Looking for Danish UNESCO World Heritage Sites? Don’t forget to check this list of all UNESCO attractions in Denmark.
Even though Denmark is a small country, we’ve still managed to get seven beautiful places inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Four of the places are located in Zealand while the last three places are to be found in Jutland. The seven UNESCO attractions in Denmark offer everything from a unique nature to an exciting Danish history.
The UNESCO World Heritage List is an international list that includes many unique sites around the world. The list includes everything from natural wonders, historic buildings, and religious monuments to entire cities. The UNESCO sites all have in common that they’re worthy of preservation and recognized as a world cultural heritage. When visiting a UNESCO landmark, you’re pretty much always guaranteed an experience beyond the ordinary.
So, if you want to explore Denmark’s amazing UNESCO sites, you’ve landed on the perfect travel blog. Here’s a list of the seven UNESCO attractions in Denmark.
Table of Contents
The UNESCO attractions in Denmark:
1. Stevns Klint
Stevns Klint was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014 as it’s one of Denmark’s most beautiful and historic sites. The cliff rises dramatically from the sea at a height of up to 41 meters. From here there are outstanding views of the Øresund. On a clear day, you can even see all the way to Copenhagen, Sweden, and Møn.
The cliff consists of chalk and white limestone formed millions of years ago when Denmark was still under the sea. At Stevns Klint, there is evidence that testifies to the great catastrophe that happened 65 million years ago. The disaster hit the entire earth, wiping out more than half of all life on earth, including the dinosaurs.
In addition to the extinction of the dinosaurs, Stevns Klint also testifies to a nuclear threat during the Cold War. With that said, Stevns Klint is a beautiful and exciting natural history site in Denmark. It’s one of the UNESCO attractions in Denmark that you must see at least once in your life.
2. Christiansfeld
Christiansfeld is a small town in Southern Jutland. The entire town was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015. Christiansfeld was founded in 1773 by the order of King Christian VII. It was built by the worldwide faith community “Brethren” which carefully and systematically planned the town plan.
Today, there are many similar religious towns in Europe, yet Christiansfeld is Europe’s best-preserved brethren town. The whole town has undergone an extensive renovation but still appears as original as possible. Christiansfeld is so well preserved that a walk in the town will make you feel like you‘ve traveled back in time.
3. Kronborg Castle
Kronborg Castle is one of the finest and most significant Renaissance castles in Europe. The castle has played a major role in Danish history with a history dating back to 1420. The strategic location by the Øresund has resulted in the castle functioning as an important military fortress.
In Shakespeare’s famous play “Hamlet”, he used Kronborg Castle as the stage for his play. As a result, the castle is today known throughout the world as “Hamlet’s castle”. The castle is also home to Holger Danske who reportedly has slept in the basement under Kronborg for hundreds of years. Rumor has it that he will wake up again on the day he is to protect Denmark from enemies.
The beautiful castle is located in Helsingør and became a UNESCO site in the year 2000. A visit to Kronborg Castle is one of the most unique things to do in Denmark.
4. Roskilde Cathedral
Roskilde Cathedral is one of Denmark’s most important building monuments and has a great significance for European architectural history. In fact, it’s one of the earliest examples of Gothic cathedrals in Scandinavia.
The magnificent church has a history of more than 1,000 years. Construction of the present church on the site began in the 1170s and since then many additions have been made. Roskilde Cathedral has been used as a royal burial chamber for hundreds of years. At least 38 Danish kings and queens have been laid to rest here. The reigning Queen Margrethe II of Denmark will also be buried here.
5. Wadden Sea National Park
The Wadden Sea (Vadehavet in Danish) is the largest national park in Denmark. In fact, it’s among the ten most important wetlands in the world. This is because the Wadden Sea is one of the world’s last great tidal ecosystems. The Wadden Sea stretches all the way from Ho Bay in Esbjerg to the Dutch town of Den Helder. The Danish part was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014.
When visiting the Wadden Sea National Park, you can experience two unique natural phenomena. One is the special tidal conditions that expose the seabed twice daily. The other is the black sun where up to 1 million migratory birds gather in the sky during spring and autumn.
The warm and shallow water by the Wadden Sea makes it an attractive place for wildlife. For example, it’s home to Denmark’s largest population of spotted seals. The Wadden Sea National Park is clearly one of the most popular UNESCO attractions in Denmark.
6. Par Force Hunting Landscape
The Parforce Hunting Landscape in North Zealand is another of the unique UNESCO attractions in Denmark. This landscape consists of Store Dyrehave, Gribskov, and Jægersborg Dyrehave. Together, these areas form a huge natural area. On a trip to Versailles, King Christian the 5th was so inspired by the Baroque gardens that he decided to transform the royal hunting grounds into a parforce hunting landscape.
Parforce hunting was the king’s favorite form of hunting. It was an extremely brutal form of hunting where the king could demonstrate his power and splendor. During the hunt, a fallow deer were hunted until it was so exhausted that the company’s guest of honor could kill it with a sword or spear.
Today, the pair hunting landscape is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List because it’s an unusual example of how the values of the European Baroque were once used to design nature.
7. Jelling Monuments
The Jelling monuments consist of the Jelling stones, Jelling Church, and two huge burial mounds. Together, they constitute one of Europe’s most important legacies from the Viking Age. The area is a testament to the first official transition from paganism to Christianity in Scandinavia. The Jelling monuments were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994 as the first UNESCO site in Denmark.
The area’s two large burial mounds and the Jelling stones were built by the two kings, Gorm the Old and Harald Bluetooth. Jelling Church is just one of several churches that have been built on the same site. The church is actually located right where Harald Bluetooth’s wooden church was built in the 9th century.
The Jelling stones are often called Denmark’s baptismal certificate because they depict the oldest writing with Denmark’s name inscribed. On one of the stones, a Christ figure is engraved. In fact, this figure is the same as seen in all Danish passports.
The two burial mounds at Jelling Monuments offer a great view of the area. One mound is thought to have been Gorm the Old’s first burial mound while the other is probably just a memorial mound. Don’t forget to visit the museum, Kongernes Jelling. The museum is nearby and tells the story behind the Jelling Monuments.
That’s all on this list of the seven UNESCO attractions in Denmark. Do you feel inspired to see some of the unique places in Denmark inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List? Feel free to write a comment.
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