Hjerting is a district 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 ...

in southwest

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 ...

, Denmark, some north of the centre. As of 2011, it has 7,289 inhabitants. With a history as a fishing village going back some 700 years it is now an exclusive suburb with views over the sandy beach and 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 ...

History

Hjerting has a history going back over 700 years. It was originally a fishing village and port for

Varde Varde is a Danish city in southwestern Jutland and is the primary city in the municipality of Varde, in Region of Southern Denmark. In 2015 municipality changed its motto to "We in nature" to emphasize its rural atmosphere. The town has an old ma ...

. In the mid-19th century, meat was exported from Hjerting to England until Esbjerg Harbour was developed. The housing estate which has been extended since 1960 is located on the coast with views out to the Skallingen peninsula. Hjerting Church, completed in 1992, was designed by Alan Havsteen-Mikkelsen.

The district today

Today Hjerting is a pleasant seaside resort and an exclusive suburb overlooking the bay of Ho Bugt on the

. In addition to the views out over the bay, the main attraction is the sandy beach which has a reddish colour. Thanks to the Skallingen peninsula to the west, the water is usually calm. Large private villas line the coast road, rather like those in the north of

Zealand Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...

. The octagonal church from 1992 with a separate tower looks a little like a modern version of a medieval castle. Inside, the impressive round nave is illuminated by natural light from above. The chancel is decorated with figures crafted by Robert Jacobsen. :da:Hjerting Kirke (Esbjerg Kommune)

References

{{Coord, 55, 31, 33, N, 8, 21, 25, E, type:landmark_region:DE-HB, display=title Neighbourhoods in Esbjerg Fishing communities in Denmark Resorts in Denmark