Stevns Klint
Stevns Naturcenter
Beautiful and Dramatic
Stevns Klint is a coastal cliff-line approximately
17 km long stretching between Rødvig in the
south and Bøgeskov in the north.
The steep cliff rises up from the Baltic Sea and
reaches a maximum of 41 m by the lighthouse
Stevns Fyr.
The cliff is formed by a soft chalk and an overlying hard limestone. The soft chalk is easily
eroded by the sea, which means that dramatic
overhangs of limestone are created and now
and again collapse in rockfalls.
The most famous rockfall occurred in 1928
when part of the old church at Højerup slipped
into the sea.
Stevns Klint is untamed and wild; it stands as a
powerfull contrast to the man-made landscape
of Stevns and its dramatic impact can only really be experienced by standing at the cliff edge.
Fortunately there are plenty of opportunities to
experience the beauty and drama of Stevns
Klint at a range of publicly accessible sight-seeing spots described in this booklet.
Stevns Klint Trampesti
Possibly the best way to experience Stevns
Klint is to walk part of the 20 km long
Trampesti (footpath) which stretches between
Rødvig and Bøgeskov Havn. You can find a
map of the footpath on pages 8 - 9 in this booklet. The footpath is clearly marked and information posters are placed at access points.
Sight-seeing attractions along the footpath offer
shorter or longer stopping-points. For most of
its length the path goes along the cliff edge but
at a few places it takes a detour inland. Between
Kulsti Rende and Bøgeskov Havn in the north it
is necessary to descend and follow the shoreline. This can be difficult in case of on-shore
wind. An alternative is to walk along the lanes
Holtug Mosevej and Holtug Strandvej.
There is public parking at several places along
the cliffs from where it is possible to access the
footpath. See the map on pages 8 – 9. Avoid
parking on private areas or in other ways cause
trouble for the private landowners.
The footpath Stevns Klint Trampesti has been
created by cooperation between the municipality of Stevns Kommune and the landowners. The
landowners have left strips of uncultivated land
whereby the path can pass their property.
Please show respect for this gesture by following the rules of access shown on pages 8 – 9.
Stevns Klint as a World Herritage Candidate
In January 2010 Stevns Klint was declared a
candidate for UNESCO's World Heritage List
because the cliff contains evidence from one of
the most important periods in the development
of life on earth. Work associated with this candidature is currently in progress.
Peregrine Falcons at Stevns Klint
Peregrine Falcons have been breeding successfully at Stevns Klint since 2007. The
Peregrine Falcon is an impressive hunter which
preys on other birds by catching them in midflight. The bird's hunting technique is to dive
steeply at speeds reaching up to 300 km/h. This
makes it the world's fastest animal.
Walking along the cliff-edge and walking under the cliff can be dangerous!
Do not walk under the cliff in periods of frost and thaw.
Most landslips happen in winter and early spring.
Progress along the Trampesti is at your own risk!
2 Stevns Naturcenter
BOULDER CLAY – The uppermost layers of the cliff are a mixture of clay, sand, gravel and stones.
These were left behind by ice sheets which melted at the end of the last Ice Age circa 15,000 years ago.
The Boulder Clay is thus more than 60 million years younger than the limestone beneath it.
Danian
Strata
Quaternary
Strata
Boulder Clay
BRYOZOAN LIMESTONE – This is made up of calcareous skeletons from bryozoans – a group of tiny
colonial animals – that lived on the seabed. The bryozoans created a seabed with varying relief of
ridges up to 10 m high that can be identified by the undulating flint layers in the cliff.
The bryozoans extracted their food from particles brought by currents which came from the south.
The growth of their colonies was therefore most prolific on the south side of the ridges giving a steeper
southern face.
e
eston
an Lim
Bryozo
CERITHIUM LIMESTONE – This is a thin, hard brownish limestone which is named after a characteristic fossil snail found within it. This limestone once formed a continuous layer over the underlying
Grey Chalk but erosion removed all except thin lenses preserved in shallow depressions.
Cretaceous
Strata
Grey Chalk
FISH CLAY – Beneath the lenses of Cerithium Limestone can be found a layer up to 10 cm thick of
grey, limey shale over a thin, dark clay. Despite its name, fossils of fish or any other kind are rare
in the Fish Clay. This layer marks the boundary between the Cretaceous and Danian (Tertiary)
geological periods 65 million years ago At this time 2/3 of all species on earth became extinct.
