Soil and rock dikes

Protected earth and rock dikes

The protected dikes are man-made ramparts built of stone, earth, peat, seaweed or similar materials.

The dikes tell a 2.000-year story about the organization of the landscape in the form of i.a. property and field boundaries, animal folds and parish boundaries - and they are also important habitats and passages for many exciting plants and animals.

The dikes give the landscape on Lolland and Falster character. Around the manors are the large distinctive stone dikes, and around the landscape are the remains of the oldest earth dikes from the Middle Ages or before. Their winding course contrasts with the younger and often stringy dikes from the replacement around the year 1800 or later.

Which dikes are protected?

  • Standing dikes
  • Publicly owned dikes
  • Dikes on or around protected habitats (pastures, meadows and bogs)
  • Dike indicated with dike signature on the most recently revised 4 cm card

are all protected by the Museum Act.

What does protection mean?

You must not make changes, make passages or the like in a protected dike.

However, it is possible for the municipalities in special cases to grant dispensation for alterations to a dike.

You can see where there are registered dikes on area info. Please note that the registration is for guidance only and that there may be protected dikes that have not been registered yet. Contact your municipality if in doubt.

You can read more about the history of the dikes, dike types, protection and care in The Palaces and Culture Agency Guidance on stone and earth dikes.

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Note: Danish only