The Danish Nature Agency is currently investigating Høje Knolde Strand on Skallingen near Blåvand for leftover mines from World War II, prompting the closure of the beach and access road from the parking lot this week, from Monday to Friday.

The investigation follows the surfacing of several mines in recent years, despite the area being declared cleared by German soldiers in 1945. The Danish Nature Agency, responsible for the area, is conducting a technical investigation to assess the risk of mines on Høje Knolde Strand.

While the affected area is closed, the rest of Skallingen remains open to visitors. The investigation is being conducted with mine detection equipment in close collaboration with mine clearance experts from Damasec, the police, and the Armed Forces Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service.

Peder Bach Thøgersen, a forest supervisor in the Danish Nature Agency Blåvandshuk, emphasized the importance of respecting the cordons for everyone’s safety and expressed hope that the investigation will either uncover previously undetected mines or confirm that no more mines remain. Any mines found will be destroyed.

During the occupation, the German army established numerous minefields on Skallingen as part of a defense facility around Esbjerg, laying approximately 72,000 mines. Although the Germans removed the majority of these mines after the war, an estimated 11,000 remained on Skallingen after 1947. From 2006 to 2012, the Coastal Directorate cleared most of the area. The German army laid a total of approximately 1.5 million mines along the west coast of Jutland during World War II, according to the Danish Nature Agency.