The Thy metropolis
Klitmøller is named after the water mills that once stood along the river. The mills processed grain which was shipped to Norway together with meat, butter, wool and cloth. From the 1500s/1600s to the early 1800s there was extensive shipping trade with Norway from Klitmøller and other locations along the west coast of Jutland. The cargo was shipped in so-called sand boats which were flat-bottomed wooden ships. The boats were built to sail right up to the beach and could be pulled onto the sand.
From Norway the sand boats could bring back timber and iron, which were in short supply in Thy, and more luxurious goods were also brought back to Thy. It is told that some of the residents of Klitmøller wore beautiful garments of silk and lace. There were fashionable bear-skin muffs, silk scarves and even wigs. At that time, these things were not exactly everyday goods in Thy, but because of the shipping trade, Klitmøller was a wealthy community, even more important than the market town of Thisted in terms of economy and trade.