The Traveller's Magazine
It’s that time of the year again, when UNESCO gets together for its annual meeting in Qatar to chat about who’s in and who’s not in the World Heritage club. Lucky for Denmark, its coastal cliffs Stevns Klint made the cut and joins the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Denmark’s Minister for Culture, Marianne Jelved, couldn’t be happier with the news that Stevns Klint is one of the sites to be added to UNESCO’s list of protected sites that span the entire globe. She said,
“I am proud that the UNESCO world heritage committee have recognized the unique value of Stevns Klint. And particularly proud that Denmark has once again made a contribution to our common world heritage and, in that way, helped forge bonds across national boundaries.”
The history of Stevns Klint
Stevns Klint isn’t just a rocky piece of coastline. It’s a world-class geological site and if you’re nuts about rocks, then you’ve probably already booked flights to Copenhagen to see this place. Just behind the white cliffs is a thin, dark layer of clay which tells the story of the asteroid that hit the earth 66 million years ago, destroyed pretty much half of the world’s animals and plants… including the dinosaurs!
It’s no walk in the park to get on UNESCO’s list. The University of Copenhagen, alongside the Museum of East Zealand, have been working tirelessly for over a year to show why Stevns Klint is a spectacular place with very peculiar and special characteristics.
Where is it?
Just south of Copenhagen, this place is easily reached with a rental car from Copenhagen and makes a great day trip if you’re looking to explore a bit outside the capital city. Stevns Klint is one of four Danish UNESCO world heritage sites. The others include Jelling, Roskilde Cathedral and Elsinore Castle.
