In April we went to Silkeborg to visit Lisbeth’s long-time friend Karina and her boyfriend Michael. Karina and Lisbeth met in “efterskole” which is a sort of boarding school which is pretty common for Danes to attend for a year at around age sixteen. (And in case you can’t tell, Karina and Michael are expecting their first child at the end of may.)
Silkeborg is perhaps best known for its natural beauty, but it was also where the Nazis choose to place their headquarters during the occupation. (Which is disturbing because thus far I’ve been quite charmed by both Nazi headquarters that I’ve visited: Berlin and Silkeborg.)
Michael grew up in Silkeborg, so he knows a lot about, and together they were enthusiastic guides. After a nice lunch at their house, they showed us around the area. A big part of Silkeborg’s reputation for natural beauty is tied to it’s lakes, one of which is known to be the cleanest lake in Denmark. We walked around this lake, surprising snake after snake that was sunning on the shore.
From there we walked to another, much larger lake, where you can signal for a boat to take you to town (but we just walked back to the car.)
Next we went to “Himmelbjerget” or sky or heaven mountain This is something I’ve been making fun of ever since I moved to Denmark. Sky mountain is one of two of the highest points in Denmark. It’s 147 meters or 482 feet above sea level. Given that I grew up at 1767 meters (or 5,800 feet), this is… not such an astounding altitude.
But I was pleasantly surprised. It’s a nice view, and, especially after living in Denmark for two years, it’s really nice to be perched in a place where you can see for miles.
After that we went into town, ate ice cream, and sat in the sun. It was by far the warmest weekend of the year so far, so it was great to be outside.
Silkeborg has a population of about 40,000, and was founded relatively recently — 1840 — as a way to open up central Jutland. In terms of economics, Silkeborg is mostly known as the headquarters of Jyske Bank, which is Denmark’s third largest bank.
Although the Nazi occupation of Denmark was relatively bloodless, there was an active resistance. Silkeborg is where the Nazis executed the priest and playwright Kaj Munk, who is quite an interesting personality in his own right.
We sat in the sun for a while, and then went back to their house. That evening we had a nice meal and played Canasta (a game that my grandmother loved, but that I hadn’t played since I was probably twelve.)
We left the next morning, after a the short walk from their house to the main station. Which is incredible because (a) there are no houses a short walk from the central station in Copenhagen, and (b) even if there were, you’d have to be ultra-rich to afford one.
(Karina and Michael are both teachers, so Silkeborg is much more affordable than Copenhagen.)
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