

Written sources from the 12th century repeatedly mention the royal official/

caretaker Caretaker may refer to: Occupations * Janitor (chiefly in the United States), a person who cleans and maintains buildings such as hospitals and schools * Property caretaker, a person who cares for a property * Caregiver or carer (UK), a person wh ...

in Varde. In his capacity of being the representative of the king in the shire of Varde, this high level official must have resided in the local royal estate/castle – Vardehus. The oldest castle lay to the vest of the town, by the stream/river of Varde. Around the beginning of the 14th century Vardehus was moved to an islet in the stream/river near the southern edge of the town. During an uprising in 1439 this new Vardehus II was stormed, pillaged and destroyed by rebel farmers. Later that same year the council of the state retaliated by burning down the town of Varde. Lesser excavations have been made on both sites, and the findings are kept in Varde museum. It is also known, that during the Viking ages there was a camp near the school of Sct. Jacob.

Borough/Market town 1442

The

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

sigil of Varde is the oldest town arms in Denmark. It depicts a blue shield with a walking golden leopard with a red tongue. It looks somewhat like a lion, but golden leopard is the official denomination. It is very similar to the sigil of Uppsala kommun, Sweden. From the beginning, commerce together with arts and crafts have been closely linked to being a town and when

Christopher of Bavaria Christopher of Bavaria (Danish language, Danish and Norwegian language, Norwegian: ''Christoffer''; Swedish language, Swedish: ''Kristofer''; 26 February 1416 – 5/6 January 1448) was King of Denmark (1440–48, as Christopher III), King of Sw ...

in August 1442 awarded Varde its first borough/market town privileges, it had already functioned as a borough/market town for a long time. Most importantly this meant, that peasants trading goods in country stores was outlawed, but at the same time, that the merchants of the town were now officially recognized as having exclusive rights to conducting trade in the town. Although the royal letter of privilege from 1442 has been long lost, the text is known from a transcript from 1648.

The town square of Varde

By the town square of Varde lays amongst others the Church of Sct. Jacob from the 12th century, Sillasens house from 1797, the old town hall from 1872 and Den Schultzske Gaard 1796/97. Around 1900 there was a livestock market on the town square, and for a period in the middle of the 20th century a bus station. 2014/2015 the town square was renovated/renewed as it also was in 2003. 2003 landscape architect Charlotte Horn was inspired by the stream/river of Varde and the characteristic Varde clam with the black pearl, when reshaping the town square. In front of the old town hall of Varde is a basin with a big black round rock symbolizing the Varde pearl. From here a stream symbolizing the stream/river of Varde runs through a part of the town square. The webcam of the library of Varde takes pictures of the square around the clock and here the "stream" is visible.

The municipality of Varde

Tyrrestrup painting at night at Varde kommune

The current municipality of Varde was formed in 2007, following structural reforms in Denmark, which meant that the old municipality of Varde was merged with the municipalities of

Blaabjerg Until January 1, 2007, Blaabjerg (Danish: Blåbjerg - literally blue mountain) was a municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in Ribe County on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. The municipality covered an area of 254 ...

Blåvandshuk Blåvandshuk is a headland on the North Sea coast of Jutland northwest of Esbjerg, and is the westernmost point of metropolitan Denmark. The Blåvand Lighthouse is the westernmost located building in Denmark. Natural Environment A significant ...

, Helle and

Ølgod Ølgod is a railway town on the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. As of 1 January 2025, it had a population of 3,713.municipality of Varde and is with its 13,771 inhabitants the biggest town in the municipality, followed by

Ølgod Ølgod is a railway town on the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. As of 1 January 2025, it had a population of 3,713.Oksbøl Oksbøl is a town in southwestern Jutland in the Varde Municipality, in Region of Southern Denmark. As of 1 January 2024, it has a population of 2,840. Oksbøl Refugee Camp houses the refugee museum FLUGT, which opened in 2022. The museum descri ...

with respectively 3853 and 2852 inhabitants. All in all there are 50.122 inhabitants with permanent residence in the municipality of Varde. These are, in vacation periods, supplemented by large quantities of tourists visiting the

Coast A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

al region of Varde, especially in and around the towns of Blåvand(Oksby), Henne Strand and

Vejers Vejers Strand is a small Danish town with only 27 inhabitants, but a multitude of holiday homes. Vejers Strand is situated in the former Ribe Amt, and is part of the Syddanmark region as of 2007, roughly 30 km northern of the town of Esbjer ...

