Imagine standing here on Bombegrunden with me. It is a place of serene beauty today. But it holds a dark secret from World War II.
Bombegrunden is located in the southern part of Taarbæk. It lies out towards the coast of Øresund. Its name tells a tale of destruction.
During World War II German troops bombed a house here. They suspected it was used by the resistance movement. The Germans were right. In 1944 the resistance group Holger Danske established 14 minor headquarters. One of them was at this address. Today Bombegrunden is a preserved area.
The beach is only about 40 meters long and two meters wide. The water is shallow. The seabed consists of sand gravel and stones.
Before the bombing a villa stood here. A Jewish family lived there. They fled to Sweden because of Hitler’s rise in Europe. The house was empty when the war broke out. During the war Danish Jews waiting to flee to Sweden used it.
The Gestapo discovered this. As revenge they blew up the villa on November 11 1944.
After the war the Jewish family returned to Denmark. The villa was not rebuilt. The family received war damages compensation.
Rumor has it the house was also used as a weapons depot. During the war a tunnel was dug from the cellar. It went over Taarbæk Strandvej to Cottageparken.
In 1946 the Conservation Board ruled. It stated that a future expansion of Bellevue Beach Park should be possible. It would extend north between Taarbæk Strandvej and Øresund up to Bombegrunden.
In 1948 the Overfredningsnævnet decided to lift the preservation for the buildings between Bellevue Beach Park and Bombegrunden. But it upheld it for Bombegrunden. The reason was that the preservation of Bombegrunden was essential for the public. It opened public access to the Øresund coast.
Before the preservation Statsskovvæsenet expressed that a preservation of Bombegrunden was very interesting for Cottageparken. Statsskovvæsenet is a state-owned company that manages state-owned forest properties. Bombegrunden was then taken over by Statsskovvæsenet.
In 1989 Jægersborg State Forest District ceded Bombegrunden to Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality. Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality could rezone and build on Bombegrunden. Necessary permits had to be obtained. Statsskovdistriktet would be paid the difference in value. The difference was between the area’s current use and the agreed extended purposes.
This agreement was concluded. The Forest and Nature Agency sent a letter. It stated that the Forest and Nature Agency could accede to Bombegrunden being ceded. Respect had to be shown for the Overfredningsnævn’s decision of October 14 1948 on public access and prohibition of construction.
In 1990 the chairman of the town planning committee in Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality recommended that the preservation be lifted and the site be built on. The reason given was that the preservation was a relic of a joint preservation project. This led to violent protests. Both the Danish Society for Nature Conservation and residents in Taarbæk protested. The municipality gave up getting the preservation lifted and the site rezoned.
Bombegrunden stands as a testament to a dark time. But it also shows resilience and the importance of preserving access to nature. It serves as a reminder of the past. It also highlights the ongoing struggle to balance development with the protection of natural spaces.