Store Vildmose (lit.: Large Wild-bog) is bogland located in northern

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

Vendsyssel Vendsyssel () is the northernmost traditional district of Denmark and of Jutland. Being divided from mainland Jutland by the Limfjord, it is technically a part of the North Jutlandic Island, but the name often used informally for the entire island. ...

, about 20 km north-west of

Aalborg Aalborg (, , ) is Denmark's fourth largest town (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an urban population of 143,598 (1 July 2022). As of 1 July 2022, the Municipality of ...

. It is the remnant of an extensive raised

peat bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...

, in large part drained by constructed canals in the early 20th century. Some areas are still relatively untouched and give an impression of the original nature of this bog. The area has both national and international importance, as it presents one of the largest contiguous areas of

raised bog Raised bogs, also called ombrotrophic bogs, are acidic, wet habitats that are poor in mineral salts and are home to flora and fauna that can cope with such extreme conditions. Raised bogs, unlike fens, are exclusively fed by precipitation (ombrot ...

in Denmark, home to many rare animals and plants. Store Vildmose covers an area of about 6,000 hectares today, of which 1,895 hectares are protected areas. Most of the protections are designated for EU habitat, but the boglands are also to be protected as a scientific and archaeological important conservation zone. Store Vildmose is part of 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.

History

In the Stone Age, the area was a big lake, which eventually dried up and was later cultivated by

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

farmers. In the

middle ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, climate change had increased precipitation, stimulating the spread of peat moss and turning the area into one of the largest bogs in Europe. Store Vildmose eventually reached its maximum area in the 1800s, before drainage and peat cutting on a larger scale was initiated. As the peat has been dug up through the ages, various relics and artifacts from the Iron Age have been unearthed.

Farming

Between 1920 and 1945, most of the area became farmland, where so-called 'vildmose

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 Un ...

es' are grown, considered a culinary speciality of Northern Jutland. Some of the benefits of potatoes from Store Vildmose are that the peels are very thin and smooth, that they do not soften easily with cooking and their taste. Several species are grown and sold under the name 'vildmose potatoes'. The potato-growers guild in Store Vildmose consists of six cooperating growers and they are working towards creating a regional- and event-center in one of the old stable farms in the area, through the fund of ''Vildmoseporten'' (''The Vildmose Gate''). There is a regional museum in the town of

Brønderslev Brønderslev is a city in Denmark with a population of 12,549 (1 January 2022). The city is the largest urban area in Brønderslev Municipality and is the municipal seat. It is the fourth largest city of Vendsyssel within the North Jutland Region ...

by the name of ' Vildmosemuseet', concentrating on the cultural history of the bog area.

Nature

Store Vildmose is home to many rare and uncommon species, since the

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s it presents are threatened naturetypes. In the boglands, one can find

cloudberry ''Rubus chamaemorus'' is a species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae, native to cool temperate regions, alpine and arctic tundra and boreal forest. This herbaceous perennial produces amber-colored edible fruit similar to the blackb ...

, the carnivorous great sundew and a breeding population of

corn crake The corn crake, corncrake or landrail (''Crex crex'') is a bird in the rail family. It breeds in Europe and Asia as far east as western China, and migrates to Africa for the Northern Hemisphere's winter. It is a medium-sized crake with buff- ...

, that have otherwise seen a steep decline in western Europe. The

marsh fritillary The marsh fritillary (''Euphydryas aurinia'') is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. Commonly distributed in the Palearctic region, the marsh fritillary's common name derives from one of its several habitats, marshland. The prolonged larval st ...

used to live here, but have not been observed for the last 20 years. Otter also used to roam here and might be establishing again in the near future, along with

sea lamprey The sea lamprey (''Petromyzon marinus'') is a parasitic lamprey native to the Northern Hemisphere. It is sometimes referred to as the "vampire fish". Description The sea lamprey has an eel-like body without paired fins. Its mouth is jawless, ...

. Both species are to be protected in Denmark.Store Vildmose
Danish Nature Agency

References

External links

Store Vildmose
A map of Store Vildmose with proposed hiking trails and points of interest.
Vildmosemuseet
The museums homepage {{Authority control North Jutland Region Bogs of Denmark Archaeological sites in Denmark Natura 2000 in Denmark Aalborg Municipality