A protected wetland and meadow system straddling the border between Herlev and Gladsaxe north of Copenhagen.
Smør- og Fedtmosen
Smør- og Fedtmosen is a protected wetland and meadow landscape in the northern outskirts of the Copenhagen metropolitan area, spanning the municipal boundary between Herlev and Gladsaxe. Covering roughly 150 hectares, the site is composed of four sub-areas: the wetter eastern Smørmosen, the drier western Fedtmosen, the intervening higher ground known as Feddet, and the more southerly Hjortespring mark.
Ecologically, the area functions as a spring-fed mire system that originated in the depressions of a tunnel valley shaped by the retreat of the last ice sheet. It is a regionally important hydrological hub, giving rise to both Værebro Å, which flows toward Roskilde Fjord, and Kagsåen, which flows toward Køge Bugt, making the site a watershed "saddle" in the natural geography of North Zealand.
Conservation efforts at the site stretch back to 1943, when the core mires were first placed under protection, and the area was expanded in the early 2000s with the inclusion of the Hjortespring mark. Today it combines relict wetland habitats, traditionally managed meadows, and patches of archaeological interest, sitting in close proximity to dense urban development.