Dinosaurs, ammonites, belemnites and many other groups of animal disappeared. The Fish Clay
has a high content of Iridium, a rare element on Earth but commonly found in meteorites. It has been
concluded from this that a meteor colliding with the earth caused the catastrophic effects at the
Cretaceous – Tertiary boundary.
Chalk
The cliff's characteristic 'anvil' profile is
a result of the constant erosion by the sea
of the soft underlying Chalkt which undermines the harder, overlying Bryozoan
Limestone, which is then left projecting to
form the pronounced overhang.
GREY CHALK – A layer of chalk with many bryozoan fossils. The colour is due to fine volcanic ash.
Undulating flint layers indicate a seabed with low ridges.
CHALK - The chalk is brilliant white and includes horizontal flint layers. It was laid down by the deposition of untold billions of the skeletal elements of microscopic algae that lived in the Cretaceous seas.
Flint is formed by chemical precipitation in voids and on the seabed, often within the burrows of animals.
Horizontal flint layers indicate an originally flat seabed. Undulating flint layers indicate an originally undulating seabed.
Geology – Meteors and Mass-Extinction
Stevns Klint is world famous because here one
can see evidence of the catastrophe which
struck the Earth 65 million years ago and wiped
out half of all plant and animal species,
amongst them the dinosaurs!
In the cliff the catastrophe is visible as a thin
layer of clay known as the Fish Clay. The thin
Fish Clay lies between thick layers of chalk and
limestone.
The chalk forms the base of the cliff. It is so soft
it marks the hands when touched. The chalk
dust on one's fingers is made up of microscopic
shells from tiny algae which lived in the sea at
the same time as the dinosaurs ruled the land.
In the chalk it is possible to find the remains of
sea-urchins, shark's teeth and, if one is lucky,
remains of extinct squid (belemnites) or teeth
from the giant sea-going lizard, Mosasaurus.
In the upper layers of the cliff one can see hard
limestone with many wavy layers of dark flint
nodules. The limestone is made up of the
remains of the colonial skeletons of tiny animals known as bryozoans. If one looks closely
at the bryozoan limestone it is possible to see
small stalks a few millimetres thick. Closer inspection can reveal tiny holes on the stalks in
which the individual bryozoans lived. Remains
of sea-urchins are common in the limestone.
Between the soft chalk and the hard limestone
lies the thin Fish Clay layer. The thin layer
marks the catastrophe whereby half of all plant
and animal species were wiped out. The reason
for the catastrophe has been intensely debated. Some researchers think violent volcanic
eruptions were the cause but others think a
meteorite struck the Earth, creating a worldwide dust cloud: this would have killed all
plants and thereby caused the collapse of all
eco-systems on Earth. Lots of people come to
Stevns Klint to see the Fish Clay and to participate in the debate.
Stevns Naturcenter 3
Boesdal Kalkbrud
Boesdal Kalkbrud is an abandoned limestone
quarry less than 2 km from Rødvig.
Today the quarry is a designated recreational
area with public access and it is genuinely
worth a visit.
The quarry’s ‘trademark' is the great 25 m
3
high, 3000 m conical storehouse known as
Pyramiden (the pyramid).
One feels rather small walking around inside it.
The spectacular building was constructed to
store agricultural lime that had been excavated and crushed in the quarry.
The shape of the building follows the shape
that is naturally formed when crushed limestone is dumped from the end of a conveyor
belt.
Besides agricultural lime, quicklime was also
produced for use in mortar and as a flux for
removal of impurities in steel production.
The production of quicklime required the burning of limestone in the kilns which are found
by the car park at the quarry's northern edge.
In the kilns the limestone (CaCO3) was heated
to 1300ºC, at which temperature it decomposes, releasing CO2 (carbon dioxide), and leaving the highly reactive quicklime (CaCO).
The hard flint found in the limestone had no
commercial value and was dumped in the sea
in front of the quarry.
This explains why much of the flint on the
beach in front of Boesdal Kalkbrud is larger
and more angular than the rounded pieces
that are so characteristic of beaches along the
rest of the Stevns Klint.
Rounded flint is traditionally called 'kugleflint'
or 'ball-flint'. The rounded flint is formed as
the breaking waves rolls the originally angular
fragments of flint around again and again for
hundreds of years.
Exploitation of limestone started at the beginning of the 1900s and ended in the 1980s.
The quarry is today owned by the municipality
Stevns Kommune and is open for public
access.
You can find the rules for using the quarry and
a calendar for upcoming events on the website
at www.boesdal.org.
