I guess many people visit Denmark for the friendly atmosphere and nice food. But then again, I’m not like most people.
Denmark was occupied by Germany in 1940 and remained so for five years. During this time the western part of the country was made part of the “Atlantic wall” which stretched from the Pyrenees to Nordkap. A total of 7500 German bunkers were built in Denmark, and 6000 of them were located along the coast.
Today many of these concrete behemoths remains as claustrophobic scars running beneath cities and forests, whispering secrets in stale air. Each corridor is a time capsule sealed with fear and silent anticipation.
Bunker in Hirtshals.
The 10th battery of Hirtshals is the only complete German defense installation left in Denmark. The area contains 54 excavated bunkers along with gun emplacements, scattered around the town’s most visible landmark, the 35 meter high lighthouse.
Part of the fortified area in Hanstholm.
The population of Hanstholm were evacuated by the Germans who built Europe’s biggest fortress in the area. It held tree 38 cm cannons with a firing range of 55 kilometers, halfway to Norway. I walk around the large circular rim of the pit where a cannon once stood, and ponder the madness of humans.
Similar cannons were located in the Norwegian town of Kristiansand across the water, effectively blocking the entrance to Kattegatt.
The area around Hanstholm is full of old concrete caves. I go down into a few of the derelict bunkers, stumbling through pitch black darkness with flashlights.
There’s no souvenir stand at the exit. Just daylight, and and the quiet thought: what the hell were they thinking?
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