Hals lies at the Limfjord’s eastern mouth and, appropriately enough, the name Hals means “straits.” It is known that people have lived here 4,000 years. The town’s development has been dictated by defensive and maritime considerations, which has given it many ups and downs through history. Hals had a customs house until 1912, and still has a pilot station whose job is to pilot the many ships in and out over Hals Barre.
The Hals-Egense ferry was established in 1961. Before then, it wasn’t possible to take an automobile over the fjord here. These are small ferries with room for only 10 automobiles, but the trip only takes five minutes. The ferries have made the crossing about 1 million times.

There are countless wrecks in this area of the Limfjord. This is not just because of the infamous sand bars around Hals Barre – after World War 2, mines were the biggest problem.

The worst shipwreck happened June 11, 1948. At that time, there was a ferry between Aalborg and Copenhagen. The ship “Kjøbenhavn” struck a mine and sank in less than ten minutes, taking 48 of its 400 passengers with it. Luckily, another ship, “Frigga”, was close by and rescued many.

“Kjøbenhavn” was the greatest, but far from the only, shipwreck. Fate would have it that the same “Frigga” that saved so many from drowning would, two years later, strike a mine and sink in almost the same spot as “Kjøbenhavn.”