How to find Boesdal Kalkbrud
Boesdal Kalkbrud lies approximately 1.5 km
from Rødvig in the direction of Højerup, along
Korsnæbsvej.
In Boesdal turn off at Boesdalvej to the southeast.
The lane ends at a car park in the quarry's
north-eastern part.
By the car park is a building with a handicap
toilet. Information boards deal with the quarry
and its history.
Info:
The municipality of Stevns Kommune has established two shelters with fireplaces and a composting toilet in the south-east corner of the quarry. The shelters are free-of-charge and tents are
allowed here. Remember to bring your own firewood.
The walk along the beach between Boesdal Kalkbrud and Rødvig is quite difficult but there is a
gentle path running along the top of the cliff. A tour along the beach gives a fantastic experience of the cliffs. On the southern side of Korsnæb the world renowned 'Fish Clay' is exposed above
the beach level and can be studied at close hand. The Fish Clay defines the boundary between
the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods: read more about this on page 3.
4 Stevns Naturcenter
Boesdal kalkbrud
Stevns Naturcenter 5
Stevnsfort
Buried deep within Stevns Klint lies one of
Denmark's most remarkable Cold War installations: Stevnsfort / Stevns Fort.
The fort was constructed in 1952-54 as a response to the Korean War which showed that
Denmark could be rapidly involved in an international conflict that might even involve the
use of nuclear weapons.
The main mission of the fortress was to control and secure all ships passing through the
important Øresund strait. The main armament
of the fortress consisted of two turrets each
equipped with two 15 cm guns with a range of
23 km.
With the help of a complicated radar net and
observation posts along the coast the guns
could be aimed with great precision by an
artillery control centre within the fort.
More than 1.6 km of tunnels and rooms were
blasted and excavated beneath the area of the
fort which housed operations rooms, quarters
and technical installations.
In case of war a complement of 168 men
could be sustained for up to 3 months without
resupply.
From the 1980s Stevnsfort became an Early
Warning Station for NATO.
A new fully automatic control room, the socalled 'O-Room', was installed underground to
carry out this task.
At this time the Air Force was stationed at
Stevnsfort with their HAWK missiles.
With the end of the Cold War Stevns Fort
became superfluous and in 2000 the fort was
decommissioned.
Subsequently a lot of effort has been used to
convert the area to a museum and in 2008 the
authentic surroundings were opened to the
public as Koldkrigsmuseum Stevnsfort /
Stevns Fort Cold War Museum.
How to find Stevnsfort
Koldkrigsmuseum Stevnsfort is at Korsnæbsvej
60, between Rødvig and Højerup.
The three air defence missiles, visible by the
entrance, were stationed in Stevns during the
Cold War.
The barrack blocks on the other side of the
road today are used as a secure youth institution.
Info:
Stevnsfort is open to visitors from April to October between 10 am and 5 pm.
If you want to see the large underground installations then join one of the many daily guided
tours. Tickets can be bought at the entrance or from the website at www.stensfortet.dk .
6 Stevns Naturcenter
Koldkrigsmuseum
Stevnsfort
Boesdal kalkbrud
Stevns Naturcenter 7
8 Stevns Naturcenter
Klippinge
Magleby
Gjorslev
Stevns Klint
trampesti
Store Heddinge
Sigerslev
Holtug
6,8 km
7,7 km
Bøgeskov Havn
Stevns Naturcenter/
Flagbanken
Holtug Kridtbrud
Stevns Naturcenter 9
Frøslev
Rødvig
Havnelev
Boesdal Kalkbrud
6,5 km
Lille Heddinge
Tommestrup
Please do follow the rules of the owners!
Only pedestrian allowed
Dogs must always be kept on a lead
Leave no litter
Longer stays and overnight stays only at
directed places
• Private stairs must not be used
•
•
•
•
Rules for the use of the trampesti:
Koldkrigsmuseum
Stevnsfort
Højerup gl. kirke/
Stevns Museum
Stevns Fyr
Højerup
The classic location to enjoy Stevns Klint is
Højerup.
Here one can get a beautiful view of the cliffline, a close-up of the Fish Clay and visit the
Medieval church which lost its choir to a
rockfall one morning in the spring of 1928.
Højerup also offers the chance to visit Stevns
Museum, the old Fisherman's Cottage or to
stroll in the idyllic memorial park Højeruplund.
There is a nature playground for children and
the traditional inn Traktørstedet Højeruplund.
At Højerup there is a good opportunity to
access the coastal footpath Stevns Klint
Trampesti for a beautiful walk along the cliff
edge to the lighthouses at Stevns Fyr.
