Varde: River Landscape, Market Town and Culture

Varde combines the history of an old market town with art, a river landscape, and destinations for walks and excursions. If you are looking for a hotel in Varde, first consider what you want your stay to focus on: the artworks in the town centre, the route along the Varde Å, or the cultural and leisure attractions in the surrounding area.

Market Town History, Art and Crafts

Varde’s character as an old market town dates back to 1476. Extensive urban renewal has helped preserve this character. There are 48 artworks in the town centre. Two digitally guided tours, Nature Loop and Culture Loop, run through the centre and tell stories about nature, history, art, and notable people. This lets you combine a walk around the town with different thematic perspectives.

Frello Museum presents the artistic universe of Otto Frello; there is a Frello treasure hunt for children. Varde Miniby shows what the market town looked like around 1860, at a scale of 1:10. Its more than 300 miniature buildings are faithful reproductions of the original buildings. At the Minimurerne i Varde workshop, visitors can also see how miniature bricks are fired and small houses are built.

Arnbjergparken also connects a place with local history: the park is part of the Skansen i Varde area. Its name comes from a memorial stone whose inscription states that Allenstein’s soldiers built a fortification in 1627.

Walking Between River and Meadowland

The Kyst til Kyst Stien is a 130-kilometre hiking trail across Jutland, from Blåvandshuk to Vejle. Along its route, it follows the Varde Å, the Holme Å, and the Vejle Å. Near Varde, the route along the Varde Å reaches the area by Slotsbanken, passes through the Kongens Kær meadowland, and continues to Karlsgårdeværket. The marked section beyond Varde follows the meadows north of the Varde Å to Janderup Ladeplads and continues east towards Varde Kær; it is 14.9 kilometres long. This distinguishes the local section from the much longer full route.

The Varde Å flows through the town of Varde and is part of the Wadden Sea National Park. The river and meadows therefore bring together the town and its surrounding landscape. Those particularly interested in the interplay between nature and technology will find another point of interest at Karlsgårde Sø: Karlsgårde Værket, Denmark’s second-largest hydroelectric power station, is located northeast of Varde. The station has an exhibition on the history of the power station and the surrounding natural environment.

Leisure Attractions and Landscape Gardens

Gl. Varde Sommerland is a 12-hectare natural and recreational area. The grounds include shelters, playgrounds, obstacle courses, a barbecue shelter, a toilet building, and quiet areas. There is also a nature fitness trail, themed play areas for children, overnight stays in shelters, and a fire hut. Gl. Varde Sommerland is connected to the Kyst til Kyst Stien and Arnbjergparken; Varde Miniby is also located there. Gl. Varde Sommerland is about 700 metres from the town of Varde.

Tambours Have offers a different blend of nature and design. The garden covers about 25,000 square metres and is divided into six distinct areas. Its features include unusual and exotic plants, streams, carved wooden figures, and a playground. The garden’s size and layout give it a different character from the river and meadow sections of the hiking trail.

More Activities Along the Varde Å

In the Varde Å system, you can fish for brown trout, rainbow trout, grayling, perch, eel, pike, sea trout, and salmon, among other species. If you would rather include a sporting facility, Varde Golfklub has a parkland golf course in the Varde Ådal valley near Varde. The club has an 18-hole course and offers coaching, a practice area, and golf cart rentals.

Varde Å Dag brings together activities and culinary experiences along the river at Hodde, Varde, Janderup, and Ho Bugt/Kjelst. The event includes market and food stalls selling products from local producers. As no current recurrence or dates are guaranteed, check the event dates before your trip. When planning your stay, you can weigh up the options of town history, hiking routes, nature attractions, and activities by the river.

Discover more destinations: Oksbøl, Næsbjerg, Lønne, Blavand, Frøstrup, Årre, Henne, Ovtrup.

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