Stevns Klint - UNESCO World Heritage

Stevns Klint is a place where nature, history and big stories meet right at the water’s edge. Here, the cliff rises more than 40 metres above the sea and stretches for around 20 kilometres along the coast. This is where you can stand face to face with some of the clearest traces from the time when an asteroid impact changed life on Earth and wiped out the dinosaurs along with more than half of all species. At the same time, the cliff holds layers from a distant past, when Denmark lay beneath a tropical sea.

Why is Stevns Klint a UNESCO World Heritage site?

Stevns Klint is not only beautiful to look at. It is also internationally important because the layers in the cliff reveal the transition between life before and after the catastrophe that struck Earth around 66 million years ago. The thin fish clay layer is one of the key pieces of evidence and makes Stevns Klint a unique place for both researchers and visitors who want to understand what happened when the world changed dramatically. It is the kind of experience that stays with you, even if geology is not usually your thing.

What can I experience at Stevns Klint?

What makes Stevns Klint special is that the experience feels both vast and close at hand. You get wide sea views, bright cliffs with clearly visible layers and the feeling of standing in the middle of a story far bigger than yourself. On clear days, the landscape can seem almost calm, yet just beneath the surface lie traces of violent change and the return of life. That contrast is exactly what makes Stevns Klint so compelling. You can easily combine your visit with Højerup Old Church or Stevns Fyrcenter if you want to explore more of the area along the cliff edge.

Stevns Klint Experience and traces from the past

Right beside the cliff, you will find Stevns Klint Experience, a visitor centre where you can learn more about life before, during and after the asteroid that struck Earth. The exhibitions make the story easier to grasp for both children and adults and add an extra layer to your visit to Stevns Klint, especially if you want to understand why this place attracts such attention from around the world.

Is Stevns Klint suitable for children?

Yes, Stevns Klint is a great choice for families with curious children, for adults with an interest in nature and history, and for anyone who likes places with both views and substance. There is plenty of room to explore, ask questions and let the imagination wander a little. For some, it is the scenery and the fresh sea air that draw them in. For others, it is the story of the dinosaurs’ extinction, the fossils and the feeling of looking straight into the Earth’s own history book.

Three interesting facts about Stevns Klint

• Stevns Klint is made up of four layers: soft chalk at the bottom, then fish clay, then hard limestone and, at the top, traces from the last Ice Age.

• Bryozoan limestone from the cliff was once cut out and used as a building material. The stone is also known as limsten.

• The cliff is around 66 to 71 million years old.