Gjøl is a town on the north coast of the
Limfjord in
North Jutland, Denmark. It is located in
Jammerbugt Municipality, west of
Aalborg
Aalborg or Ålborg ( , , ) is Denmark's List of cities and towns in Denmark, fourth largest urban settlement (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an Urban area, urban populati ...
, extending along the base of a glacial
moraine
A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and Rock (geology), rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a gla ...
. The shallow part of the fjord to the west of the ridge, Gjøl Bredning, is a
wildlife preserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...
.
[Egon Jensen, Horst Meesenburg and Ulla Kjær]
"Gjøl"
''Den Store Danske
Den may refer to:
* Den (room), a small room in a house
* Maternity den, a lair where an animal gives birth
Media and entertainment
* ''Den'' (album), 2012, by Kreidler
* Den (''Battle Angel Alita''), a character in the ''Battle Angel Alita'' ...
'' online, 15 July 2014, retrieved 16 October 2020 .
History
The placename is first recorded in 1231 as ''Giol'' and is related to the word ''gul'' (yellow), a reference to the chalky cliffs of the moraine.
[
Until the early twentieth century, the site of the town was an island. Starting during the First World War, dams were constructed to create dry land from part of Gjøl Bredning and connect the island to the mainland, among them in 1914–1920 a long dam connecting Gjøl to the neighbouring island of Øland.][
Thomas Dam created the first troll dolls in Gjøl in the mid-1950s and the Dam Things company is still located in the town; in Denmark they are known as Gjøl trolls as well as Dam trolls. The town is also known for ]mink
Mink are dark-colored, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammals of the genera ''Neogale'' and '' Mustela'' and part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters, and ferrets. There are two extant species referred to as "mink": the A ...
farms.[
]
Church
Gjøl Church was built around 1150 and has a Romanesque nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
and choir
A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...
and late Gothic tower. The doorways were originally richly decorated with carvings; the signature of master carver Goti is preserved. The choir was decorated with frescos in the 1530s. It is the main church of (parish).[
]
In media
Hans Kirk's 1928 novel '' Fiskerne'' (The Fishermen) is based on the true story of a group of fishermen from the North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
coast who moved to Gjøl and came into conflict with those who lived there. Kirk had a connection to the area through his father, and wrote the book while living at the old inn in the town, Gjøl Kro.[Morten Pedersen]
"Gjøl fishermen hung out to dry?"
1001 Fortællinger om Danmark, Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces, retrieved 20 June 2017.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gjol
Fishing communities in Denmark
Cities and towns in the North Jutland Region
Jammerbugt Municipality
Villages in Denmark