The lighthouse Rubjerg Knude in Denmark.

© rpeters86/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Rubjerg Knude

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About 14km north of Løkken (en route to the town of Lønstrup) is Rubjerg Knude, an area of sand dunes that show just how Mother Nature calls the shots on this wind-whipped coast. Rubjerg Knude Fyr (the lighthouse) stood 200m inland when it opened in 1900, 60m above sea level. Over time the sea moved closer, and by the late 1960s the lighthouse was closed because frequent heavy sand drifts were making its light near-impossible to see from the sea.

In 1980 the lighthouse opened as a museum with exhibitions about the migrating sands, but had to close in 2002 as the sand drift was burying the museum buildings. Today, it attracts tourists as a photogenic landmark and curiosity, partly submerged in sand. It is expected that the lighthouse will fall into the sea in the coming decade, due to coastal erosion.

To reach Rubjerg Knude, take Rte 55 northeast from Løkken and turn left after about 6km, onto Lønstrupvej (signposted). It’s quite a walk from the car park to the lighthouse (a good half-hour). Summer bus 99 passes through the area.


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