Historical canal overrun by algae: museum suspends popular boat tours indefinitely

Limfjordsmuseet in Løgstør has indefinitely suspended boat tours on the historic Frederik VII’s Kanal after dense algae blooms blocked the cooling system of its passenger vessel.

The museum’s communication manager, Sofie Gade Hedegaard, said the 165-year-old canal, normally a major tourist draw with more than 500 weekly passengers, cannot be navigated while algae clog the boat’s intake. “We have a huge tourist attraction lying idle, and we cannot get out there to share the history we care so deeply about,” she said.

The warm weather has accelerated algal growth in the canal’s still water, which was already closed at its southern end. Hedegaard called for immediate action by Vesthimmerlands Kommune to restore flow by reopening the southern section, as it was originally designed.

“Many visitors travel long distances specifically to cruise Frederik VII’s Kanal, and the local experience economy will feel the impact,” she added. The museum argues that the obstacle is not cost but environmental assessment; reopening the southern end would affect a newly formed lagoon with unique wildlife.

Hedegaard urged the municipality to take responsibility for preserving one of the region’s most significant cultural heritage sites. “How long can we accept that one of Denmark’s largest canal heritage sites slowly loses its life, its nature, and its meaning?” she said.

DR has sought comment from municipal officials but received no response.

Frederik VII’s Kanal, dug by 400 German laborers and opened in 1861, once carried up to 3,000 ships annually before a deeper shipping lane made it obsolete. The southern end was closed in 1913.