Gribskov (Grib Forest) is
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
's fourth largest forest, comprising c. 5,600 ha of woodland situated in northern
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 ...
, west and south of
Lake Esrum
Lake Esrum (, ) is the largest lake in Denmark by water volume and the second-largest lake by surface area, after lake Arresø. It is situated in the central part of North Zealand (the northeastern region of Zealand), straddling the boundaries of ...
. The forest is owned and administered by
the State of Denmark, and a part of the
Kongernes Nordsjælland National Park.
In July 2015, it was one of three forests included in a
UNESCO World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
, the
Par force hunting landscape in North Zealand
The Par force hunting landscape in North Zealand is a collection of hunting grounds and forests north of Copenhagen. The landscape was submitted for admission to the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites on 1 August 2010 and was inscribed on 4 July ...
.
Gribskov is usually divided into four sections: The northwest surrounding the small village of
Maarum, the northeast on the banks of
Lake Esrum
Lake Esrum (, ) is the largest lake in Denmark by water volume and the second-largest lake by surface area, after lake Arresø. It is situated in the central part of North Zealand (the northeastern region of Zealand), straddling the boundaries of ...
, the southwest around the small lake of Gribsø and finally the southeast, enclosing the village of
Nødebo
Nødebo is a village located on the southwestern shores of Lake Esrum in Hillerød Municipality, North Zealand, some 40 km north of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Nødebo Church, the oldest in the area, is notable for its church frescos and its ear ...
on the southern banks of Lake Esrum.
Only a thin strip of
Hillerød
Hillerød () is a Denmark, Danish town with a population of 36,604 (1 January 2025)[Store Dyrehave
Store Dyrehave (literally Large Animal Park) is a forest located to the east of the village Ny Hammersholt immediately south of Hillerød, on both sides of Lyngby Kongevej, Københavnsvej, in North Zealand, Denmark. Consisting of conifers and beec ...]
at 1,100 ha,
Tokkekøb Hegn at 631 ha and several smaller woods.
Etymology
The
Danish name Gribskov translates literally as ''Grib forest'' in English. The first part, 'grib', is the imperative form of the verb for 'catch' or 'grab', but the actual meaning and
etymology
Etymology ( ) is the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning—across time. In the 21st century a subfield within linguistics, etymology has become a more rigorously scientific study. ...
of the word go a bit deeper. 'Grib' refers to the
Old Danish
The Danish language developed during the Middle Ages out of Old East Norse, the common predecessor of Danish and Swedish. It was a late form of common Old Norse. The Danish philologist Johannes Brøndum-Nielsen divided the history of Danish in ...
word for something 'without any specific owner', so 'Gribskov' actually means a woodland of common ownership.
Nature
Gribskov and Lake Esrum are designated as
EU habitat directive and
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 ...
areas, as part of an even larger preserve. On top of that, Gribskov is designated as an
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
(IBA). Around 20% or c. 1,200 ha of the forest has been reserved as 'forest to be untouched', in an effort to preserve some of the few spots of
semi-natural woodland (SNW) in Denmark and stimulate the growth of new.
The birdlife in Gribskov is varied and of international importance. The forest is home to the largest populations of
common goldeneye
The common goldeneye or simply goldeneye (''Bucephala clangula'') is a medium-sized sea duck of the genus ''Goldeneye (duck), Bucephala'', the goldeneyes. Its closest relative is the similar Barrow's goldeneye. The genus name is derived from th ...
,
green sandpiper
The green sandpiper (''Tringa ochropus'') is a small wader (shorebird) of the Old World.
The green sandpiper represents an ancient lineage of the genus ''Tringa''; its only close living relative is the solitary sandpiper (''T. solitaria''). The ...
and
red-backed shrike
The red-backed shrike (''Lanius collurio'') is a carnivorous passerine bird and member of the shrike family, Laniidae. Its breeding range stretches from Western Europe east to central Russia. It is migratory and winters in the eastern areas of ...
in Denmark
[Gribskov]
Danish Ornithological Association (DOF) and near Nødebo at Lake Esrum, a noisy colony of
great cormorant
The great cormorant (''Phalacrocorax carbo''), also known as just cormorant in Britain, as black shag or kawau in New Zealand, formerly also known as the great black cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the black cormorant in Australia, and ...
s has found a home. Cormorants can be a problematic bird to administer locally, but they are protected in Denmark and on list III in the
Berne convention.
