Scan Magazine | Culture | Surf.dk / Stevnsfort Cold War Museum
Surfing the shores of Denmark Surf.dk have chosen to take full advantage of Denmark’s infamous wind and have taught people how to windsurf and kitesurf along the Danish coast since 1994. Surfing is a fantastic way to get a full-body workout, enjoy nature and experience that rush of excitement. By Josefine Older Steffensen | Photos: Surf.dk
“Denmark is one of the best windsurfing countries,” says Henrik Anker Jensen, founder of surf.dk. “There’s almost never a day without wind and during the summer it’s usually about six to eight metres per second.” These conditions make it perfect for both beginners and advanced surfers. Surf.dk operates from two different places: the island of Samsø as well as Amager Strandpark close to Copenhagen.
On Samsø there are weekly courses throughout July, where you can learn windsurfing and kitesurfing or simply enjoy the fantastic wind around the island if you are already competent. You can also bring along your family, who can enjoy surf.dk’s kayaks and football pitches or simply relax on the local campsite. “The days at the camp are pretty intense, but there’s always a fantastic atmosphere,
and people come from all walks of life,” says Anker Jensen. At Amager Strandpark you can take a day course to learn the basics of wind and kitesurfing and get solid advice on the next steps, whether that means taking another course or investing in your own equipment. If you have always wanted to try windsurfing or kitesurfing, surf.dk is the place to start. They provide a safe and secure environment to learn in, as well as highly experienced instructors who will ensure the perfect introduction to the sports. For more information, please visit: www.surf.dk
Reliving Cold War stories The Cold War had an impact on everyone who lived through it. At Stevnsfort Cold War Museum, you are told stories you remember yet do not know at all. By Louise Older Steffensen | Photos: Koldkrigsmuseum Stevnsfort
In the year 2000, the Danish finally declassified information about an underground fort in Rødvig, an hour and a half south of Copenhagen. People turned up from near and far to explore the huge, mysterious military structure under the white cliffs at Stevn, which had protected Denmark and monitored the Baltic Sea for vessels from the Soviet bloc for over 40 years. Stevnsfort was one of NATO’s first lines of defence from the east and would have been on the front lines had war broken out. Some of the most eager early visitors were former Stevnsfort military personnel who could finally explore areas of the 1.8-kilometre tunnel system that had previously been strictly out of bounds. Today, the fort and the beautiful chalk cliffs are a UNESCO World Heritage Site run 98 | Issue 90 | July 2016
by the Museum of East Zealand, who have kept the fort true to its origins to create the smallest possible distance between us and the past. “We don’t use signs extensively,” historian and museum director Thomas Tram Pedersen explains. “Instead, we have 30 excellent Danish guides and an audio guide for our many German visitors and one for international visitors in English. Each provides different perspectives on the Cold War.” The Danish guides spend more time considering the impact of the fort on the local area, where almost one in seven worked at the fort – risking 16 years in prison if they discussed details with their family – while the German tour takes into account the partition of Germany. “We’re a museum that all generations enjoy exploring,” Tram Pedersen concludes,
“but we don’t tell a simple story. We want to bring complications to the fore and showcase different perspectives on our collective history and memory.”
For more information, please visit: www.kalklandet.dk/attraktioner/ koldkrigsmuseum-stevnsfort
