Guide of Grenaa

Grenaa is a town and seaport on Denmark’s Jutland Peninsula. It is home to one of the biggest commercial and industrial ports in Denmark and is also a popular seaside town with some of the country’s nicest beaches. Along with the port and tourism, the town’s economy is based around education and commerce. The population density in this part of Denmark is very low in comparison to neighbouring England and Germany, so there is a sense of calm and tranquillity in this part of the world.

A brief history of Grenaa

As aforementioned, Grenaa lies on the Jutland peninsula, which was historically one of ‘the three lands of Denmark’. The area was populated with Angles, Saxons and Jutes, who had migrated from Continental Europe to Great Britain beginning around 450 AD. In medieval times, Jutland was regulated by its own civic code and historical records first mention the town of Grenaa in 1231, it became listed as a market town in 1445. During the 1800s the area experienced industrialization and a massive population increase due to better nutrition, sanitation, hygiene and health care services. During the War, Denmark declared itself neutral, however, the Nazis invaded and occupied the country just a few hours later. This heavily affected the Jutland peninsula, as the Germans regarded this part of the coastline strategically important, so the area was declared a military zone where Danish citizens were required to carry identity cards and access was regulated.

What to visit in Grenaa

It is worth visiting Katholm Castle, a manor house located around 6km south of the town, it was built in 1588 in a Renaissance style. There is also Djurs Sommerland, an amusement park located around 23 kilometres west of Grenaa. An aquarium is a great place for families, the one in Grenaa is called Kattegatcentreti and home to around 250 species from around the world! The center was originally created to enable more people to enjoy, understand and take care of the ocean and is really well designed for children. If there isn’t enough to do in Grenaa, then the town is connected by ferry to Varberg in Sweden as well as the Danish island of Anholt. So if you have time, you could possibly visit the tiny and remote island of Anholt, the ferry only takes around 3.5 hours and there are only 145 permanent residents living there!

Beaches around Grenaa

Djursland, the mini peninsular that Grenaa is located on, has 22 sandy beaches along the three-sided peninsula that has around 260 km of coastline. All coastlines in Denmark are also accessible to the public by law, so they are all walkable and unspoilt. The 5 km of sandy beach starting at Grenaa Marina is really nice and in the past has been nominated as one of the best Danish beaches.