Meanwhile....in Denmark
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Various places in Jutland, Denmark, were affected by phenomena similar to that at Culbin during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, indicating wider environmental shifts around the North Sea at the time.
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Skagen
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In the 1590s, at Skagen on the northernmost tip of Jutland, the sand dunes began to shift. The movement became worse with every storm. In 1595 the villages of Østerby and Vesterby had to be moved because of the encroachment of sand. Farmland was submerged and a process of desertification – similar to that at Culbin a century later – occurred. This Sandflugten continued until the late eighteenth century when it engulfed Skagen Church.
Shortly after Easter 1775, the church door had to be dug free for the congregation to be able to attend services and, for the following twenty years, the residents of Skagen struggled to keep the church free from sand. Eventually, in 1795, they admitted defeat; the church was closed and demolished. Only the tower now stands in the middle of the dunes.
Shortly after Easter 1775, the church door had to be dug free for the congregation to be able to attend services and, for the following twenty years, the residents of Skagen struggled to keep the church free from sand. Eventually, in 1795, they admitted defeat; the church was closed and demolished. Only the tower now stands in the middle of the dunes.
The flytting of Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse
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On the other side of Jutland, Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse near Hjorring suffered from the constant encroachment of the sand coupled with major coastal erosion.
The lighthouse, used as museum and coffee shop, was forced to close in 2002 because the pressure of the sand was too great. In October 2019, the whole lighthouse was moved 70 meters further inland on specially constructed rails. This is expected to ensure the lighthouse’s survival for at least forty years.
These example show that Culbin was not unique and demonstrate the power of the nature, particularly when tampered with.
The lighthouse, used as museum and coffee shop, was forced to close in 2002 because the pressure of the sand was too great. In October 2019, the whole lighthouse was moved 70 meters further inland on specially constructed rails. This is expected to ensure the lighthouse’s survival for at least forty years.
These example show that Culbin was not unique and demonstrate the power of the nature, particularly when tampered with.
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