A large EU habitat area in central Jutland protecting lakes, rivers, mires, and forests of the Midtjyske Søhøjland.
Natura 2000 Area No. 52: Salten Å, Salten Langsø, Mossø
Natura 2000 Area No. 52 is an EU-designated habitat area in central Jutland, Denmark, covering roughly 4,470 hectares across parts of Silkeborg, Skanderborg, and Horsens municipalities. It lies within the broader Midtjyske Søhøjland, one of Denmark's most distinctive lake and river landscapes, and protects a chain of large lakes, river valleys, mires, heaths, and deciduous forests.
The area is built around the Salten Å river valley, the elongated Salten Langsø lake, and Mossø, the largest lake in Jutland. Together with surrounding lakes south of Salten Langsø and a stretch of the Gudenå river between Voervadsbro and Gudensø, the site forms a near-continuous corridor of freshwater, wetland, and woodland habitats. The region is recognized as one of Denmark's least disturbed natural landscapes, shaped by glacial river valleys and nutrient-poor sandy soils.
Ecologically, the area carries significant weight. It supports numerous protected habitat types under the EU Habitats Directive, including alkaline and nutrient-poor lakes, wet and dry heaths, raised bogs, springs, fens, and rare Atlantic beech woodland communities on peat with holly. It also harbors protected species such as the otter, large crested newt, and pond bat, and serves as an important breeding and resting area for fish-eating birds such as osprey and white-tailed eagle.
