Three idyllic villages that, until the end of serfdom, were the holdings of surrounding manors. Since then, the towns expanded in agriculture, dairy farms, schools, craftsmen, saw mills and trade. Today the areas have been through the same developments as most other towns in Denmark.
Ore Church
The parish church is at the centre of the village of Ore, which sits in a gorgeous area surrounded by stone fences decked with exciting flora, consisting of wild plants and medicinal herbs at the top. The white limestone church is from the 1400s. The tower was added later (in the 1500s).
If you peek into the church, you can find an altarpiece, a crucifix and a pulpit from the age of Christian IV (the 1600s) – donated by Count Laurids Lindenov of Oregaard. A beautiful model ship hangs in the loft, and the walls are adorned with several memorial tablets. One of the memorial tablets is placed in memory of a local soldier who lost his life during the retreat from the Battle of Dybbøl in 1864.
Roses and cabbage
When you walk through the fields, you can’t help but notice the various fields of roses or cabbage – and during the blooming season, you may note the dazzling colours of the rose patches shining out between the fields of corn, rapeseed or cabbage.
The fertile soil here is well-suited for cabbage, and the coastal climate is excellent for growing roses – most Danish garden roses are grown here. Every year, a rose festival is held in Bogense, bringing countless people to see its various roses.
The coast and the chair
At the end of Donnervej in Skovby Nymark, a sculpture “chair” can be found on the outer end of the dike. Take a seat here to get a panorama view of Lillebælt and Kattegat. From here you can see Æbelø to the north east, the flat island of Endelave to the north and to the north west, the east coast of Jutland at Juelsminde and the mouth of the Vejle Fjord. To the south, the forested Trelde Næs stands out with its steep cliffs, and behind it, the striking Røjle peninsula, which obscures the rest of Lillebælt.
If you stand up and go south west, you can go hiking for up to five kilometres before reaching the border of the municipality of Middelfart. The first kilometre, up to the outlet of Nyhavebækken, passes along a beautiful beach meadow. The Nyhavebækken outlet regularly fills with sand, so the water must find new ways – unless people help it along. The sand is brought by the flow of the waves under the cliffs to the west and is drawn along the coast until it settles into islands east of Bogense. Here, by the outlet, there is a chance to see the beautiful kingfisher during the winter half of the year.
From here, you can continue along the edge of the Nyhaveskoven forest up to Pikkerhuset. A stone mason used to live here – hence the name (the Pick House). On a short stretch away from here, the cultivated land leads out to the coast until you reach one of the great Nordfyn summer house areas. The outlet of Skelbækken is one kilometre from here. Here, the land is higher, and ends in a cliff. Below the cliffs, shells from gorgeous Tellinidae molluscs can be found here, at the southern end of their habitat.
Did you know…
In quiet weather, you may be lucky enough to see porpoises and seals from here.
Porpoises mainly keep to a small section of Lillebælt, but also come out to this side of the Røjle peninsula to catch fish. The seals come from the seal reserve at Møllegrunden, south west of Endelave, and come to lay in the sun on the big rocks, among other things.