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The Limfjord (Danish language: Limfjorden , in northwest Jutlandish dialect: Æ Limfjord) is a shallow part of the sea, located in Denmark where it has been regarded as an inlet ever since Viking Age. However, it now has entries both from the North Sea and Kattegat, and hence separates the Vendsyssel-Thy (Danish: Nørrejyske Ø, which includes the old provinces of Vendsyssel, Han herred and Thy) from the rest of the Jutland Peninsula. The Limfjord extends from Thyborøn Channel on the North Sea to Hals on the Kattegat. It is approximately 180 kilometres (111 miles) long and of an irregular shape with numerous bays, narrowings, and islands, most notably Mors, and the smaller ones Fur, Venø, Jegindø, Egholm and Livø. It is deepest at Hvalpsund (24 metres).
Its main port is Aalborg, where a railway bridge (Jernbanebroen over Limfjorden) and road bridge (Limfjordsbroen) have been built across the Limfjord to Nørresundby, while motorway E45 crosses it through a tunnel to the east. Commercial ports also exist at Thisted, Nykøbing Mors, Skive, Løgstør, Struer, Lemvig and Thyborøn. There are also bridges at Oddesund, Sallingsund, Vilsund, Aggersund and Sebbersund, and a number of ferry crossings.
An isthmus of shifting sand had separated the Limfjord from the North Sea during historic times. The present inlet, Thyborøn Channel, has existed only since 1862. A passage also existed during the Viking Age. Based on place names and the geography, it is thought to have been to the south of the present one, between Ferring Sø (locally still called 'the Fjord') and Hygum Nor. Canute the Great sailed into it in 1027 on his way back from England. According to Saxo Grammaticus it closed at some time around 1200. There are records of several floods piercing the isthmus during the 16th to early 19th century.
On 3 February 1825 a flood pierced a permanent opening, the so-called Agger Channel, in the north of the 13 km long and less than 1 km wide isthmus, the Agger Tange, which had until then linked Thy with the rest of Jutland. The western part of North Jutland lost its road connection with mainland Jutland, but the towns and harbours in the western part of the Limfjord could benefit from becoming directly accessible from the North Sea, to the dismay of Aalborg. From the 1840s the western route became increasingly important, as Britain had opened for import of grain, and ships could return with British coal. However, the instability of Agger Channel made the towns of the western Limfjord look for a second option.
In 1862, a flood pierced another opening, the Thyborøn Channel, through the remainder of Agger Tange (see satellite image Satellite image). Agger Channel was continuously filling with sand and eventually closed in 1877. Since then, the remaining Thyborøn Channel has been kept open and navigable by dredging. The harbour of Thyborøn was built in 1914–1918 and a town was founded. The two isthmuses have shifted eastwards since the 1800s. They have only been preserved by , persistent sandpumping and two along their inward (eastern) side.
Historically, a North Sea to Limfjord canal has also been proposed between Hanstholm harbour and Vejlerne (or Klitmøller and Thisted), e.g. by Jørgen Fibiger in 1933, En Kanal fra Limfjorden til Jammerbugten (A Canal from the Limfjord to the Jammerbugt), Aalborg Stiftstidende, 2 Jan. 1933 (in Danish) the engineer behind the project of Hanstholm harbour.
The state environmental surveillance vessel Limgrim, based at Skive, is named after the legend.
The later ones of these Limfjord writers, along with a few others, formed the Jutland Movement, which revolted against the symbolism of the early 20th century. Instead, they wrote social realistic prose, often about poor and exploited people in the countryside, who were a part of Danish society little known to the establishment in Copenhagen. The Jutland movement , jeppeaakjaer.dk (in Danish)
The fjord today has oceanic salinity, approximately 30 PSU (or per mille by weight) at all depths. Many animals and maritime plants that can be found in Skagerrak, Kattegat and the North Sea can thus be found in the fjord.
Due to its shallow waters, the temperature rises rather quickly during warm and sunny days from mid-April to early September. While in winter, ice can form faster during the cold periods, especially in bays with little current. Problematic ice conditions do not occur every winter.
The Limfjord is notable for its tasty blue mussel ( Mytilus edulis). Gourmets appreciate its oysters, which are considered to be of extraordinary size and quality. Had it not been for the western breakthrough in 1825, these mussels wouldn't grow as well as they do in the waters with ocean-like salinity.
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