Ho Bay () is a Danish bay with an approximate area of . It constitutes the northern end of 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 ...
, and lies between
Skallingen in the southwest,
Ho in the west,
Oksbøl
Oksbøl is a town in southwestern Jutland in the Varde Municipality, in Region of Southern Denmark. As of 1 January 2024, it has a population of 2,840.
Oksbøl Refugee Camp houses the refugee museum FLUGT, which opened in 2022. The museum descri ...
to the north and
Hjerting
Hjerting is a district of Esbjerg in southwest Jutland, 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 san ...
to the east. At the northeastern end,
Varde Å
The Varde () is a river of Jutland, Denmark. With a length of approximately , it is the third longest watercourse in Denmark, and has a catchment area of . The river flows through the municipalities of Varde Municipality, Varde and Esbjerg Municipa ...
has its outlet through Tarp and Billum Enge, north of Marbæk Plantage.
In the southern end of the bay lies the island
Langli surrounded by large sandy surfaces, but with a road to the north to the peninsula Nyeng, south of Ho.
As a part of the Wadden Sea, Ho Bay is an international nature conservation area under the
Natura 2000
Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectiv ...
network, and
Ramsar area,
Special Area of Conservation
A special area of conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...
and
Special Protection Area
A special protection area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and cer ...
.
The name goes back to circa 1325 when it was ''Hoo'' that comes from the old Danish word ''trug''. The property was early among the most inhabited areas in West Jutland, when the bay provided shelter for both freight and fishing boats.
In 1941, there were big plans for
land reclamation
Land reclamation, often known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new Terrestrial ecoregion, land from oceans, list of seas, seas, Stream bed, riverbeds or lake ...
in Ho Bugt, where in a collaboration between Hedeselskabet and The Land Winding-up Committee would regulate Varde Å, make Langli landfast, and recover an area of . However, the project was shelved when one feared a sanding of
sailing
Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, Windsurfing, windsurfer, or Kitesurfing, kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (Land sa ...
into
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 ...
.
[Keld Hansen: ''Det tabte Land'' p.238 (Gads Forlag 2008), ]
References
Bays of Denmark
Wadden Sea
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