HARBOUR of RIBE

HISTORICAL PARTRibe is the oldest extant Danish

town and the first document which attested the town is dated 854 AD, is

in southwest Jutland and has a population of 8,142. Already at that

point was one of the most important trade cities in Scandinavia so the King of Denmark decided to build

the first church in Denmark. 1 January 2007: the Municipality of Ribe ceased to exist as it merged with the municipalities of Esbjerg

and Bramming, now forming a new municipality of Esbjerg.

THE HARBOURThe harbour was used since

Viking Age and Medieval time to travel to Scandinavia and Denmark. Sailing north of

Skagen to get into the fjords town was risky, and to anchor in

the open west coast was a dangerous undertaking. One of

the few places where was possible to anchor in safety was

in the Wadden Sea.

The Wadden Sea was to the sailing ships the best harbour on the entire west coast in the sense that a port of its original meaning was a place where they were protected from wind and sea. After Viking Age the vessels were larger and included the heavy salt ships from Portugal. To unload their cargo they have to heal their goods into small everters to help them on the last stretch up the river. It was significantly cheaper.