Strand, that grow accordingly. The town hall of the municipality of Varde is at home at Bytoften 2 in Varde, where the new town hall opened its doors in the summer of 2015. During the opening of the new facilities the municipality received a work of art from local artist Hans Tyrrestrup, which it had commissioned, consisting of one poem and three paintings under the title "Sonate for sol," which means "Sonata for the sun." This work of art now adorns the council chamber of the town hall.

Geography

Varde stretches from

Ansager Ansager is a town in southwestern Jutland in the Varde Municipality, in Region of Southern Denmark. As of 1 January 2025, it has a population of 1,296.

in the east to Blåvands Huk in the west and from Skallingen in the south to Nymindegab/

Ølgod Ølgod is a railway town on the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. As of 1 January 2025, it had a population of 3,713.Wadden Sea National park," which in June 2014, together with areas of the

Wadden Sea The Wadden Sea ( ; ; or ; ; ; ) is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern continental Europe and the range of low-lying Frisian Islands, forming a shallow body of water with tida ...

in Germany and the Netherlands, was declared

world heritage World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

, meets "Naturpark Vesterhavet," which stretches across an area of 22.500 hectares between Blåvands Huk and Nymindegab. The parks along the western shores of Varde offer an array of different types of landscapes e.g.

dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

landscapes,

heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and is characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a coole ...

, dune plantations, coastal lakes, and for the wadden sea, vast areas of

mud flats Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal f ...

, where the guest can experience the exposed seabed. Where

national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

meets nature park you can also experience the western tip of Denmark, adorned by the lighthouse of Blåvand, with the purpose of guiding ships past

Horns Rev Horns Rev is a shallow sandy reef of glacial deposits in the eastern North Sea, about off the westernmost point of Denmark, Blåvands Huk.

, where the sandbank(s) stretch far out into the ocean. If you peer across the ocean from the lighthouse you can often see the wind farms of Horns Rev. Sizeable areas along the coast of Varde are laid out as training areas for the Danish military, but as long as the red signal has not been hoisted, it is accessible to visitors of all types. There are 3 military barracks in the municipality of Varde which can be found in Varde, Oksbøl and Nymindegab. The

barracks Barracks are buildings used to accommodate military personnel and quasi-military personnel such as police. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word 'soldier's tent', but today barracks ar ...

of Nymindegab look differently from other Danish barracks in general, as it was built in 1941 by the

German Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previou ...

as a school for anti-aircraft personnel. The barracks were meant to look like a small village, in order not to be bombed by the allied or British bombers, which it never was. Just near the barracks of Nymindegab lay the

Atlantic Wall The Atlantic Wall () was an extensive system of coastal defence and fortification, coastal defences and fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the coast of continental Europe and Scandinavia as a defense (military), d ...

, stretching from

Nordkapp North Cape, Northern Cape, or Nordkapp may refer to: Places Norway *North Cape (Norway), a cape at the northernmost part of Magerøya island in Nordkapp Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway *Nordkapp Municipality, a municipality in Finnmark cou ...

in Norway to the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

by the Spanish border. Because of this

bunker A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs, artillery, or other attacks. Bunkers are almost always underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground. T ...

s lay along the coast as a constant reminder of

WW2 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilising ...

. Among these the Tirpitz-position (in German: Batterie Vogelsnest), which was being built (but never finished) in order to protect the port of

Esbjerg Esbjerg (, ) is a seaport city and seat of Esbjerg Municipality on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. By road, it is west of Kolding and southwest of Aarhus. With an urban area, urban population of 71,554 (1 January ...

. Following the Second World War it was necessary to demine the westcoast of Jutland, as the Wehrmacht had mined the coast to stop allied forces from attacking. The demining of the Danish Westcoast was in 2015 problematized in the Danish movie "

Land of Mine ''Land of Mine'' () is a 2015 Danish historical war drama film directed by Martin Zandvliet. It was shown in the Platform section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. It was selected and nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film ...

", in which the conditions for the German soldiers, who demined the Danish westcoast following WW2 were described. More German soldiers died in Denmark demining the beaches following WW2, than during the invasion and the occupation of Denmark from 1940 to 1945.

