At the end of the nineteenth century, bathing in the sea had become fashionable. Already in the beginning of the twentieth century, Svinkløv was a popular site for sea bathing. The first tourists arrived around 1900 after the railway between Aalborg and Thisted became operational. The first boarding houses in Slettestrand appeared around 1895, and the first hotels around 1910. Svinkløv Badehotel was built in 1925. Boarding houses and hotels were primarily visited by the upper middle classes from the larger cities. Ordinary citizens, especially residents of the area, often visited Svinkløv on Sunday excursions.
Svinkløv Dune Plantation was established by the dune management authority (later it became a part of The Danish Nature Agency) in the years between 1884 and 1910. Jens Peder Jensen was the forest ranger in the dune plantation from 1914 to 1933. He was married to Maren. They had 21 children and one foster child. Two of the sons were named Ole and Martin. The entire family lived in the ranger’s residence (no. 545) which was built in 1903 and rebuilt in 1914 after a fire.
Tourists often approached the ranger’s residence where they asked for boiled water to make coffee. As such, a small café of sorts was created – even before Jens became ranger – where one could buy a cup of coffee, an open sandwich with cheese, a Danish pastry or a soft drink. Some tourists brought tents and stayed overnight in the dune plantation when time and weather permitted. Some settled at the edge of the forest near the small café. That is how the story of the campsite at Svinkløv began.
The small café which had gradually come into existence developed into a place where people came with their tents and stayed overnight in the dune plantation.
It soon became a campsite where anyone could settle whenever weather allowed.
Jens’s son Ole was married to Katrine. In 1928, Ole and Katrine were granted permission to lease a plot of land from the dune management authority and build a house near the ranger’s residence. The house was named “Granly” (no. 543) but is often referred to as “Katrine’s house”. They also leased some agricultural land, as the house was at the same time intended to serve as a form of retirement home for Jens Peder. Katrine took over the small café and moved it to the new house where it was established in an extension which today forms the northernmost part of the shop building (no. 541). In addition to the residence and the small café, the facilities also consisted of a shop, a small storage room, an office and six rooms which were used by staff and rented to tourists.
The Holiday Act, introduced in 1938, granted all employees the right to paid leave for the first time in Danish history. This meant that it was no longer only the well-off who had the opportunity to go on holiday. Holiday was now become accessible to everyone. It also reflected in the activities at Svinkløv. In the late 1930s, the dune management authority became dissatisfied with the unorganised pitching of tents throughout the dune plantation. As such, the activities were gathered and organised in one place. Initially, a field east of Katrine’s house was used for this purpose (the car park). A campsite had thus been established in Svinkløv..
In April of 1940, unexpected guests arrived for coffee. The German occupying forces established a “coastal watch” just north of the ranger’s residence. The coastal watch had the task of observing the expected British invasion as well as monitoring aircraft heading towards the airfields in Aalborg. In 1942, an observation and direction-finding station (P1), referred to as “Strassburg”, was established to support firing operations from Battery Hanstholm II. As radar technology developed during the war, both naval and air detection radars were installed to assist in carrying out these tasks. Tank barriers were established across the road running along “Faldet” and one within “Faldet” itself. For a period, the small café was used for accommodation. The summer house (no. 447) was used as a guard room. Two kilometres further west at Stenbjerg (Svinklovene), an infantry support position known as “Stützpunkt Svinklöv” was established. To house the personnel, a barracks settlement was built in the dune plantation. After the liberation, the barracks settlement was used for a short period to accommodate refugees. Once the refugees had returned home, the barracks were dismantled and were mostly reused as clubhouses, community halls and summer houses in the local area.
During the war, coastal tourism had almost come to a complete standstill. Access to the west coast was particularly restricted in the later years, following the construction of the Atlantic Wall. Beaches and dunes were covered with barbed wire and mines. After the war, coastal tourism gradually began to recover. For most people, the bicycle was still the primary means of transport. From the 1950s, and especially in the 1960s, the car became widely owned, providing much faster and more flexible transport for ordinary people travelling to holiday destinations. Up until the beginning of the 1960s, visitors were primarily tent campers. During the 1960s, more people acquired caravans which also began to make their way to Svinkløv.
The area east of Katrine’s house quickly became too small. Katrine’s field and the surrounding vegetation had to be brought into use. In 1958, an area was measured for camping. Ole died in 1958. After his death, Katrine was assisted by Jens’s son Martin, who then served as assistant camp manager.
Svinkløv Camping is formally considered to have been established in 1959. This is the first year in which the name appears in official records and the first year where bookkeeping and accounting records exist for the campsite. From the financial records, it is possible to follow the campsite´s developments over the following twelve years: From 1959 onwards, a salary was paid to the camp manager. In 1959, vegetation was cleared and a water supply (well and pump) was established. In 1960, a simple wooden shed with toilets (bucket latrines) and washing troughs (cold water) were built. In 1962, a toilet building of brick and timber was constructed, containing 14 toilets and washing troughs (cold water). In 1967, the first 24 electrical hook-ups were installed on the site. In 1968, an independent water borehole and waterworks were established, supplying not only the campsite but also the four dwellings in the area. In 1969, swings, seesaws and fire-fighting equipment were acquired. In 1970, four shower rooms were installed in the toilet building, and an oil-fired boiler was most likely installed at the same time to provide hot water. In 1971, a waste depot was built (the black shed near pitch 420). In 1971, the campsite covered approximately three hectares.
With the establishment of a proper campsite, the number of overnight stays increased dramatically. In 1962, there were just under 4,000 overnight stays recorded. In 1963, 12,000 overnight stays were recorded. In 1966, there were just under 17,000 overnight stays, and in 1970, 22,000 overnight stays. Camping life was supported by the introduction of three weeks of paid holiday in 1953, and four weeks of paid holiday in 1971.
Katrine continued as camp manager up to and including the 1971 season. However, during the final couple of years, the small café was closed during the peak season, as Katrine reportedly did not have the strength to manage everything at the same time. In 1971, the dune planter recommended to the Directorate of Dunes that Katrine should continue to run the small café and handle the room rentals while a new building should be constructed for information, shop, storage and a residence for the camp manager. Additionally, a camp manager should be appointed to run the campsite and the shop.
It was not until 1973 that the current building (no. 541) which houses the information, shop, storage and the camp manager’s residence was ready for use. It is presently unclear what happened to the small café, the room rentals and Katrine. The small café and the rooms were most likely discontinued at that time, as the Directorate of Dunes remarked in its recommendations that the rooms would probably not meet official requirements, and that new rooms should not be established.
The number of overnight stays continued to increase, and capacity soon became insufficient once again. In 1975, an additional service building was constructed in the western part of the site. Over several stages during the 1970s and 1980s, the site was expanded to the north, south and west. In 2000, five cabins were built. In 2001, the first service building was replaced by a modern facility with contemporary amenities. In 2005, a further five cabins in the luxury category with shower and toilet were constructed. In 2005, the campsite became one of the first four in Europe to be awarded the EU environmental label, the “Flower”.
From 1972 up to and including the 1996 season, the campsite was operated by the then State Forestry Service with the assistance of employed camp managers. From the 1997 season onwards, the site has been leased to independent operators who run it at their own expense and risk.
Svinkløv Camping. Information and site plan.
Camp manager:
