Kruså: Tunnel Valley, Møllesø and the Gendarme Path

Kruså combines a landscape shaped by the Ice Age with mill and border history. The Kruså Tunnel Valley, Kruså Møllesø and the Gendarme Path offer different focuses for planning a trip: nature, hiking and historical sites can each be explored separately.

Tunnel Valley and Møllesø

The Kruså Tunnel Valley stretches for about 7.5 kilometres from Padborg to its mouth at the Flensburg Fjord. It was formed during the last Ice Age. Springs emerge in many places from its steep slopes. The valley runs from Padborg to the fjord, making it a distinctive landscape feature of Kruså.

Kruså Møllesø lies immediately south of Kruså in the Tunnel Valley. The lake covers 12 hectares and is about 1 metre deep on average. It was formed around 1625, when the Kruså was dammed in connection with the operation of the mill. The present-day Kruså Vandmølle was built in 1878; it is a former watermill next to the protected Møllesø. The lake therefore brings together different layers of history: the river’s use to power the mill and the surviving mill building.

Hiking on the Gendarme Path

For a local hiking section, you can start at the car park in the eastern part of Kruså Møllesø. From there, the Gendarme Path follows the route south of the lake into the hills, crosses the Kruså southwest of the lake and returns to the starting point via Padborgvej. On 5 May 2015, the Gendarme Path was certified as a “Leading Quality Trail – Best of Europe”; it was the first European quality hiking route in Denmark.

The Gendarme Path also runs from the Danish-German border near Padborg via Kollund, Gråsten, Broagerland and Vemmingbund, past Dybbøl, and onwards to Sønderborg, Høruphav and Skovby on Als. It is part of the long-distance hiking trail E1 from Rønsdam to Kruså, as well as long-distance hiking trail E6, stage 16 and onwards, from Høruphav to Kruså. The local loop around Møllesø and this longer route are two different ways to explore the trail.

Landscapes north and east of Kruså

There are striking landforms beyond the Tunnel Valley, too: east of Kruså, larger ravines can be found at Klosterkløften and Slipskoven. Nearby, Kollund Skov has steep slopes and deep ravines facing the Flensburg Fjord. These places add another fjord-related feature to the picture of the hilly surroundings.

Kelstrup Plantation lies north of Kruså. It covers just under 331 hectares, and the Gejl Å flows through it. The plantation is open to pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders; dogs must be kept on a leash there. The Diversitetsstien in the plantation is an approximately 1.3-kilometre circular trail through woodland and meadows, suitable for families. Check route details locally before setting out. There is a dog exercise area in the eastern part of Kiskelund Plantation.

The Kruså is also part of the area’s natural character: nine different fish species have been recorded in it, including sea trout and salmon. This adds another dimension to the landscape description, highlighting the river as a habitat.

Border history and directions

A memorial stone commemorates the gendarme Aksel Sigurd Hansen. It was unveiled in September 1924 near the place by Kruså where Hansen died in the line of duty in 1920. Together with the Gendarme Path’s cross-border route, the memorial stone gives your stay a historical dimension alongside nature and hiking.

To reach Kruså Møllesø, take the E45 and exit 74 towards Kruså. Then follow Skrænten and, in Kruså, take Flensborgvej towards the border. Check the route on a map before setting off to plan your drive.

More destinations

Discover more destinations: Egernsund, Rendbjerg, Guderup, Asserballeskov, Langesø, Mommark, Skelde, Hardeshøj.

For the overview of the wider area: Sønderborg Municipality.