Jels-Vojens

Selected experiences on the stage

Jels Church
Jels Church is located in the middle of Jels town, close to the beautiful Jels Lakes. The church was built in 1854 to replace an older and more worn church building made of hewn granite.

The church has a historical connection to the lake, which according to ancient sources was used for baptisms in the 10th century. The current church, designed by architect Laurits Albert Winstrup, consists of a nave and a tower. Granite blocks from the old church have been reused in the foundation and walls, and you can still see two reliefs depicting human heads in the east corner, as well as an imprint of a woman's foot, as a sign of consecration to St. Anna. Most of the furnishings date from 1854, including a bas-relief altarpiece originally executed by Thorvaldsen. The baptismal font and some figures from the old altarpiece have been preserved.

When you stand in the churchyard, you can see that it is enclosed by a boulder wall, which in 2017 was renovated with pathways and wheelchair-friendly access. In the churchyard, you can also visit a memorial stone for the parish's fallen in the First World War

Jels Søndergade 2, Jels, 6630 Rødding

Stursbøl Plantation
Stursbøl Plantation is a 500-barrel large area. The plantation is located on the Jutland ridge and the main watershed line, and today a stretch of the Hærvejen also passes through here. When you come as a Hærvejen tourist, the forest opens the door to its history.

During the heyday of Hærvejen, the area was part of a large piece of heath, Oksenvad Heath or Stursbøl Heath, and thus an open and flat landscape where visible power demonstrations could be mounted in the form of burial mounds. The original Hærvejen had various courses across the heath, and therefore the plantation contains up to 70 burial mounds. Whether you come from the south or the north, you quickly encounter burial mounds as you enter the shelter and shade of the forest.

In the southern part of the plantation, there is a party area on an open space right next to the Hærvejen route. Here, remains of a walled well have been found, and the flora indicates signs of an old garden.

Stursbøl Plantation was one of the first heath plantations, and the battle to cultivate trees and forest from the poor heathland began as early as the beginning of the 19th century. Today, the forest's vegetation is very varied, as the hurricane in 1999 left 80% of the forest as fallen tree trunks. Subsequently, the vegetation was changed from primarily Norway spruce to a solid mixed forest. Individual trees have been left and provide habitats for insects and birds.

At the entrance to the Hærvejen route, you will find a large rest area with tables and benches under old deciduous trees, which offer you a good setting for a break in the shade.

Klovtoftvej, Jels, 6630 Rødding