Vorupør Old Cemetery

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A poignant relic

In the second half of the 19th century, there was a significant population growth in Vorupør. At the same time, the religious revival of the Inner Mission swept through the region, making the need for a separate church evident. In 1878, a church was built, but its lifespan was short. Just 25 years later, the church was taken down, and a new, larger one was built a little further west, in Nørre Vorupør.

The old cemetery still remains a couple of kilometers east of Nørre Vorupør, along with a small chapel that served as the original church's porch. It's almost like a little time capsule where the gravestones bear strong testimonies to the harsh life by the sea.

There are gravestones for old fishing families, many of which indicate high child mortality rates, and the fishermen themselves didn't often reach old age. In one grave, the crew of the German ship Concordia, which stranded at Vorupør in 1896, rests. You can also find the gravestone of Jens Munk Poulsen, a driving force in the Fiskercompagniet, which significantly pushed the development of Vorupør in the late 19th century.

Another gravestone is placed in memory of the eight fishermen who perished on March 26, 1885. On that day, a sudden storm arose from the west, and in the tumultuous waves, the lifeboat rescued the crews from two fishing boats. The lifeboat capsized, and eight of the ten rescued fishermen drowned. The rescue crew survived, in part thanks to their lifebelts and the fishing boats ready to assist. This tragedy was a severe blow to the fishing village, and many fishing families sought solace in the Inner Mission afterward.

The church and the Inner Mission:

In Nr. Vorupør, the church and its neighboring mission house have a prominent place in the cityscape, just as the church and the Inner Mission revival have played a significant role in the town's history.

Until the late 1800s, the fishermen in Sdr. and Nr. Vorupør were part of the parish of Hundborg, but gradually, the need for a church closer to the coast became more apparent. In 1878, a church was built east of Nr. Vorupør, where the old cemetery is now located, and where the porch from the later demolished church serves as a chapel. The church could accommodate 150 parishioners but became too small in the following decades due to population growth. Consequently, in 1902, a new church was built. The first mission house was built in 1887 in Sdr. Vorupør, and the mission house "Filadelfia" in Nr. Vorupør was constructed in 1916.