Traces of the border at Hviding

Hviding Kro (Inn) at Ribevej 58 has been located in the same place since 1886. The inn is situated on the formerly German side, just a few meters from the old border. It is said that the inn staff helped hundreds of refugees across the border through the inn. When people entered the stables on the left, they were led across the border behind the inn west of the highway.

Hviding Kro approximately 1900 to 1920. The travel stable served as a pass through for border crossers who wanted to flee to Denmark. Photo: Hviding Sognearkiv.

Hviding Kro (Inn)

The border came to divide the dual town of Egebæk-Hviding, situated in Vester Vedsted Parish and Hviding Parish, respectively.

In 1864, Høgsbro Chaussé-Krug opened in Ribevej 111, acting as a German customs office from 1865 to 1866.

German customs office

The customs office was subsequently moved to Ribevej 71 in a building that has since been closed down. When the railway line between Ribe and Tønder opened in1887, the customs office moved to a building situated close to the train station.

Egebæk Kro and the Danish customs office

The Danish customs office was located in the local inn, Egebæk Kro on Bjørnkærvej 1, throughout the period from 1864 to 1920. In addition, Vedsted Railway Control was established alongside the railway’s inauguration in 1887, and was located next to the train station.

Gendarme House (Gendarmhuset)

The Gendarme House is located at Enderupvej 58. It was built in 1905 as the place of work for the German border gendarmes. They patrolled the border, from Vesterbæk out to the Wadden Sea, in pairs.

Both countries intensified their border control during WWI, 1914-1918. In Hviding, soldiers stood guard at 100 m intervals.