Need for a dike
With the loss of Southern Jutland in 1864, Denmark lost a third of its acreage and Hedeselskabet was founded in 1866 with a view to supporting soil improvement projects throughout the country. Plantations, meadow irrigation and draining increased the yield. The aim of Ribediget (the Ribe Dike) was to protect crops along the Wadden Sea coast from storm surges. In 1909, the Danish Parliament passed the Dike Law, ensuring the financing of Ribediget, and the 6 meters high dike between Roborghus and Vester Vedsted was built from 1911-1915.
Fløjdiget was built 2 km inland along the Danish-German border with a view to protecting the Vester Vedsted peasant farmers’ fields from the south. Following the Reunification in 1920, the dike was extended down to the new border, standing complete in 1925.
Locks were constructed alongside the rivers. While those on Sneum Å and Kongeåen were self-regulating, the one on Ribe Å was constructed as a chamber lock, with gates and a lift bridge, due to the shipping traffic.