The forest grows in a hilly terrain (by Danish standards), with lower lying areas in the east and west. The low-lying areas are dominated by
beech
Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...
and
oak
An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...
, but with several forest types mixed in, such as
wood pasture
Silvopasture (''silva'' is forest in Latin) is the practice of integrating trees, forage, and the grazing of domesticated animals in a mutually beneficial way. It utilizes the principles of managed grazing, and it is one of several distinct form ...
s or old
coppice
Coppicing is the traditional method in woodland management of cutting down a tree to a tree stump, stump, which in many species encourages new Shoot (botany), shoots to grow from the stump or roots, thus ultimately regrowing the tree. A forest ...
woodland with
alder
Alders are trees of the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus includes about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few species ex ...
and
ash. There are also numerous small ponds, bogs, swamps and springs, some enshrouded by myths, superstition or old folk tales.
[
Gribskov is more than 10,000 years old, dating from the end of the last ice age, but the forest bears the marks of an intensive plantation industry that accelerated from the late 1700s and peaked in the 1800s. Former wetlands were drained and many new tree species were introduced, especially ]European spruce
''Picea abies'', the Norway spruce or European spruce, is a species of spruce native to Northern, Central and Eastern Europe.
It has branchlets that typically hang downwards, and the largest cones of any spruce, 9–17 cm long. It is very clos ...
. These practises have now stopped in Gribskov. Artificial ditches are being filled to allow a more natural waterflow and the spruce plantations are cut down, to be naturally and quickly replaced by alder
Alders are trees of the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus includes about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few species ex ...
, birch
A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...
and willow
Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions.
Most species are known ...
in coming years. It is expected that Gribskov will comprise more semi-natural woodland of deciduous trees
In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, after flo ...
in the future.
The forest of Gribskov offers a rare opportunity to observe free roaming deer of all the four species living in Denmark; namely the roe deer, sika deer
The sika deer (''Cervus nippon''), also known as the northern spotted deer or the Japanese deer, is a species of deer native to much of East Asia and introduced to other parts of the world. Previously found from northern Vietnam in the south t ...
, red deer
The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or Hart (deer), hart, and a female is called a doe or hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Ir ...
and fallow deer
Fallow deer is the common name for species of deer in the genus ''Dama'' of subfamily Cervinae. There are two living species, the European fallow deer (''Dama dama''), native to Europe and Anatolia, and the Persian fallow deer (''Dama mesopotamic ...
, with roe and fallow deer being most common in Gribskov. Roe deer have lived here for as long as the forest itself, while fallow deer were introduced at some point during the Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
. The fallow deer population in Gribskov is the largest free roaming fallow deer population in Denmark, at 600-800 animals.
Lakes, ponds and wetlands
There has been a long tradition of surface water draining by ditch-digging and natural waterflow regulation in Gribskov for various reasons, but these practises have now ceased and work is in progress to re-establish a more natural waterflow and improved conditions for wetland areas.[Reestablishment of natural hydrology in Gribskov and St. Dyrehave. A pilot project on areas affected by storm damage.]
Marie-Louise Olsen. English summary of the report. These measures have already enhanced the biological diversity
Biodiversity is the variability of life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distributed evenly on Eart ...
and has had a direct positive influence on the living conditions for birds in the forest.
There are several interesting bodies of water in Gribskov, seen both from a scientific and a folkloristic viewpoint. ''Store Gribsø'' (Large Grib-lake), or simply ''Gribsø'', is only a 10 ha lake, but is nevertheless the largest forest-enclosed lake in Gribskov. It is a so-called dystrophic lake
Dystrophic lakes, also known as humic lakes, are lakes that contain high amounts of humic substances and organic acids. The presence of these substances causes the water to be brown in colour and have a generally low pH of around 4.0-6.0. The pre ...
and it is impossible to see the bottom in its dark waters, even though it is only 11 m deep. The lake has no outflows and it can be ice cold just beneath the surface, so care should be taken when bathing. Tradition says the lake is bottomless and was created when God angrily punished a nunnery
A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community.
