The use of the marsh

People were attracted to the marsh's potential early on, and there are traces of settlements along the coast in several places. One of these is Hjemsted Banke at Ballummarsken, which was home to a settlement as early as 500 BC. The rich marsh grass was suitable for animal husbandry, and in the 17th and 18th centuries, the trade in bullocks, especially to the Netherlands, contributed significantly to the income of the area's farmers. Farmers and traders also benefited from its location by the Wadden Sea, which contained most of western Jutland's few natural harbours, which until the latter half of the 19th century were crucial for long-distance transport. However, its location also made the marsh's inhabitants vulnerable to storm surges, which have plagued the Wadden Sea coast since the 12th century, causing settlements and villages to be flooded and abandoned.

The Frisians were the first to build dykes in the Wadden Sea area. The earliest dykes were low summer dykes that could protect the land from the daily high tides. As storm surges became more common, there was a need for permanent defences for protection. This is why so-called sea defences were built. They were higher and could keep out the waters of winter storms. This also prevented the natural dynamics of regular, minor flooding, and the marshland was transformed into more common arable land. The reclamation of the Danish part of the Wadden Sea started in Tøndermarsken, where the first sea dyke was built in 1556 and the last in 1981, when the Advanced Dyke and Vidåslusen were inaugurated. This long-standing land reclamation has made the Vidå River 20 kilometres longer, and only the ship on Tønder's coat of arms bears witness to the fact that the town was once an important harbour close to the coast. Ribemarsken, Ballummarsken, Tjæreborg and Darummarsken were all dammed in the early 20th century. The marsh around Ho Bugt is the only one in the Wadden Sea region that has never been reclaimed. The dikes protected the area from flooding, but also created problems with the backwater from the rivers running through the marshes. Locks in the dykes were designed to allow the river water to pass through the dyke at low tide. However, during persistent high tides, the sluice gates had to remain closed and the rivers flooded the land behind the dykes. This could happen several times during the winter and meant that the land could not be utilised during this part of the year.

The conversion of agriculture from arable to arable farming meant an increased interest in utilising the marshland land more efficiently. This was the reason for the dewatering of the Tønder marsh, which was the only place where pumping stations and river dykes were established. The river dykes mean that, unlike other rivers, the Vidåen almost never overflows its banks. Ballummarsken and Ribemarsken are also drained, but only by means of canals.

However, drainage was not without problems. In the marshland, the former wetland plants have been covered by the muddy water of the Wadden Sea and turned into a varied peat layer under the clay soil. If this layer is not kept moist, oxygen gets into the peat layer and it "burns" and sinks. This has happened in Ballummarsken, where some areas have sunk up to 75 centimetres. This has led to the creation of larger, wet areas.

Until the middle of the 20th century, the marsh was only cultivated to a very limited extent, as the flat grassland was used for fattening cattle and haymaking. The cultivation of the marshland gained momentum from the 1950s to the 1970s, with oats being the dominant crop, as it could be used for fodder and grew well in moist soil. In addition, greater tractor power made it possible to plough up the heavy marsh soil.