Daugbjerg Kalkgruber

Useful Information

Location:	Dybdalsvej 18, 8800 Viborg. 40 km from Struer. (56.443809, 9.137808)
Open:	Easter School Holidays daily 10-16. APR to MAY Sat, Sun, Hol 10-16. JUN to AUG daily 10-16. SEP to OCT Sat, Sun, Hol 10-16. Autumn School Holidays daily 10-16. [2023]
Fee:	Adults DKK 90, Children (3-12) DKK 50, Children (0-2) free, Seniors DKK 75. [2023]
Classification:	Limestone Mine chalk mine
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:	L=35,000 m, VR=70 m, T=8-9 °C, H=90 %.
Guided tours:	L=500 m.
Photography:
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Daugbjerg Kalkgruber, Dybdalsvej, 8800 Viborg, Tel: +45-40-55-17-03, Tel: +45-97-548333. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

17th century	Jens Langkniv, a famous highway man and his people used the mine as a refuge.
22-JUN-1826	Daugbjerg visited by King Frederik VI.
31-JUL-1831	Daugbjerg visited by Prince Christian, who later became King Christian VIII.
1872	Jydske Kalkværker buys the quarrying rights for the limestone in Daugbjerg.
187?	mine closed.
1922	rediscovered by some boys, whilst playing in the forest.
1951	area, including the mine was declared a nature reserve.
2018	nominated for the 15 most beautiful natural sites in Denmark.

Description

Daugbjerg Kalkgruber is said to be the oldest limestone quarry in Scandinavia as it was mined 1,000 years ago by the Vikings. The limestone and flint, were used as material for plinths in the Vikings' homesteads. Since the 13th century the limestone was crushed for burning mortar. Italian monks had started to burn bricks as a building material and the mortar was needed to glue the stones together. Churches, castles and the houses of the nobility were then built of bricks. And the mortar was even exported, mortar from Daugbjerg was found in Kölner Dom (cathedral of Cologne).

During the Middle Ages the mining was at a low scale. The mining increased substantially in the 18th century, when the consumption of limestone for mortar increased considerably. As a result the tunnels grew by 700 m every year. The result is a system of tunnels which is several kilometers long.

The traditional mining was done by men, who broke the limestone, and the knowledge was passed down from father to son. Women and children transported the limestone out of the mine to the lime kiln. A kiln contained about 35 m³ of limestone, a miner needed 18 days to break enough limestone. But before burning the stone, it was laid out at the air to dry. Burning a furnace full of limestone took four days, and half a day to cool down. Then the burnt rock was extracted. In the heydays 20,000 m³ lime were produced yearly, which equals 15,000 barrels. Daugbjerg had the limestone of the best quality in Jutland, but the existence of enough wood to fire the kilns was also very important.

The mine was closed in the 1870s and forgotten. It was rediscovered in 1922 by some boys who were playing in the forest after a heavy rain. It seems the water weakened the blocked passage and a hole suddenly appeared in the ground. Actually the mines were sometimes quite close to the surface, and the Dybdalskoven has numerous sinkholes and 16 significant entrance shafts on an area of 9 ha. The traces of two lime kilns were excavated here, and another nine around the village of Daugbjerg. There are two nature trails along the various mining remain in the area. More information is available at the visitor center.

Some time ago the mine was used for cheese and wine aging, and the products sold in the shop. It seems this was discontinued, probably because Mønsted is much better at this stuff. Instead, there are now numerous treasure hunt, escape rooms and underground sports events. The mine is also a famous hibernating place for bats.