Vestskoven and Herstedhøje

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Mount Vestegnen

By Malene Hauxner, RIP, Prøven i Havekunst fra Det Kongelige Akademi for De Skønne Kunster, 1970 (13 stories)

Herstedhøje in Vestskoven, which the Danes call Dansktoppen", was created from 600,000 truckloads of excavated earth from the 1960s' many new developments in the western suburbs of Copenhagen, supplemented with rubble from slum clearance throughout Greater Copenhagen. "Sketches for a Vestskov" were prepared by a team of planners in 1964 and was later initiated by forester E. Laumann Jørgensen supported by the "Plant a tree" campaign. According to the plans, the forest was to have clearings, a fringe, light woods, commons, open grassland and plenty of scope for enjoying life in the open air. "

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Mountain oxen on Dansktoppen

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Story written by Malene Hauxner, RIP

Time / Periode 1970

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Herstedhøje should have soft, natural grass-covered gentle contours grazed by sheep and goats. When you saw the hill, you were not to think of anything manmade. But the planners were forced to plant trees in rows in Vestskoven, even though that gave the forest an ”artificial unDanish look. The mountain and forest whipped up quite a storm in the press. Writer Erik A. Nielsen wondered why the unnatural surrogates created because of a severe mistrust of nature had to look natural. "Birds, hares and foxes are driven off Vestegnen and replaced with some nondescript mountain oxen on the slopes of an artificial mountain. Not red Danish dairy cows, but hairy beasts of an indiscriminate breed plus some sheep. Rich in associations and insanely homeless." "