Filsø Visitor Site

The visitor site at Filsø is part of Realdania’s initiative Steder i Landskabet(Places in the Landscape), launched under the campaign Stedet Tæller(Place Matters), which highlights place-based potential in Denmark’s open countryside.

Filsø, located near Henne Strand on the west coast of Jutland, was once one of Denmark’s largest lakes, but through extensive drainage projects between 1852 and 1951, it was converted into farmland.

In 2011, the Aage V. Jensen Nature Foundation acquired the area and initiated an ambitious nature restoration project, in which the lake and surrounding wetlands were recreated as habitats for rich animal and plant life – and as a recreational landscape for both locals and visitors.

The visitor facility consists of an access road, parking area, schoolroom, and an ellipse-shaped landscape bridge, whose curved geometry creates a coherent experience from arrival to viewpoint. The bridge’s solid seating edge invites visitors to pause and immerse themselves in the restored wetlandlandscape.

The restoration has had a significant impact: 242 bird species, 14 fish species, and 62 aquatic plant species have been recorded – a remarkable increase from the drained monoculture that existed before. With more than 100,000 visitors in the first year, Filsø has become both a landscape and social gathering point, combining education, biodiversity, and sustainable tourism within a strong architectural framework.

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