Vejen Municipality: Culture, Trails and Landscapes

Explore Vejen Municipality from different perspectives: through art and history, marked trails, or landscapes of heathland, forests and lakes. When planning your stay, it helps to decide what you want to focus on: would you like to visit museums and historic sites, choose a shorter themed route, or explore longer trails? The sights and routes offer different ways to shape your trip.

Art and history in Vejen Municipality

Vejen Art Museum is a specialist museum dedicated to Danish Symbolism, also known as Skønvirke, from around 1900. Its main features include sculptures and ceramic works by Niels Hansen Jacobsen, as well as important works by artists of his time. The exhibitions and objects on display may change. In the centre of Vejen, Jacobsen’s sculpture “Militarismen” also stands in the market square.

The present-day manor house of Sønderskov is home to Museum Sønderskov, the regional museum of Vejen Municipality. Its exhibitions explore, among other subjects, the manor house, the Swedish Wars and the Fæsted gold find. The manor landscape is also part of the visit: the Møllestien footpath starts at the car park east of the manor house. The original Baroque garden has been restored, including its characteristic symmetrical lines.

The Hærvejen is a landscape-linked network of gravel roads and sunken lanes that stretches from North Jutland to and beyond the German border. In Vejen Municipality, it runs from Bække via Vejen to Jels. Along the route lies Klebæk Høje, a prehistoric monument complex where three historical periods meet in one place. Skibelund Krat Monument Park offers a different form of commemoration: established in 1865, after the loss of Sønderjylland, as a national gathering and festival site, it is now surrounded by monuments to Danish figures.

Marked trails and landscapes

For shorter distances, Vejen’s four marked Kløverstier trails are a good option. They are 3.3, 5.5, 7 and 16 kilometres long, with different themes: art, urban nature, industrial history and border history. Comparing the distances can help you choose how far you want to walk. The Kongeåstien is considerably longer: this marked walking route follows the former border river Kongeåen, is 55.6 kilometres long and runs from Skudstrup to Gredstedbro. Its facilities include bridges, shelters, information boards and canoe launch points. Check the current route conditions before setting out.

Rivers and lakes also help shape how you find your way through the landscape. The Kongeåen, just under 60 kilometres long, rises east of Vejen and flows west to the North Sea and the Wadden Sea. The Kyst til Kyststien crosses Jutland and follows three major rivers: Vejle Å, Holme Å and Varde Å. Near Jels, Nedersø, Midtsø and Oversø together form a small tunnel valley, created during the last Ice Age about 12,000 years ago.

Discover more landscapes at Skærsø, a protected 16-hectare heathland pond near woodland and heath, and at Klelund Dyrehave. This 1,400-hectare forest area combines nature with the reconstructed cultural history of a former hunting lodge. The natural area around the country house Baldersbæk tells the story of the Københavner plantation, its owners and nature ideals at the beginning of the 20th century. At Skibelund Krat, landscape and history come together once again in the park’s commemorative role.

Practical information for your stay

Vejen station is served by regional and InterCity trains on routes between Esbjerg and Aarhus or Copenhagen. Check the timetable before travelling. From the station, the Hærvejen is directly accessible by public transport. The two lockable bicycle sheds at the station can be used via the DSB app with a DSB profile; access requirements may change with app updates.

Some experiences are subject to specific visiting conditions. Visitors to the Poul la Cour Museum are given a guided tour lasting about an hour and a half; check the visiting conditions in advance. Jels Søbad offers freshwater swimming at Jels Nedersø. The bathing area has changing rooms and a circular bathing jetty with sections for children, quiet swimming and diving. Swimming and facilities are seasonal; check local conditions before your visit. The annual open-air theatre Jels Vikingespil has been run by several hundred volunteers since 1977. Check the performance dates if you are planning your stay around the event.

Discover more destinations: Lintrup, Hovborg, Foldingbro, Jels, Bække, Rødding Municipality, Vejen, Glejbjerg, Brørup Parish, Holsted.

For the overview of the wider region: Southern Jutland.