The harbour bridge in Frederikshavn

Facts

Bridge brings shoppers from across the water

By Morten Pedersen, Cand.mag., phd. Museumsinspektør på Nordjyllands Historiske Museum (16 stories)

The sea has always been a vital source of income for the area around Frederikshavn. Here at the tip of Jutland, in Denmark's northernmost harbour, ships bound for Norway, the Faroe Islands, Iceland or Greenland were laid up waiting for better weather. The sea has also always been there for the local fishermen. Then, in the 20th century, Frederikshavn became a shipyard town where the Navy opened a naval base in 1962. More recently, part of the income has been netted from the sea via ferries from Norway and Sweden. The tourists are sailed in from Gothenburg, Larvik and Oslo to find bargains in Frederikshavn. These shoppers form the customer base for several supermarkets by the harbour.

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The currency snake settles in the harbour

Story written by Morten Pedersen

Time / Periode 1979

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The supermarkets by the harbour are Frederikshavn's flagship for servicing bargain-hunting Swedes and Norwegians. The thousands of tourists needed to find the shops easily. The local traders made sure of that. In 1979, they built a 538-metre-long enclosed gangway from the ferries leading right to the entrance of the supermarkets. The gangway snakes its way over the busy highway. In 2007, day-tripping tourists spent a total of DKK 284 million in Frederikshavn. The harbour bridge has been nicknamed The Currency Snake. Price differences between the countries are a condition for currency continuing to flow through the snake. While the harbour bridge has been in existence, especially cheaper Danish alcohol and meat have kept the supermarket tills ringing merrily.