The Lammefjord is a

polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a lake or the seabed # Flood plains ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

at the base of the Odsherred peninsula. Previously a deeply branched arm of the sea leading west from the

Isefjord Ise Fjord ( da, Isefjorden) is a deeply branched arm of the sea into the Danish island Zealand. From its relatively narrow entrance from the Kattegat at Hundested and Rørvig, branches of Ise Fjord stretch 35 km inland and divide the northern ...

, most of it is now reclaimed as agricultural land. The eastern third, outside the dyke at Avdebo, is still sea, but the name ''Lammefjorden'' now usually refers only to the dry part west of the dyke. The sandy former sea bed is excellent agricultural land, especially for crops such as

carrot The carrot ('' Daucus carota'' subsp. ''sativus'') is a root vegetable, typically orange in color, though purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist, all of which are domesticated forms of the wild carrot, ''Daucus carota'', na ...

s and

potato The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern Uni ...

es. The draining project began in 1873, but it took until 1943 before the lowest elevations were pumped dry. Large parts of the fjord were shallow enough to be dry early on. In 1899 the Odsherred Railway opened across the western end of the fjord. The town of Fårevejle Stationsby grew up where the railway intersects that main road across the seabed; it serves as the administrative and mercantile center for much of the Lammefjord. The Lammefjord contains Denmark's lowest dry elevation, at below

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardis ...

. It is also in running for the lowest in the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

(shared with Zuidplaspolder in

the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

). Lammefjorden_in_1870.jpg, Lammefjorden before drainage (1870) Lammefjorden_in_1920.jpg, Lammefjorden after drainage (ca. 1920) Ods Herred Old Map 1768.jpg, Map of Odsherred from 1768 that shows the original extent of Lammefjordens and Sidinge Fjord, before embankment and drainage Lammefjorden-OSM-2017.svg, Map from 2017 showing the current extent of Lammefjorden

References

Geography of Zealand Lowest points Former bays Land reclamation in Denmark Geography of Holbæk Municipality Geography of Odsherred Municipality {{ZealandDK-stub

See also

References