Danish West-Jutland has a sense of space and time different from the rest of the region. Esbjerg has become Denmark’s unique meeting destination.
By road the seaport city Esbjerg is 71 kilometers (44 mi) west of Kolding and 164 kilometers (102 mi) southwest of Århus. With an urban population of 71,921 (2023) it is the fifth largest city in Denmark and the largest in West Jutland.
The area has given visitors many positive unexpected experiences, for instance wild oysters hunting at the unique wetlands of the Wadden Sea where they can enjoy eating them with a glass of bubbles. The Wadden Sea National Park, created in 2010 to preserve important wetlands, is rich in bird and animal life. The national park is home to the spring and autumn “Black Sun” phenomenon, when up to one million starlings gather, their flight blotting out the sunset.
In the winter, the weather can be rugged, with storms blowing in off a turbulent North Sea. In summer, its sandy beaches are popular with holidaymakers.
Before a decision was made to establish a harbor (now the second largest in Denmark) at Esbjerg in 1868, the area consisted of only a few farms. Esbjerg developed quickly with the population rising to 13,000 by 1901 and 70,000 by 1970. In addition to its fishing and shipping activities, it also became an important center for agricultural exports. Esbjerg has also evolved to a hub for oil and gas exploration, wind-energy production and IT industry. The old fishing town has become Denmark’s energy metropolis as well as a unique meeting destination.
Over the years, many of the city’s visitors have arrived by ferry from Harwich and Essex in England, but this service closed in September 2014 having run since 1875. The harbor facilities are being expanded to answer the needs of the wind-turbine industry and container shipping traffic. Esbjerg is served by Esbjerg Airport with flights to Aberdeen, Scotland and Stavanger, Norway.
The town has several notable museums and entertainment venues, including Esbjerg Art Museum, Esbjerg Museum and the privately owned Fisheries and Maritime Museum. The Esbjerg Performing Arts Centre was completed in 1997 to designs by Jan and Jørn Utzon.
Within just 30 minutes from dynamic Esbjerg – which is a young city by Danish standards – you find its opposite, the charming and historic Ribe, which is actually Scandinavia’s oldest town with an almost 900-year-old magnificent cathedral. There are picturesque riverside restaurants and several heritage museums. Ribe is located right next to the Wadden Sea National Park.
At the open-air Viking center you can discover recreated Viking Age settlement. Costumed interpretive staff will introduce you to ancient crafts – and challenge your inner Viking with role plays, battle shows and family activities.
A 20-minute ferry ride away from Esbjerg is the island of Fanø, a major shipbuilding center in the 18th and 19th centuries. Sønderbo village in the south of the island has colorful thatch-roofed cottages, an inn and Seamen’s Church (1782). The island is characteristic of west Jutland: a superb stretch of white sandy beach, dunes, heath and forest.
When you approach Esbjerg by sea, you’re met by the Man Meets the Sea, one of the prominent monuments, consisting of four 9-metre-tall (27 feet) white-colored men, overlooking Sædding Beach. The sculpture was designed by Svend Wiig Hansen and installed in 1995. Esbjerg hosts branches of the University of Southern Denmark and Aalborg University, and is increasingly recognized for its university facilities and sporting activities.
Back on the Jutland coast, 30km (19 miles) northwest, is Blåvands Huk lighthouse, a popular holiday spot with a nature reserve nearby. At the beach during low tide, you’ll often see people hunting for nuggets of amber, a golden-colored petrified tree resin that frequently washes ashore here.
Some 25km (16 miles) to the north, at Henne Strand, the restaurant Henne Kirkeby Kro is one of Denmark’s finest.
Denmark’s Unique Meeting Destination, compiled by Tor Kjolberg