Byfogedskoven
The Bailiff's Forest
Byfoged Lund grundlagde omkring 1815 egnens første klitplantage i Skagen Vesterby.
Lund lod bønderne som var skulle udføre pligtarbejde grave plantehuller og sætte træer.
Den oprindelige beplantning skete med popler, el og birk. Ofte voksede kun halvdelen og undetiden mislykkedes hele års plantninger, men ved Lunds død i 1828 var et stort areal i vækst.
Efterfølgende byfogeder som von Bergen og Hoffmeyer fortsatte arbejdet og udvidede plantagen.
Forsøg med nåletræer mislykkedes i begyndelsen, men fortsatte ufortrødent i 1860erne.
Men da træerne var store brugte beboerne dem til brændsel og i 1866 var der kun ganske enkelte levninger af plantningerne tilbage.
I 1870-erne blev der indplantet østrigsk fyr, som sammen med enkelte skovfyr nu er plantagens ældste træer.
I 1880-erne blev der plantet bøg, som står forbavsende godt lige nord for Byfogedgården.
I midten af det forrige århundrede viste der sig en mærkbar forringelse af vækstforholdene i plantagen på grund af grundvandssænkningen, der var en følge af byudviklingen i nærheden af plantagen. Efter de tørre somre i 1975 og 1976 stod det klart, at kun ved kunstvanding kunne skoven opretholdes som en frodig oase i klitsandet. Kunstvandingen blev påbegyndt i 1979, men ophørte igen i 2004. I dag er skoven på 10 ha. Den besøges flittigt. Især er der mange gæster om foråret, når bøgen springer ud.
De cirka 10 hektar ligner alt andet end en klitplantage. Bjergfyr, som er udbredte i de øvrige plantager, glimrer ved deres fravær, og i stedet kan man fryde sig over et varieret skovbillede bestående af en lang række forskellige løvtræer som ask, ahorn, hyld, røn og bøg som det dominerende indslag.
Bøgeplantningerne er fra 1880'erne - mod vest er de tydeligt formet og kuet af den kraftige vestenvind, men længere inde i læ, når de en højde på 15 meter.
Jan Leton
En besynderlig historie knytter sig til skovens opståen. Da et amerikansk skib i begyndelsen af 1800-tallet strandede ved Grenen, indkvarteredes kaptajnen hos byfoged Lund. Søforklaringerne trak ud hele vinteren, og kaptajnen og byfogeden nåede at blive gode venner.
Et års tide efter kaptajnen var taget hjem, ankrede et skib op ud for Grenen, en båd blev sat i vandet, og en passager blev roet ind på stranden. Det var et højst usædvanligt syn for skagboerne: en vaskeægte slave fra de Vestindiske Øer. Et medfølgende brev meddelte, at der var tale om en gave fra den amerikanske kaptajn til byfoged Lund, som tak for gæstfriheden! Jan Leton, som manden hed, fik titel af byfoged Lunds tjener, og har har hjulpet til ved anlæggelsen af plantagen.
Det er usikkert, hvor han er begravet, men han har en mindeplade side om side med byfogeden på Skagen gl. kirkegård på Markvej.
Kilde: Eigil Torp Olesen, Skagens Odde - en naturguide
Skoven ejes af staten og blev fredet i 1921.
Byfogedskoven er i dag Hundeskov og anvendes til forskellige arrangementer som Børnekarneval, Zulu Sommerbio, udendørs koncerter med videre.
Plantagen er anlagt af byfoged Lund (men er opkaldt efter byfoged Frich). Byfoged Ole Lund boede i huset som i dag er kendt som Krøyers Hus. Da sandflugten truede hans ejendom, anlagde han plantagen omkring 1815.
Læs en god og kortfattet orientering i Skov- og Naturstyrelsens folder.
Around 1815, Bailiff Lund founded the region's first dune plantation in Skagen Vesterby.
Lund had the farmers who were to do compulsory work dig planting holes and plant trees.
The original planting was poplar, alder and birch. Often only half grew and sometimes whole years of planting failed, but by Lund's death in 1828 a large area was growing.
Subsequent town bailiffs such as von Bergen and Hoffmeyer continued the work and expanded the plantation.
Experiments with conifers failed at first, but continued unabated into the 1860s.
However, as the trees were large, the residents used them for fuel and by 1866 only a few remnants of the plantations remained.
In the 1870s Austrian pine was planted, which, together with a few Scots pine, are now the oldest trees in the plantation.
In the 1880s beech was planted, which stands surprisingly well just north of the Byfogedgården.
In the middle of the last century, the growth conditions in the plantation deteriorated noticeably due to the lowering of the water table caused by urban development in the vicinity of the plantation. After the dry summers of 1975 and 1976, it became clear that only irrigation could maintain the forest as a lush oasis in the dune sand. Irrigation began in 1979, but was discontinued in 2004. Today the forest covers 10 hectares. It is frequently visited. It is particularly popular in spring, when the beech blossoms.
The approximately 10 hectares doesn't lokke anything like a dune plantation. Mountain pines, which are widespread in the other plantations, are conspicuous by their absence, and instead one can rejoice in a varied forest landscape consisting of a wide variety of deciduous trees such as ash, maple, elder, oak and beech as the dominant feature.
The beech plantations date from the 1880s - to the west they are clearly shaped and chilled by the strong westerly wind, but further inland they reach a height of 15 metres.
Jan Leton
A remarkable story is linked to the origin of the forest. When an American ship ran aground at Grenen in the early 1800s, the captain was accomodated with Lund, the town bailiff. The sea trials dragged on all winter, and the captain and the town bailiff became good friends.
A year after the captain had gone home, a ship anchored off Grenen, a boat was put in the water, and a passenger was rowed onto the beach. It was a most unusual sight for the people of Skagen - a genuine slave from the West Indies. An accompanying letter announced that it was a gift from the American captain to Lund, the town bailiff, in thanks for his hospitality! Jan Leton, as the man was called, was given the title of Town Bailiff Lund's servant, and had helped in the construction of the plantation.
It is uncertain where he is buried, but he has a memorial plaque next to the town bailiff at Skagen gl. cemetery on Markvej.
Source: Eigil Torp Olesen, Skagens Odde - a nature guide
The forest is owned by the state and was protected in 1921.
Byfogedskoven (Bailiff's Forest) is a area where dogs can run free.
Today the forest is used for various events such as the Children's Carnival, Zulu Summer Cinema, outdoor concerts and more.
The plantation was created by Lund (but named after Frich). City bailiff Ole Lund lived in the house which is known today as Krøyers Hus. When the sand drift threatened his property, he established the plantation around 1815.
Read a good and brief information in the leaflet of the Forest and Nature Agency.