Blåvandshuk

Until January 1, 2007, Blåvandshuk was a municipality (Danish, "kommune") in Ribe County on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. The municipality covered an area of 223 km², and had a total population of 4,378 (2005). Its latest mayor was Hans Chr. Thoning, a member of the Venstre (Liberal Party) political party. The main town and site of its municipal council was the town of Oksbøl.

Because Blåvandshuk is on the coast and has a peninsula ("Skallingen") which stretches to the southeast, it is surrounded by much water. To the northwest is the North Sea. To the southeast of "Skallingen" is Fanø Bay ("Fanø Bugt") where the island Fanø lies. Beyond Fanø Bay is the Wadden Sea. To the northeast of "Skallingen" lies Ho Bay ("Ho Bugt") and the small island of Langli.

"Skallingen" and the waters off its coast are protected, a part of the Wadden Sea wildlife reserve and protection area being discussed as a potential national park. Located on "Skallingen"'s southwestern coast is Denmark's last minefield, left over from Second World War, when 1,389,289 landmines were placed in Denmark by the German occupation forces as part of their defence line. Approximately 10,000 of these mines, two-thirds of which are anti-personnel mines, remain in a closed-off area on the peninsula. Demining efforts are hampered by the shifting sands that can bury mines several meters underground, and the drift of the sea which has moved the beach some 200 meters to the east since the end of the war. The field will be cleared out at the latest according to the Ottawa Convention in 2009.

A significant portion of Blåvandshuk is marsh land, moor, dunes, and beaches.

Blåvandshuk municipality ceased to exist due to "Kommunalreformen" ("The Municipal Reform" of 2007). It was merged with former Blaabjerg, Helle, Varde, and Ølgod municipalities to form a new Varde municipality.

External links

* [http://www.vardekommune.dk/home Varde municipality's official website] da icon
* [http://www.visitwestdenmark.com/ Varde municipality's official tourist information website]

References

* Municipal statistics: [http://www2.netborger.dk/Kommunefakta/ NetBorger Kommunefakta] , delivered from [http://www.kmd.dk/ KMD aka Kommunedata (Municipal Data)]
* Municipal mergers and neighbors: [http://kommune.eniro.dk/region/media/nyekommuner.shtml Eniro new municipalities map]