20 kmLydum Mill
The living mill and power station site provides concrete water and technology history by the stream.
Janderup Ladeplads lies low and open by a bend in the Varde River, where the green meadows provide plenty of space for both views and lingering. Here, the river is not just a pretty edge in the landscape, but part of the explanation for the place: the water from Ho Bay and the Wadden Sea can still be felt in the river valley.
Before the railway, the waterway toward Varde was often easier than the poor country roads. At Janderup, the river was wide and deep enough for larger vessels from Ho Bay, but further inland toward Varde it became narrower. Goods were therefore transshipped here to barges and smaller boats, which could be rowed or pulled further along the river.
The storm surge column makes the tide tangible. It stands as a reminder that the Varde River is not completely detached from the sea, and that the meadows can regularly be flooded. On quiet days the place feels peaceful; when the water is high, the landscape becomes more serious.
Today the landing place is set up as a recreational area with a wooden bridge structure for boats and the possibility of canoe landing. Janderup Church stands freely in the meadow north of the river bend, while Skipperhuset between the church and the landing place recalls a ferry farm and inn. It is a small stretch of river valley where harbour, path, church and water level are still connected.
The storm surge pillar at Janderup Landing Place makes the Wadden Sea tangible: tides and storm surges can affect the Varde River all the way here. The current pillar was installed in 2000, but the flood levels from the older pillar have been carried forward.
The markings show, among others, 1909, 1911, 1923, 1928, 1981, 1990, and 2005. The storm surge in 1909 was so severe that the water in Janderup stood more than 70 cm high in the inn rooms.
Janderup Church stands freely in the meadow north of a bend in the Varde River, on the outer edge of Varde Bakkeø. It is a striking location in the flat meadow and marsh landscape – and a vulnerable one.
The tides from the Wadden Sea can affect the river this far inland. During storm surges, water and backwater can flood the meadows and sometimes the churchyard; in 1909, the churchyard embankment was flooded and levelled to the south.
