Vejle
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The
ski jump in 1947 and today: |
Gyllinghøj:
K-Point: 26 m
Year of construction: 1943
Further jumps: no
Plastic matting: no
Ski club: Sports
school Nørreskoven
History:
The construction of Jyske sports school at Vejle in
1943 should provide a good future in sports for Danish youth. Initiator of this
project was legendary sportsman Sven Aage Thomsen, who
promoted the building process of the sports school in early 1940’s with an
incredible willpower and energy. It was he, too, who built up the ski jumping
hill on Gyllinghøj in Vejle’s
city district Nørreskoven and converted the whole
area into a winter sports Eldorado, due to scepticism of the citizens in the
beginning.
With a total length of
150 m and a height difference of 40 m it was not the largest jumping facility,
because other cities later set up ski jumps with larger dimensions, but it was
Denmark’s first ski jumping hill and the style it was constructed was called a miniaturized
version of Holmenkollen. The engineers Kofoed and Hornsled planned the ski jump together with Sven Aage Thomsen according to Norwegian prototype and the construction
work was leaded by Johan Eickhardt. The ski jump was stamped
by the Danish ski and orientation association and then could be taken for
hosting championships. The wooden inrun tower was frequently used as
sightseeing platform in summer times with nice view on the hinterland. Until
early 1960’s the hill was used for ski jumping, afterwards it was just
dilapidating and today it has been totally recovered by nature it is disappeared.
However, the ski jumping hill is part of Vejle’s
history and reminds of the numerous initiatives of unforgettable Sven Aage Thomsen.