The small fjord Harbour Tyskerhavnen

If you want to experience the authentic fishing milieu at Ringkøbing Fjord, you should definitely visit Tyskerhavnen, where the smell of tar and fjord water fills the air while, on the fjord, the fjord dinghies huff and puff towards land, their nets filled with fish. At the dock, an old fisherman in orange waders removes fish from the nets while sceptically assessing today’s catch. While his hands are busy, he dreams about the days when there were plenty of flounders and whitefish in the fjord; until his dinghy’s red and orange buoy flag snaps in the wind, calling him back to reality.

Today, the fjord fishermen share Tyskerhavnen with houseboat guests and artists visiting for the summer; but the authenticity hasn’t left the harbour yet – and it’s been 100 years since it was established.

Hvide Sande – a Settler Community

Tyskerhavnen was established as a port of loading in order to ship materials here to build the water locks and piers. Back then, in 1912, Hvide Sande wasn’t even a small town yet, but the establishment of Tyskerhavnen made the way for west jutland fishermen to settle on this narrow strip of land. They moved to the area in 1931 when work on the water locks between the North Sea and Ringkøbing Fjord had been finished. The name ‘Tyskerhavnen’ (The German Harbour) is still a bit of a puzzle; there’s no connection to WWII and, apparently, the name comes from when local residents at Holmsland Klit, in the early 1900s, called the area between  Årgab and Sdr. Lyngvig Germany.

Houseboats on Ringkøbing Fjord

Hvide Sande’s small fjord harbour is a charming gem where time has stood still thanks to the preservation of the local fishermen’s red, green, or blue tool sheds. Some of these miniature houses have been converted to small holiday huts; retaining the original style and ambiance. So, if you want to experience the old fishing milieu, this is where you should walk your dog.

You can also spend the night in one of the more luxurious houseboats here. These houseboats were constructed and welded at Hvide Sande Skibs- og Baadbyggeri and they blend in perfectly with the old fjord harbour.

Art at the Water Locks

Tyskerhavnen has got it's own place for artists. Here you can come and visit artists and see their pieces come to life in the open studio. During summer different artist from all over world are living in the small shed ART 56. Each artist lives and works in Tyskerhavnen for two weeks, and then the next one takes over the house, so there are plenty of oppourtunities to see a lot of differient pieces during the summer.