The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican Comm ...
that once was here. The nun
A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...
s showed more interest in the monks at Esrum Abbey than in God, so he opened up the ground and the chasm swallowed up all the nuns and the entire monastery. The monastery continued to sink and sink and that was how the lake was created. It is said that one can still hear the monastery's bells ringing down in the lake on quiet evenings.
Landmarks and structures
There are many small ponds, streams and lakes throughout Gribskov, but the larger ones—''Store Gribsø'', ''Solbjerg Engsø'' and ''Strødam Engsø''—all are situated in the southwestern parts. The latter two are the largest and attract a rich birdlife, but they are both on the edge of the forest.
The most prominent landmark is perhaps ''Svenskegrøften'' (lit.: The Swedish Ditch) initiated in 1576. It is a 2–3 km long artificial canal, winding its way through the forest from the lake of Store Gribsø and south towards the settlement of Gadevang in the southeastern section. As the name implies, Swedish prisoners of war were used for this large project, ordered by King Frederik II. The ditch is just one part of a larger network of ditches dug since the middle ages, to supply the Frederiksborg Palace
Frederiksborg Castle () is a palatial complex in Hillerød, Denmark. It was built as a royal residence for King Christian IV of Denmark-Norway in the early 17th century, replacing an older castle acquired by Frederick II and becoming the lar ...
with running water, to exploit the water resource for watermills in earlier times and to drain the wetlands so the land could be used for plantations. There are an estimated 526 km of artificial ditches in Gribskov.
Pre-history
There are several relics of the past in Gribskov. One example is the megalithic passage grave
A passage grave or passage tomb consists of one or more burial chambers covered in earth or stone and having a narrow access passage made of large stones. These structures usually date from the Neolithic Age and are found largely in Western Europ ...
just outside Kagerup
Kagerup is a village in the Gribskov Municipality in North Zealand, Denmark. It is located six kilometers southeast of Helsinge and 10 kilometers north of Hillerød. As of 2025, it had a population of 392.
Kagerup is served by Kagerup railway s ...
, a village south of Maarum in the northwest of the forest. It was raised at some point in the neolithic Stone Age
The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...
, about 5–6,000 years ago and is referred to as ''Jættestuen'', simply meaning The Passage Grave in English. Not far from the megalithic tomb are two round dolmen
A dolmen, () or portal tomb, is a type of single-chamber Megalith#Tombs, megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the Late Neolithic period (4000 ...
s, one of which is heavily deteriorated. Another megalithic passage grave is situated in the southwestern part of the woods. This tomb is known as ''Mor Gribs Hule'' (lit.: Mother Grib's Lair) and of similar age and origin as Jættestuen. Tradition says that the notorious sorceress Mother Grib lived in the grave chamber. She used to whistle at wayfarers, leading them astray to be robbed and killed by her sons [A variant of the story says that Mother Grib led travellers astray when they asked her for directions, and by blowing a whistle she signalled her six strong sons to jump forward and attack the unlucky victims. As with most folk tales and ]word of mouth
Word of mouth is the passing of information from person to person using oral communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time of day. Storytelling is a common form of word-of-mouth communication where one person tells others a ...
stories, various versions exist and change slightly over the years. ''Mor Grib'' is also known as ''Mutter Grib'', where Mutter translates as "old woman". This story gives an entirely new meaning to the name of Gribskov.
Just northwest of Gribskov, the small woodland of Valby Hegn holds a total of seven long barrow
Long barrows are a style of monument constructed across Western Europe in the fifth and fourth millennia BCE, during the Early Neolithic period. Typically constructed from earth and either timber or stone, those using the latter material repres ...
s from the neolithic.
Buildings
Gribskov is cut through by the Gribskov Line
The Gribskov Line or the Gribskov Railway () is a local railway, local passenger railway line in North Zealand north of Copenhagen, Denmark.
The line runs north from Hillerød through the Gribskov forest and splits into two branches to the seasi ...
, an old railway line
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of land transport, next to road ...
laid out in 1878, then offering the urban population a first-time opportunity to visit the forests.
Near the village of Nødebo
Nødebo is a village located on the southwestern shores of Lake Esrum in Hillerød Municipality, North Zealand, some 40 km north of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Nødebo Church, the oldest in the area, is notable for its church frescos and its ear ...
at Lake Esrum in the southeastern part of the forest is '' Skovskolen'' (lit.: The Forest School), a large school situated in the old foresters lodge, ''Skovfryd'' (lit.: Forest-joy), from 1829 to 1830. Here forest engineers, landscape engineers and nature guides are educated.
