Denmark's largest connected forest area in the historic lake highland south of Silkeborg
Silkeborgskovene
Silkeborgskovene is a large protected forest and lake landscape in the central Jutland region of Denmark, lying within the Søhøjland, the historically renowned lake highland south and east of the town of Silkeborg. As an EU Natura 2000 habitat site (site number 57, EU habitat area H181), it frames a mosaic of mature beech woodland, heath, freshwater habitats, and clear oligotrophic lakes that shape one of Denmark's most distinctive inland natural settings.
The reserve is centrally a forest landscape. The four historic state forests of Nordskov, Vesterskov, Østerskov, and Sønderskov, together with parts of Lysbro Skov and Rustrup Skov, form a continuous backdrop of woodland that, when the larger southern plantations are included, represents the largest unified forest area in Denmark. Lakes and streams crossing the area, including Borresø, Thorsø, Almindsø, Ørnsø, and Slåensø, are threaded by the Gudenå river system and lend the area its deeply Scandinavian character.
Designated as a Natura 2000 habitat area in 2011 and governed since by coordinated municipal and national management plans, Silkeborgskovene protects a wide range of habitat types such as lobelia lakes, nutrient-rich and brown-water lakes, dry heathland, hanging mires, springs, calcareous fens, and several categories of beech, oak-mixed, alder, and ash forest. The reserve also supports species such as brook lamprey, great crested newt, pond bat, and otter, making it a significant inland refuge for forest and aquatic biodiversity.
