The full story of Denmark's highest point

This is the reason to come here, so here it is properly.

Until 1847: Himmelbjerget. "Sky Mountain", between Ry and Silkeborg, was assumed to be the highest point in Denmark. It's 147 m. It's now around eighth. In fairness to it, it has by far the most impressive slope of any of them, rising 121 m above the lake below, which the actual winners emphatically do not.

1847 to 1941: Ejer Bavnehøj. Once heights were measured properly from sea level, Ejer Bavnehøj took the title. It was measured at 170.95 m in 1874. The Danes were delighted, and in 1924 built a 13 m tower on top of it, commemorating the reunification of southern Jutland with Denmark after the First World War. That tower is still there and still has a plaque calling it the highest point.

1941: Yding Skovhøj. New measurements found Yding Skovhøj, three kilometres away, to be higher, but only because of a Bronze Age burial mound sitting on its summit. This started a genuinely heated twelve-year argument about whether man-made structures should count towards a country's highest point.

Worth noting the irony: Ejer Bavnehøj had a burial mound too. It was bulldozed to build the tower.

1953: the ruling. The National Geodetic Institute decided that man-made mounds don't count. Yding Skovhøj was out and Ejer Bavnehøj was back on top.

2005: Møllehøj. A fresh survey, and a panel including a geography professor, an archaeologist and an official from Denmark's National Geographical Survey, found that a completely overlooked hill in a farmyard was actually the highest. Møllehøj, 170.86 m.

The final margins:

• Møllehøj: 170.86 m — the winner

• Yding Skovhøj: 170.77 m natural — 9 cm short. Around 172.5 m if you count the burial mound.

• Ejer Bavnehøj: 170.35 m — 51 cm short

Nine centimetres. A century and a half of argument decided by less than the length of your hand.

The controversy hasn't actually stopped

Two things are still unresolved, and you'll notice both if you go.

First, the sources still disagree. Denmark's own tourism pages contradict themselves: one official page states Møllehøj is the highest at 170.86 m and then, further down, that Ejer Bavnehøj is the highest natural point at 170.89 m. Wikipedia's own pages differ on Yding Skovhøj's mound height. Ejer Bavnehøj's official website describes it as "together with Møllehøj" the highest natural point.

Second, the prominence argument. Under an international principle of topographic prominence, it's claimed that Møllehøj and Ejer Bavnehøj are so close together, roughly 350 m apart, that they constitute a single "complete top" rather than two separate hills. Which conveniently means the title can be shared.

I'll say plainly what I think: one of these two hills has a 13 m tower, a visitor centre and a car park, and the other has a millstone in a field. I understand why merging them is appealing.

What's actually there

Møllehøj is marked by a millstone, left from the Ejer windmill that stood on the hill from 1838 to 1917. There are benches and information boards. It's on private farmland, and when the farmer found out his field had become the highest point in the country he made a path so people could visit. The name means "mill hill".

Ejer Bavnehøj, 350 m away, has the tower you can climb, an information centre and the view. On a clear day you can see the island of Samsø and the Little Belt bridge 50 km away, over a moraine landscape left by the last ice age.

Realistically, go to both. The tower is the better experience and the millstone is the actual answer.

Getting there

By car: the road goes nearly all the way. Park at the Ejer Bavnehøj monument, then walk 350 m to Møllehøj. Five to ten minutes.

Nearest stations: Skanderborg and Horsens.

By public transport, and this is the bit that caught me out: I planned to take the train to Skanderborg, then a bus to Tebstrup, then walk. You need the Midttrafik app for tickets, which takes some patience to set up.

The bus never came. Google Maps said 4:21pm, the sign at the stop said 4:21pm, the man at my hostel said 4:21pm. What none of them said is that some rural Danish bus services have to be ordered in advance, particularly at weekends. Mine was one of them. I ended up in a taxi that cost many times the bus fare for a twelve-minute drive.

Book rural buses the day before, or plan on a taxi.

There's also a marked path of about 1.5 km looping back to the monument through a cow pasture and some woodland, if you don't want to retrace your steps. Be aware that it is genuinely a cow pasture.

Frequently asked questions

What is the highest point in Denmark?

Møllehøj, at 170.86 m, in the Ejer hills in Skanderborg municipality, Jutland.

Wasn't Ejer Bavnehøj the highest point in Denmark?

It was, from 1847 until 2005, with a break between 1941 and 1953. A 2005 survey found Møllehøj is 51 cm higher. Ejer Bavnehøj is Denmark's third-highest natural point at 170.35 m.

Why isn't Yding Skovhøj the highest point?

Its summit reaches around 172.5 m, but only because of a Bronze Age burial mound. Denmark ruled in 1953 that man-made structures don't count. Its natural height is 170.77 m, 9 cm below Møllehøj.

What is the highest point in the Kingdom of Denmark?

Gunnbjørn Fjeld in Greenland, at 3,694 m. Møllehøj is only the highest point in metropolitan Denmark.

How do you get to Møllehøj?

Drive to the Ejer Bavnehøj car park and walk 350 m, taking 5 to 10 minutes. Nearest stations are Skanderborg and Horsens, but check whether your rural bus needs pre-booking.

Is Møllehøj free to visit?

Yes. It's on private farmland but the owner has opened it to the public.

Is it marked?

Yes, by a millstone from the windmill that stood on the hill between 1838 and 1917, plus benches and information boards.

How hard is it to climb Møllehøj?

It isn't. It's a short, flat walk from a car park. It's accessible year-round.

Was Himmelbjerget ever the highest point in Denmark?

It was believed to be until 1847. At 147 m it's now roughly eighth, though it has a far more dramatic profile than the hills that beat it.

How much higher is Møllehøj than the runner-up?

Nine centimetres.

Peak 15 of The Peak Project: climbing the highest point in every country in Europe.