Skjern Å Nørrekanal

Facts

Denmark's largest meadow irrigation system

By Søren Toftgaard Poulsen (4 stories)

In 1871-72, Store Skjernå Kanal (Great Skjern River Canal") was established by the Danish Heath Society. The 23-kilometre canal, part of Denmark's largest irrigation system, was designed to keep 1,100 hectares of meadowland from drying out. The canal runs from where the Rind River meets the Skjern River, west of Arnborg Church and to Ahlergårde, just east of Borris. The start of the canal is 11 metres wide and its greatest rate of flow was 3-4 cubic metres per second. A weir forced the water into the canal, and from here numerous smaller canals led it across the levelled surfaces of the meadow. The canal system is best seen from the lay-by by the weir, close to the Skjernå Bridge. "

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Story written by Søren Toftgaard Poulsen

Time / Periode 1872

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In the early 1800s, interest in meadow irrigation was mounting, since it improved pastureland and therefore allowed farmers to keep more livestock. This in turn gave the heathland farms more manure for their fields, and so improved grain yields. Until about 1910, when interest in meadow irrigation began to decline, around 600 kilometres of irrigation canals were built to keep 10,000 hectares of meadowland watered. The majority of irrigation systems drew water from the West Jutland rivers: Skjern Å, Karup Å, Storåen, Vorgod Å and Varde Å. Store Skjernå Kanal is regarded as the largest and one of the best-preserved heritage structures from the first century of heath reclamation. Many large cooperative meadow irrigation systems were established after the Danish Heath Society was founded in 1866.