Dune sheep

The Dune Sheep are part of the living cultural heritage at the Green Museum. The Dune Sheep are also called the Hulsig Sheep. They are so called because a flock of sheep was found on the Hulsig heath in Vendsyssel, and it turned out that they had the same genes as the old Danish land sheep – a breed that was thought to be extinct.

Sheep were domesticated in Asia and the Middle East more than 10,000 years ago, and came to Denmark in the Neolithic Age, about 6,000 years ago. The sheep provided meat and milk for the household, and with the sheep came the knowledge of how to weave the wool into clothes and textiles.

The Dune Sheep are an important part of the living cultural heritage at The Green Museum. They are also called the Hulsig Sheep, as they were found wandering around the Hulsig heath in Vendsyssel. It turned out that the Dune Sheep had the same genes as the old Danish land sheep – a breed that was thought to be extinct.

About 100 years ago, it was common to have a flock of sheep on every farm. The sheep could live on what they found in the forest, on the heath or in the dunes, and typically ate invasive grasses, the unwanted vegetation, so that the horsetail and heather were not choked by them. The sheep were also an important livestock animal, partly because of the wool. But the sheep also provided milk and meat, and in connection with slaughter, the fat from the animal was used for candles, and the intestines for strings and cords. Finally, the bones could be used for various tools.