Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Himmelbjerget and Silkeborg
—If you're connecting the Billund and Jelling
area with Aarhus, consider this slower but more scenic route north through the
idyllic Danish Lake District. (With less time, return to Vejle and take the E45
motorway.)
Himmelbjerget, best seen by car, lies in the middle of Jutland near the town
of Silkeborg. Both are about an hour north of Billund (22 miles west of Aar-
hus). Silkeborg is accessible by train from Aarhus with a change in Skander-
borg.
Denmark's landscape is vertically challenged when compared to its moun-
tainous neighbors Norway and Sweden. If you have a hankering to ascend to
one of the country's highest points, consider a visit to the 482-foot-tall
Him-
melbjerget,
which translates loftily as “The Heaven Mountain.” That may be
overstating it, but by Danish standards the view's not bad. One can literally
drive to the top, where a short trail leads to an 80-foot-tall brick tower. Climb
the
tower
(small admission fee, April-Oct daily 10:00-17:00, longer hours
July-mid-Sept) for a commanding view. Clouds roll by above a patchwork of
green and gold fields while boats ply the blue waters of the lake below. You
may see the vintage paddle steamers make the hour-long trip between Himmel-
bjerget and Silkeborg in season (the dock is accessed by a short hike from the
tower down to the lake).
Silkeborg,
in the center of the Danish Lake District, has an excellent fresh-
water aquarium/exhibit/nature park called
AQUA
that's worth a visit, espe-
cially if you're traveling with kids (adults-140 kr, kids 3-11-75 kr, free for kids
3 and under; Mon-Fri 10:00-16:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-17:00, longer hours in sum-
mer, closed most of Dec; tel. 89 21 21 89,
www.ferskvandscentret.dk
). Also in
Silkeborg, modern-art lovers will enjoy the
Museum Jorn Silkeborg,
featur-
ing colorful abstract works by Asger Jorn—a prominent member of the 1960s'
COBRA movement—plus other Danish and foreign art (70 kr, free for kids 18
and under, April-Oct Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00, closed Mon, shorter hours off-sea-
son, tel. 86 82 53 88,
www.museumjorn.dk
).