Tourist places in and around Varde

*The Museum of Varde town and municipality operates as an umbrella for the museums in the municipality of Varde, among these are e.g. Varde Museum, the Tirpitz-position, Nymindegab museum, the Danish amber museum in Oksbøl and more. *The Tirpitz Museum, a museum built in an old bunker complex and holds exhibitions about the

, life on the western coast of Denmark and an

amber Amber is fossilized tree resin. Examples of it have been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since the Neolithic times, and worked as a gemstone since antiquity."Amber" (2004). In Maxine N. Lurie and Marc Mappen (eds.) ''Encyclopedia ...

collection. *Varde Minitown* in the Arnbjergparken in Varde is a miniature of Varde anno 1866 in the scale 1:10, which is maintained and built by 12 voluntary "mini-masons," whose work, making the miniature houses, you can observe from May to October at their workshop in Varde. * Blåvands Huk/ The lighthouse of Blåvand, the western tip of Denmark, overlooking the wind farms of

Horns Rev Horns Rev is a shallow sandy reef of glacial deposits in the eastern North Sea, about off the westernmost point of Denmark, Blåvands Huk.

. *The beaches along the shore(s) of Varde are among the top crowd pullers/attractions in Varde and a big part of why Varde is a tourist destination. Among these are the broad white beaches of Blåvand, Vejers Strand and Henne Strand, strand meaning beach in Danish. *Filsø was once the second largest lake in Denmark, until it, in the middle of the 18th century, was contained and used for agricultural purposes. In 2010 the area was bought up by the nature fund of "Aage W. Jensen Filsø Avlsgods" with the purpose of restoring Filsø to its original state. *Varde Sommerspil in Varde is held by and performed by the biggest amateur theatre group in Denmark, named "7-kanten" and has for many years been a crowd puller in the summer months. *Nationalpark Vadehavet ( Wadden Sea National park,

UNESCO world heritage World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by int ...

Mud flats Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal f ...

from Varde in the north to the Netherlands in the south. *Naturpark Vesterhavet (Vesterhavet/North Sea Nature Park) – 22.500 hectares of nature park between Blåvands Huk and Nymindegab. * Skallingen – the demining of the Westcoast – Skallingen is a relatively newly formed landmass, which was created by/after a storm surge in 1634, by sediment left behind by the retracting ocean. It is still under transformation and was home to the last minefield in Denmark. Post 2000 the area was demined and opened to the public. * The

Oksbøl Refugee Camp The Oksbøl Refugee Camp was the largest camp for Germany, German refugees in Denmark after World War II. Background In early 1945 the Red Army started the East Prussian Offensive, East Prussian and East Pomeranian Offensives, soon interrupting ...

museum and cemetery, Oksbøl housed up to 37,000 German Refugees in Denmark after World War II.

Arts and building style

Otto William Frello (died 2015), local artist with permanent exhibition at Varde Museum. Frello is known for his surreal, but at the same time very realistic and detailed paintings.

Laurits Tuxen Laurits Regner Tuxen (9 December 1853 – 21 November 1927) was a Danish painter and sculptor specialising in figure painting. He was also associated with the Skagen Painters. He was the first head of Kunstnernes Frie Studieskoler, an art sc ...

is known as one of the " Skagensmalerne – painters of Skagen," but already in 1879 visited Nymindegab, where he was one of the founding fathers of the painter colony ''Nymindegabmalerne''. In the summer months the painters rented rooms at the Nymindegab Inn, where they sketched drawings/drafts for paintings, which were finished when they returned to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

for the winter. Some of Tuxens paintings can be seen at Nymindegab Museum. Vestjyllands Kunstmuseum (''Janus Bygningen'') – The Art Museum of western Jutland (The Janus Building) in Tistrup, between Varde and Ølgod, is home to a collection of 2000 works, primarily contemporary art and varying temporary exhibitions.

Varde classicism

As Varde has burned several times many of the buildings were built in the late 18th century and in the beginning of the 19th century. Among these we find Sillasens Hus (Sillasens house) adjacent to the town square and the Kampmannske Gaard (Kampmannske estate). The Danish classicism dictated that house walls were to be plastered, but this was not done in Varde, as a breakthrough in the mass production of bricks and tiles had been made at the time. Instead details were more prominently highlighted, which resulted in red walls, red tiles and an abundance of details.