The old church Højerup Gl. Kirke perches right
on the cliff edge a short distance from the picturesque village.
An old legend says that the church jumps a
chicken's pace inland every Christmas Night.
But this was not enough to save it!
At the time the church was built it stood several hundred metres from the cliff edge but
over the seven subsequent centuries the sea
has encroached relentlessly.
In 1928 the choir fell into the sea so that now
one can experience the stunning view looking
out of the church directly over the cliffs and
across the Øresund strait.
After the dramatic rockfall took away not only
the church choir but also a part of the graveyard the church was reinforced with a steel
frame, a concrete retaining wall was installed
on the cliff and a wave-break on the shore.
The cliff at the site of the church is now the
best protected on this length of the coast.
The 'new' church Højerup Kirke was built further inland in 1913.
At the side of the old church there is a set of
steps leading down to the shore.
Walk carefully on the shore because algae can
make the large stones slippery!
If you turn left at the bottom of the steps and
proceed up the second set of steps or by jumping stone-to-stone along the shoreline you
will come to a beach of small flints where you
can examine the soft chalk (Skrivekridt).
If you turn right it is possible to clamber up
the fallen blocks to the classic spot where the
Fish Clay can be examined.
Be aware that progress under the cliff is at
your own risk and that you should especially
avoid staying under the cliff in the spring
months.
Info:
Behind the carpark is Stevns Egnsarboret / local arboretum which includes plants native to the
region. Here you can also find Stevns Museum which houses exhibitions on the cliffs' geology
and local history along with a treasure trove of things from olden days. The museum is handicapped-accessible and has a gift shop. The museum is open from May to September. Opening
hours and details can be found on the website at www.stevnsmuseum.dk.
10 Stevns Naturcenter
Museum
Stevns Naturcenter 11
Stevns Fyr
The lighthouse Stevns Fyr is situated at the
highest point on the Stevns Klint (41 m). Here
the first real lighthouse was erected in 1818.
The advantageous height gave the lighthouse
visibility from a great distance and so the first
building was a small semi-circular extension to
the gable of the lighthouse keeper's quarters.
Stevns Fyr was constructed under Commander
Senior Grade Poul de Løvenørn who was on a
mission to improve and extend the nation's
lighthouse service.
Increases in steamship traffic required more
lighthouses which it was important should be
distinguishable from each other.
Løvenørn made sure that Stevns Fyr made
use of the latest technology.
The light itself was a modern oil lamp which
could rotate and produce a flashing light!
In this way the Stevns Fyr could be distinguished from the old, coal fired, lighthouse over
on the Swedish coast at Falsterbo.
The sea-traffic on the Baltic Sea grew until a
larger and more powerful light was needed on
Stevns Klint.
In 1878 a 27 m high free-standing lighthouse
was therefore constructed using limestone
from the cliffs. The new lighthouse was equipped with a clockwork lens-rotating system
which was driven by a weight hanging down
the centre of the tower.
In 1901 a rocket-equipped life-saving station
was added. This made it possible to shoot a
line from the cliff out to a stranded ship, then
the line could be used as a ropeway to bring
the shipwrecked sailors into land. Today both
lighthouses are preserved.
Naturstyrelsen / The Danish Nature Agency
owns the lighthouses and lookout building and
the municipality of Stevns Kommune let the
area out for recreational use.
There is an exhibition in the lighthouse-keeper's quarters which explains about the
lighthouses' history, the area's Cold War history, geology and natural history.
The lighthouses and lighthouse-keeper's quarters are periodically open to the public
Cold War Installations
The lighthouse is surrounded by the missile
battery which was the base for 543 Squadron
of the Danish Air Force.
From 1965 the battery was equipped with
HAWK air-defence missiles and 6 launchers
could be sited in the 6 launch-sites, each surrounded by a u-shaped earthwork, in the
south of the area.
The two high mounds asphalted for vehicular
access were for mobile radar units.
Today the previously military installations are
owned by the municipality of Stevns Kommune
and there is public access to the whole area.
How to find Stevns Fyr
Fyrvej leads right up to the lighthouse from
Hærvejen about 1 km north of Højerup.
Info:
In springtime many migrating birds of prey can be seen, including larger species.
12 Stevns Naturcenter
Stevns Fyr
Vindehuse
Stevns Naturcenter 13
Flagbanken
Standing 40 metres above sea-level Flagbanken
is one of the highest places on Stevns Klint
and offers wonderful viewpoints.
