Right in the middle of the high season, the Limfjord Museum has lost one of its major attractions.
Spots on the tour boat's several daily trips on the historic Frederik VII's Canal are usually in high demand. But the warm weather has turned the water in the canal into an algae soup and put a stop to the popular tours.
For the first time in its history, the museum has had to cancel the sailings indefinitely.
The tour boat normally has two daily sailings but has suspended them indefinitely due to algae in the canal. (Photo: © Frederik Thulesen, DR)
"We have a huge tourist attraction that is just lying deserted, and we can't get out and convey the history we are so passionate about," says the museum's communications officer, Sofie Gade Hedegaard.
-----------------------------------------
Algae soup blocks the boat's cooling system
-----------------------------------------
The boat simply cannot sail because the algae clog the cooling system.
Normally, over 500 passengers a week board the tour boat—but not right now, and it hits hard.
Algae thrive in the warm weather in the stagnant water of Frederik VII's Canal. (Photo: © Sofie Gade Hedegaard. Limfjord Museum)
"It will affect our visitor numbers. Many guests come from far away to sail on Frederik VII's Canal, and we will also feel it in the town in general because the experience economy is impacted," she says.
The warm weather has promoted algae blooms in the stagnant water of the 165-year-old canal, which was previously closed off at the southern end. According to Sofie Gade Hedegaard, the solution is obvious.
"Flow needs to be created. An opening needs to be made in the southern part of the canal, as it originally was."
She points out that it is not the cost of reopening the canal that is the obstacle, but consideration for nature.
--------------------------------------
Museum wants the municipality to get to work
--------------------------------------
After the closure of the southern end, a lagoon with a unique natural environment was established, which could be affected by a reopening, and therefore the environmental consequences must be thoroughly investigated.
"It is extremely problematic that we cannot sail with the tour boat and make our shared cultural heritage accessible," says Sofie Gade Hedegaard from the Limfjord Museum. (Photo: © Jakob Emil Kristensen, DR)
The museum believes it is time for the Vesthimmerland Municipality to take responsibility for preserving one of the municipality's most significant cultural environments by getting the historic canal reopened as it originally was.
"How long can we accept that one of Denmark's largest canal ancient monuments slowly loses its life, its nature, and its significance?"
DR has tried to get a comment from several responsible politicians in the municipality, but they have not returned our inquiries.
--------------------
Frederik VII's Canal
--------------------
* The canal was built to guide ships around the Løgstør Grounds, a shallow and difficult area in the Limfjord where many ships got stuck.
* The canal is named after King Frederik VII and was put into use in 1861. It was dug by hand by 400 German workers.
* The canal stretches along Løgstør and is 4.4 kilometers long. When traffic was at its peak in 1899, around 3,000 ships sailed through the canal.
* The canal lost its importance when a shipping channel was made in the fjord, and it was closed at the southern end in 1913.
* The Limfjord Museum is working to get Frederik VII's Canal reopened for mast-carrying ships, so you can sail through the Limfjord as they did in 1861.
Source: Limfjord Museum and others
Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.