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

Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...

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 which also comprises the areas Hanherred and Thy. Vendsy ...

, about 20 km north-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 ...

. 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 muske ...

, 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 (ombro ...

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 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 ...

, 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 historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

farmers. In 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 ...

, 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 tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...

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 12,946 (1 January 2025). 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, habitat refers to the array of resources, 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 manifestation of its ...

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. Its English common names include cloudberry, Nordic berry, bakeapple (in Newfoundland and Labrador), knotberry and knoutberry (in England), aqpik or low-bush salmonberry ...

, 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 Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which includes weasels, badgers, mink, and wolverines, among ...

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". It was likely introduced to the Great Lakes region through the Erie Canal in 1825 and the Wel ...

. 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