During the Cold War this place was part of
Copenhagen's air defence and radar surveillance equipment for NIKE missiles was located
here. The missiles were installed almost 3 km
away at Gydevej. The separation distance was
necessary to ensure that the radar could follow the missiles which achieved speeds three
times the speed of sound.
Today one of the old radar towers houses a
weather radar operated by the
Danish Meteorological Institute
(DMI). The other tower is used for
bird-watching.
Small open exhibitions about the
area and the geology of Stevns Klint
are found in the room under the
weather radar and in the exhibition
room beside the handicap toilet.
Around Flagbanken there are various tables and benches, fireplaces,
simple overnighting shelters and a
viewing terrace for wheel-chair
users.
In the autumn Flagbanken is one of
the country's best bird spotting localities.
Where is Flagbanken located?
The address of Flagbanken is Mandehoved
10A, by the side of Stevns Naturecenter.
Follow the signs to Stevns Naturcenter and
continue past the centre a short way.
Flagbanken is an open accessible public ressource. Stevns Naturcenter has an attached
Nature Interpreter and is the starting point for
many organised tours. There are overnighting
facilities that can be let to institutions, companies and societies.
Read more at www.stevnsnaturcenter.dk
Stevns
Naturcenter
Stevns kridtbrud
On sunny days in September lucky
visitors can enjoy the sight of a
great number of birds of prey which
cross to Stevns from Falsterbo on
their southward migration.
Info:
Immediately south of Flagbanken is Stevns Kridtbrud the remaining active chalk quarry on the
cliffs. The pit produces more than 1000 t of chalk powder daily, which is predominantly used in
the paper industry. Most of the production is freighted directly from the pit by ship. There is no
public access to the chalk quarry.
14 Stevns Naturcenter
Holtug Kridtbrud
Holtug Kridtbrud (chalk pit) is also
known as Holtug Kalkbrud (limestone
quarry). Actually both chalk and limestone have been extracted here. The
limestone was used for agricultural
lime and the chalk was, amongst other
things, used as filler in rubber and for
blackboard chalk.
The quarry closed in 1972 which deprived the area of an important source of
employment. Visitors can still see the
remains of building foundations and a
shipping jetty on the plateau in the
middle of the quarry.
The Danish Nature Agency bought
Holtug Kridtbrud in 1991 and preserved
it as a recreational area.
A Pearl of Nature
Holtug Kridtbrud is a small natural
pearl. Due to the occurrence of the rare
Great Crested Newt and the rare habitat including the lake and the dry grassland
with lime-loving plants the locality is listed as a
European 'Natura 2000' area.
Summer visitors can enjoy a wealth of wildflowers and butterflies. It is also possible to see
Sand Lizard and Common European Adder.
It is not permitted to pick flowers or fungi or
to remove animals from the environs of the
quarry.
The locality offers wonderful views and it is a
good place to study the geology of Stevns Klint.
Holtug kridtbrud
The locality forms the only public access to the
beach in the northern part of the cliff.
The coastline is popular with fishermen who
catch Sea Trout and Gar Fish, amongst others.
There is a public toilet and benches and tables
by the parking place.
How to get to Holtug Kridtbrud
Holtug Kridtbrud is situated at the end of
Holtug Linievej.
It is NOT ALLOWED to drive with motor vehicles from Mandehoved via Hovedskovvej.
Info:
In July 1677 the Battle of Køge Bugt (bugt=bay) was fought off Holtug Kridtbrud. The Swedish
warship 'Draken' went aground north of the quarry on the reef known as 'Kalkgrund'.
Taking advantage of this, the Danish naval hero Niels Juel boldly advanced between it and a
large part of the Swedish fleet which was decisive in a Danish victory, winning them complete
naval superiority.
Stevns Naturcenter 15
Stevns Turistbureau
Havnevej 21
DK-4673 Rødvig Stevns
+45 56 50 64 64
[email protected]
www.visitstevns.dk
Stevns Naturcenter
Mandehoved 10
Dk-4660 Store Heddinge
+45 56 50 22 34
[email protected]
www.stevnsnaturcenter.dk
Other links
www.oestsjaellands-museum.dk
www.stevnsmuseum.dk
www.stevnsfortet.dk
www.stevnsfyr.dk
www.stevns.dk
www.faxe-bogtryk.dk · Juni 2011
Published by Østsjællands Museum / Stevns Naturcenter and Stevns Kommune.
Text and photos: Østsjællads Museum.
Copyright: Kort og Matrikelstrelsen and Stevns Kommune