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The history of the Hærvej
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Before cars and trains were invented, the main road through Jutland ran along the backbone of Denmark and up through the peninsular, and was a simple rutted dirt track. It was not even a road as such, but a whole network of smaller paths which all formed what we know today as the Hærvej (ca. 250 km).
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These days, the name covers the bicycle path and walking trail, which were established by the old county administrations as recreational routes at the beginning of the 1980’s. The bridle path, which is not signposted, runs from Viborg to Bække.
The Hærvej lies on the ridge top, formed by the ice around 15.000 years ago. From this crest, water courses run to the east or to the west, before reaching the Kattegat or North Sea.
The Hærvej follows the “dry shoe” principle, as crossing rivers could be both difficult and dangerous, and there are many tales of the river gods claiming their annual sacrifice.
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The many grave mounds along the route, bear witness to the fact that the Hærvej has been an important route in prehistoric times, probably as far back as the early Stone Age. The route was used by traders, who transported flint, amber, hides, honey, pottery and axes to central Europe, by earnest pilgrims on their way to the grave of the Apostles in Santiago in northern Spain, St. Peters in Rome or Jerusalem, and of course by armies who gave the road its name and built the many fortifications along the roadside.
During the course of time, the Hærvej has had many other names, including the Bullock Road, Ox Road, King’s Road, Roman Road or simply the Country Road. In South Jutland, many stretches of the route are still known as the Ox Road, which is also the name in northern Germany. In Denmark, the road from Viborg to the Danevirke was given its modern name by Hugo Matthiessen in 1930, in his book “The Hærvej”.
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Thursday, September 22 2011
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