Businesses and Industry

The Businesses and Industries in Varde can somewhat be divided into 5 pillars, where 4 categories according to Kontur 2014 is above the national average. These are the production of food products/agriculture, furniture/clothing, tourism and construction/

housing Housing refers to a property containing one or more Shelter (building), shelter as a living space. Housing spaces are inhabited either by individuals or a collective group of people. Housing is also referred to as a human need and right to ...

Larger businesses

Among the larger businesses in the municipality of Varde we find Nobia, owner of e.g. the kitchen brands HTH and Invita with about 2000 employees in Denmark.

BoConcept BoConcept is a Danish retail furniture chain. The first BoConcept. Store opened in Paris in 1993, but since 2006, all furniture has been sold through franchisees. BoConcept specializes in customizable modern furniture and accessories designed b ...

, furniture and accessories business. The Danish part of BoConcepts production is located in

Ølgod Ølgod is a railway town on the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. As of 1 January 2025, it had a population of 3,713.bicomponent fiber Bicomponent fiber is made of two materials, utilizing desired properties of each material. Such fibers can be created by extrusion spinning. One or both materials may remain in the finished product, or one material may be dissolved, leaving ...

s, used in everything from tea bags to fibreboards. Titan Europe, producer of turbine towers, subcontractor to Titan Wind Energy.

Tourism

Varde is one of the largest tourism municipalities in Denmark, which also means that it encompasses a few/several larger tourism related businesses. Within this category we find Hvidbjerg Strand Feriepark (''Blåvand Badeland''), number 42 on the most visited attraction list of 2013 from VisitDenmark, the cottage rental agencies, Dayz Seawest in Nymindegab and businesses who supplement these and cater to tourists visiting the area.

Gastronomy

Following the business development project ''Naturen til bords'' a community of interests was formed named ''Sydvestjyske Smagsoplevelser'' – Taste experiences of South-western Jutland(roughly translated) to carry forward and promote the project after release of the cooking book ''Naturen til bords''. Stakeholders in the community include Varde ådal lam(lamb), Hr. Skov in Blåvand(delicacies and restaurant), Henne Kirkeby Inn(prominent restaurant), NaturKulturVarde(NatureCultureVarde) and many more.

Danish army

The Danish army has 3–4

garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...

s in the municipality of Varde, specifically Varde, Oksbøl and Nymindegab. Following the "Military/Defense- settlement of 2013" the ''Hærens Sergeantskole'' moved from Sønderborg to the barracks in Varde, which means that ''Hærens Sergeantskole'', ''Hærens Efterretningscenter'' and the ''Hærens Kamp- og Ildstøttecenter'' are at home in the municipality of Varde. In addition to this the ''Hjemmeværnsskolen'' is located in Nymindegab.

Tourism

With a long and broad high quality beach stretching from Skallingen in the south to Nymindegab in the north and with its characteristic look, the coastal area of Varde in the beginning primarily attracted artists, who found inspiration in the landscape and thereby were among the first, together with the

bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and aristocracy. They are traditionally contrasted wi ...

, to initiate the building of

cottage A cottage, during Feudalism in England, England's feudal period, was the holding by a cottager (known as a cotter or ''bordar'') of a small house with enough garden to feed a family and in return for the cottage, the cottager had to provide ...

s for

recreation Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for happiness, enjoyment, amusement, ...

al purposes along the coast of Varde. In Denmark in the 1920s the common worker was awarded 2 weeks of vacation, which put the building of cottages along the coast in motion and made the Tourism industry in Varde what it is today. A target destination could have been the Henne Mølleå Badehotel (seaside hotel), designed by

Poul Henningsen Poul Henningsen (9 September 1894 – 31 January 1967) was a Danish author, critic, architect, and designer. In Denmark, where he often is referred to simply as PH, he was one of the leading figures of the cultural life of Denmark between the Wor ...

in 1935. Varde municipality is the largest coastal tourism municipality in Denmark and especially attracts tourists to the coastal destinations of Blåvand, Vejers Strand and Henne Strand. The tourists who stay in

Varde Municipality Varde Municipality () is a '' kommune'' in the Region of Southern Denmark on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. Its mayor is Mads Sørensen, a member of the Venstre (Liberal Party) political party. The main town and sit ...

primarily stay in seaside cottages and among these tourists the German segment is by far the biggest, although there has also been reported a rise in the number of guests from

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

and the

Danes Danes (, ), or Danish people, are an ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. History Early history Denmark ...

themselves.