In the northeastern corner is the old Esrum Abbey.
File:Mutter Gribs Hule-4.jpg, Entrance to the Stone Age passage grave of 'Mor Gribs Hule'.
File:EsrumMonasteryBack.jpg, The medieval Esrom Monastery.
File:Mårum Station.jpg, Mårum train station in the northwestern section of Gribskov.
File:Nødebo - Skovridergården 1.JPG, Skovskolen near Nødebo.
Forestry and hunting
Gribskov has a long tradition for forestry
Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...
of all kinds.
In 1736, the German forester Johann Georg von Langen participated in restoring the Danish woodlands of the time by introducing European larch
''Larix decidua'', the European larch, is a species of larch native to the mountains of central Europe, in the Alps and Carpathian Mountains, with small disjunct lowland populations in northern Poland. Its life span has been confirmed to be clos ...
. Some of the first larch trees were planted in Gribskov in 1776 and they still can be seen there today in the northwestern parts, just east of Mårum. Known as ''Tinghuslærkene'' (lit.: The Tinghus-larches), one of the trees, now marked with a yellow ring and standing 36 m tall, was picked in 1935 by the Danish forestry geneticist Carl Syrach-Larsen for hybrid
Hybrid may refer to:
Science
* Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding
** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species
** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two diff ...
experimentation. From the marked tree in Gribskov, he developed a very successful hybrid with Japanese larch, able to withstand the devastating fungal larch canker disease also known as ''Lachnellula willkommii''. The hybrids also had a faster and healthier growth. The hybrid is known as ''Larix × marschlinsii'' or ''L. × eurolepis'' (discouraged name) and can also occur spontaneously, wherever European and Japanese larch grow together.
Nowadays parts of Gribskov are used for seed production of species such as European spruce
''Picea abies'', the Norway spruce or European spruce, is a species of spruce native to Northern, Central and Eastern Europe.
It has branchlets that typically hang downwards, and the largest cones of any spruce, 9–17 cm long. It is very clos ...
.
The history of hunting
Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...
in Gribskov also reaches far back in time. The most visible signs are perhaps the extensive path structures laid out in different parts of the forests, especially near Nødebo, in the years 1680–90 by King Christian V
Christian V (15 April 1646 – 25 August 1699) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1670 until his death in 1699.
Well-regarded by the common people, he was the first king anointed at Frederiksborg Castle chapel as absolute monarch since the de ...
. These are long straight lines, usually designed in star-patterns, merging and radiating from strategical points. They were constructed and used for running up and tiring the game (usually deer) in so-called parforce hunting, by horse and packs of hunting dogs. The same kind of layout and design also can be seen in the nearby woodlands of Store Dyrehave
Store Dyrehave (literally Large Animal Park) is a forest located to the east of the village Ny Hammersholt immediately south of Hillerød, on both sides of Lyngby Kongevej, Københavnsvej, in North Zealand, Denmark. Consisting of conifers and beec ...
and Jægersborg Dyrehave, just south of Gribskov. They all are former royal game reserves. Gribskov still is used for hunting today—in particular deer
A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...
—and some areas are not to be disturbed, but parforce hunting is illegal and has been since the year 1777.
See also
* Danish Museum of Hunting and Forestry
References and notes
Sources
* Flemming Rune (2009):
Gribskov
', Vol. 1, 2 and map-appendices, Forlaget Esrum Sø, .
* Lars Viinholt-Nielsen, Ole-Chr. M. Plum (2009): ''Gribskovbanen'', Dansk Jernbane-Klub, .
The Parforce Hunting landscape in North Zealand
UNESCO
* Areas within Gribskov:
** Northwest
Danish Nature Agency. Pdf. and map of the area.
** Northeast
Danish Nature Agency. Pdf. and map of the area.
** Southwest
Danish Nature Agency. Pdf. and map of the area.
** Southeast
Danish Nature Agency. Pdf. and map of the area.
{{World Heritage Sites in the Kingdom of Denmark
Forests of Greater Copenhagen
Forestry in Denmark
Special Areas of Conservation in Denmark
World Heritage Sites in Denmark