Ise Fjord () is a deeply branched arm of the sea into the Danish island
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 ...
.
From its relatively narrow entrance from the
Kattegat
The Kattegat (; ; ) is a sea area bounded by the peninsula of Jutland in the west, the Danish straits islands of Denmark and the Baltic Sea to the south and the Swedish provinces of Bohuslän, Västergötland, Halland and Scania in Swede ...
at
Hundested
Hundested is a town with a population of 8,590 (1 January 2025) and a former municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in Region Hovedstaden in the northern part of the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in eastern Denmark.
The former municipality is su ...
and
Rørvig
Rørvig is a small town with a population of 1,047 (1 January 2024)Odsherred
Odsherred is a peninsula in the north-western part of the island Zealand (Sjælland) in Denmark. Odsherred stretches from the Sjællands Odde in the north-west to the now drained Lammefjord in the south, covering an area with a wide range of the ...
,
Hornsherred
Hornsherred () is a peninsula between Roskilde Fjord and Isefjord on the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark.
It falls within the expanded Frederikssund municipality and includes Jægerspris and Skibby and before 1 January 2007 a part of Bra ...
, and
Nordsjælland
North Zealand, also North Sealand (), refers to the northeastern part of the Danish island of Zealand. The Danish tourist authorities have recently introduced the term Danish Riviera to cover the area in view of its increasing importance for to ...
.
Some branches have names of their own, such as Roskilde Fjord which joins Ise Fjord proper close to its northern end, Lejre Vig in
Lejre Municipality
Lejre Municipality () is a '' kommune'' in the Region Zealand of Denmark.
The current municipality was established on 1 January 2007 as a result of ''Kommunalreformen'' ("The Municipal Reform" of 2007), merging the former Lejre Municipality wi ...
just west of Roskilde harbor,
Holbæk Fjord
Holbæk () is a town in Denmark and the seat of Holbæk municipality with a population of 30,903 (1 January 2025).Lammefjord
The Lammefjord is a polder in Denmark at the base of the Odsherred peninsula. Previously a deeply branched arm of the sea leading west from the Isefjord, most of it is now Land reclamation, reclaimed as agricultural land. The eastern third, outside ...
and Sidinge Fjord at the west. The depth of the water in the fjord averages 5 to 7 meters, the deepest areas being those on the western side of
Orø
Orø is a small List of islands of Denmark, island in Denmark located in the Isefjord within Holbæk Municipality. The island covers and has a population of 995 (). There are four villages on Orø: Bybjerg, the largest village on the island wit ...
. Salinity is from 1.6 to 2.2%.
Flora
The banks of Ise Fjord are full of interesting flowers and plants. The river valley of Ejby north of
Roskilde
Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 53,354 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...
near Ise Fjord is a nature reserve with many rare plants.
The Ise Fjord workshop
Ise Fjord is also remembered for its 15th-century artists who decorated many of the region's churches with
frescoes
Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...
(''kalkmalerier'') depicting stories from the Old and New Testaments. A good example is Tuse Church near
Holbæk
Holbæk () is a town in Denmark and the County seat, seat of Holbæk municipality with a population of 30,903 (1 January 2025).Tuse Kirke from DAC's Værkleksikon. In Danish. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
Gallery
File:Hundested.jpg, Hundested at the mouth of the fjord
File:Tuse-Kirke Kalkmalerier.jpg, Murals in Tuse Church