Transport and Infrastructure

Automobile

Most traffic from and to Varde goes via primary route 11, which starts in

Tønder Tønder (; ) is a town in the Region of Southern Denmark. With a population of 7,477 (as of 1 January 2025), it is the main town and the administrative seat of the Tønder Municipality. History The first mention of Tønder might have been in th ...

, and goes via Varde all the way to

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

in northern

. Primary route 11 crosses the E20 (the Esbjerg highway) near Korskro, from where there is approximately to Varde via primary route 11.

Train

Varde is located on the

Esbjerg–Struer railway line The Esbjerg–Struer railway line (, also known as the ''West Jutland longitudinal railway line'' (), is a long standard gauge single track (rail), single track railway line in Denmark which runs between the cities of Esbjerg and Struer, Denmark, ...

and it is possible to reach Varde by train via or . It is also served by the

Varde–Nørre Nebel railway line The Varde–Nørre Nebel railway line (), also called the West Line () and the Nebel Line (), colloquially referred to as ''Nebelgrisen'' (literally meaning the ''Nebel pig''), is a long local railway line in West Jutland, Denmark. It was opene ...

("Vestbanen") which connects Varde with

Oksbøl Oksbøl is a town in southwestern Jutland in the Varde Municipality, in Region of Southern Denmark. As of 1 January 2024, it has a population of 2,840. Oksbøl Refugee Camp houses the refugee museum FLUGT, which opened in 2022. The museum descri ...

in the western and

Nørre Nebel Nørre Nebel is a town in southwest Jutland, Denmark, with a population of 1,309 (1 January 2024).bicycle roads significantly, in large degree through the goodwill of citizens and landowners, whereby the municipality has been able to build of bicycle road between Varde and Nørre Nebel and about between Varde and Næsbjerg. This means that you´re now able to reach almost all corners of Varde by bike as there was already about of bicycle road between Varde and Blåvand via Oksbøl and approximately 20 km of bicycle road between Varde and Esbjerg.

Hiking

If you enjoy hiking, the

North Sea Trail The North Sea Trail is a transnational Long-distance trail, long-distance hiking trail along the coast of the North Sea. The route passes through seven countries and 26 partner areas. The aim of the project is to promote sustainable tourism and ...

goes through the municipality of Varde, the bicoastal "kyst til kyst stien" goes from Blåvand in the west to Vejle in the east and along with these a variety of local hiking trails. Mountainbiking in Varde

Sports

Speedway is generally a sport that is more prominent in the municipality of Varde, than in most other Danish municipalities. Furthermore, the nature in and around Varde favours outdoor sports like cycling, mountainbiking, beach related sports, fishing, golf, Muay Thai, hunting, and

skydiving Parachuting and skydiving are methods of descending from a high point in an atmosphere to the ground or ocean surface with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or multiple parachutes. For hu ...

at Varde Faldskærmsklub.

Festivals and annual events

*Varde Open Air – Music festival *Varde Sommerspil – Musical taking place in July *Day of the forest, lake, sea and stream/river *

Red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or Hart (deer), hart, and a female is called a doe or hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Ir ...

festival in Vejers *The amber festival *The lamb festival *The Wadden Sea festival *The sheep market in Ho *The elf/goblin triathlon *Eventcalendar

Notable people

Ludvig Verner Helms use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = Hampstead, England , , resting_place = , burial_place = , nationality = , , citiz ...

(1825 in Varde – 1918) a trader with

Borneo Company Limited Borneo Company Limited, formed in 1856, was one of the oldest companies based in East Malaysia (Sarawak and Sabah). History Brooke era In 1840s, James Brooke ( White Rajah of Sarawak) formed a relationship with Henry Wise, a merchant from L ...

in Sarawak *

Marie Luplau Henriette Marie Antonette Luplau (September 7, 1848 – August 16, 1925) was a Danish artist and educator, active in the women's movement. She conducted an art school for women in Copenhagen with her partner, artist Emilie Mundt. Early life and e ...

