Visit Denmark's coastal land - finding refugee history and Jewish heritage in Jutland

In the middle of the Danish forest, I suddenly hear a band playing — but there’s nothing to be seen, just the trees. Instead, the sound is coming from my audio guide; I’m at a museum in Jutland, not far from the sandy beaches that make this region a popular tourist destination today.

But back in 1945, the people coming to Denmark were refugees, 250,000 Germans fleeing the advancing Red Army. Some 35,000 of them ended up here in the Oksbøl refugee camp, making it Denmark’s fourth largest city at the time. It occupied four square kilometres and didn’t close until 1949.

Now, only a few buildings remain and the forest has taken over. But the memory of those who lived there has never been forgotten and, in 2015, it was decided to create a museum commemorating it. FLUGT, meaning flight in Danish, opened in 2022, not only to tell the story of these refugees, but also those from across the world.

It’s housed in what was once the camp’s hospital, the only building remaining, which has been adapted and extended.

A variety of media, including film, photographs and interactive installations, aim to create a deeper understanding of the refugee experience. You don headphones for an evocative guided walk through the woods past the camp’s kitchen, school and theatre, and meet the former inmates.

For anyone interested in history, there’s plenty to discover in this part of Denmark, including Jewish heritage.

Old houses in Horsens

The city of Horsens, on the other side of Jutland, has been an important trading post since the time of the Vikings and the city’s medieval past is evidenced by the charming half-timbered houses and cobbled streets in the old town.

Jewish families started settling here from the end of the 18th century and became an important part of the town’s trade and industry. In 1852, they bought land for a spacious cemetery, which is still well kept, even though the last burial was in 1930.

The gates have a quotation from the Book of Job and a tree-lined avenue leads to seven rows of graves on the left; the other side is reserved for 16 family members of founder Isaac Zacharias Levy with a single tombstone for three of them.

In 1867 the same family donated land for the imposing red- brick synagogue, which still survives today, although it’s no longer in use.

An onion-shaped arch surrounding the door emphasises the slightly oriental style. As well as the prayer hall, there was a separate section for women and an apartment for the rabbi, and it remained active until 1897 when the congregation had become too small. It was then transferred to the council for housing, on the condition that it maintained the cemetery.

Industrial Museum, Horsens

In the Horsens Industrial Museum, I find the story of another prominent Jewish citizen. Moritz Aron Goldschmidt moved to Horsens in 1848 and set up a haberdashery business using labour from the city’s penitentiary.

In 1860 he went into partnership with merchant August Crome and together they built their first textile factory complex. By 1885 they had 25 outlets all over Denmark employing more than 1,000 workers, including those at the Crome & Goldschmidt Department store in the city centre.

These days the mills are quiet, the industry is long gone and Horsens makes a good base for exploring the surrounding area.

It’s known as Kystlandet, Danish for “coastal land”, a patchwork of low-lying fields, forests, lakes and small farmhouses.

The sea takes a giant chunk out of it in the form of the Horsens Fjord, with the city at its head and a scattering of pristine islands out on the water, many untainted by cars.

This is a destination for those who love the freedom of the outdoors, criss-crossed with hiking and biking trails, providing easy exercise since it’s so flat.

For a slightly more demanding activity, explore the fjord’s waters by kayak, stopping off at some of those small islands — or be reassured by the thought that there are also regular ferries that will transport you to other isles in the archipelago.

Fjordmino route along Horsens Fjord

They’ll also take your bike on board, all the better to complete the 32-mile cycling and hiking trail around the shores of Horsens Fjord, known as Fjordmino. Some island hopping is required to complete all of it but you can sample shorter stretches without getting your feet wet.

There’s also a very pleasant six-mile walk from Amstrup Meadows to Sondrup Beach, which takes around three hours.

It’s a gently undulating path through private forest, with some beautiful views over the fjord and islands and a beach and jetty at the end, perfect for taking a refreshing dip in the cool waters.

Around 20 minutes by car from Horsens, the port at Snaptun is the jumping-off point for those visiting the islands in the mouth of the fjord.

The ferry takes just ten minutes to travel the 500m to the tiny island Hjarnø. With a population of just 150, it’s been occupied since 9,500BCE, as shown by archaeological finds from the Stone and Iron Ages.

The Vikings left their mark here, in the form of “Calf Stones”, which mark out the graves of sailors in the shape of their ships. The island also has one of the smallest churches in Denmark, dating back to the Middle Ages, although the present building is from the 19th century.

The island of Tuno

Another ferry ride, this time heading an hour out to the sea, brings you to Tunø Island where there are no cars. Instead you hail one of the unique Traxa-Vagns, tractor cabs whose trailers hold 15 people.

Even better, explore on foot along a good path all around the island’s shores. It takes around two hours, including a stop for a swim. In the island’s tiny capital, it’s worth visiting the church where the 18m tower doubles as a lighthouse, before enjoying a salty and smoky fish lunch at Røgeriet Tunø by the ferry.

For visitors today, this peaceful area is something of a refuge from the stresses of daily life but my thoughts kept returning to those refugees, for whom it meant the promise of safety.

While the camp was built by the Nazis, the inmates stayed after Denmark was liberated in May 1945 and were not repatriated until much later. With a population of 35,000, there was concern that some could still be loyal to the Third Reich and present a security threat.

The authorities, therefore, set up and distributed a German language newspaper, Deutsche Nachrichten, as counter propaganda — in an ironic twist, it was written by Jewish refugees, who had fled to Denmark in the 1930s to neutral Sweden and returned after liberation.

Among them was Fritz Bauer, later instrumental in the arrest of Adolf Eichmann, just one more fascinating detail in the stories to discover in this coastal land.