(1848 in Varde – 1925) an artist and educator, active in the women's movement * Anne Bruun (1853 in Varde – 1934) a Danish schoolteacher and women's rights activist *

Johanne Hesbeck Ida Johanne Hesbeck (2 September 1873 – 25 March 1927) was a Danish photographer. From 1915 to 1927, she ran a successful portrait studio in Holte, north of Copenhagen. Biography Born in Varde, Jutland, Hesbeck was the daughter of a merchant ...

(1873 in Varde – 1927) a photographer, ran a portrait studio in

Holte Holte is a suburban district in Rudersdal Municipality on the northern outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark. The local town centre is centred on Holte station and is surrounded by extensive areas of single-family, detached homes as well as severa ...

1915–1927 *

Peder Oluf Pedersen Peder Oluf Pedersen (19 June 1874 – 30 August 1941) was a Danish engineer and physicist. He is notable for his work on electrotechnology, his cooperation with Valdemar Poulsen on the developmental work on Wire recorders, which he called a ...

(1874 in Sig near Varde – 1941) a Danish engineer and physicist *

Johannes Nicolaus Brønsted Johannes Nicolaus Brønsted (; 22 February 1879 – 17 December 1947) was a Danish physical chemist who is best known for developing the Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory; he developed the theory at the same time as (but independently of) M ...

(1879 in Varde – 1947) a Danish

physical chemist Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistical mecha ...

* Maren Sørensen (1882 in Varde – 1957) the first female Danish priest, also a nurse * Hans Christian Adamson (1890–1968) a Danish-born American writer, who survived adrift for 24 days in the Pacific Ocean in 1942. *

Henning Karmark Henning Karmark (17 December 1907 – 11 January 1989) was a Danish film producer. He produced 90 films between 1937 and 1971 and was one of the most active producers at the ASA Film studio. He was born in Varde, Denmark and died in Nice, Fr ...

(1907 in Varde – 1989) a Danish film producer * Otto Frello (1924 in Ovtrup, near Varde – 2015) a painter, graphic artist, cartoonist and illustrator

Sport

* John Nielsen (born 1956 in Varde) a former racing driver, won the

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...

in 1990 * Uiloq Slettemark (born 1965 in Varde) a Greenlandic biathlete *

Jakob Poulsen Jakob Bendix Uhd Poulsen (born 7 July 1983) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder and current head coach of Danish Superliga club AGF. Poulsen started his senior career with Esbjerg fB, before moving to Dutch sid ...

(born 1983 in Varde) a professional footballer, 450 club caps *

Jesper Jørgensen Jesper Jørgensen (; born 9 May 1984) is a Danish former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. Club career Esbjerg Jørgensen began his career with Janderup Billum Samarbejde (JBS) and signed for local rival ...

(born 1984 in Varde) a Danish professional footballer, 370 club caps

Sister cities

Varde has a single

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...

, as designated by the Sister Cities International, Inc.:Sister Cities information obtained from th
Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI)
. Retrieved on 17 May 2017.

Gallery

File:Museet for Varde by og omegn.jpg, Varde Museum File:Varde - Det Gamle Rådhus.jpg, The old City Hall File:Jugendhuset Varde.jpg, Jugendhuset – The Art Nouveau House File:Varde Kaserne.jpg, Varde Barracks File:Henne Strand 06.JPG, Henne Strand File:Henne Strand10.jpg, Henne Strand File:Henne Strand5.jpg, Cottages at Henne Strand File:Blåvandshuk4.jpg, Blåvandshuk lighthouse and part of the atlantic wall

References

Sources

* Varde 1920–1990, Fra købstad til storkommune bind II, Varde kommune 1992 * Varde i 1950érne, Varde Lokalhistoriske Arkiv

External links

These external links are Danish, but may have English translations.
Varde Turistbureau
– Varde Tourist agency.
Varde byportal
Official homepage of the municipality

title: Visiting a bar in Varde in 1901
Det sker i Varde Kommune
Event calendar for the municipality of Varde
MitArriva.dk
Train in and around Varde
Øvelsesområde og oplysninger om skydninger
Forsvaret. Information about the military training area. {{Authority control Municipal seats of the Region of Southern Denmark Municipal seats of Denmark Cities and towns in the Region of Southern Denmark Varde Municipality