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[[Image:Denmark-Hedeland-gravel pit.jpg|thumb|300px|A former gravel pit]]
'''Hedeland''' is a 15-square-kilometre recreational area located between the towns of [[Hedehusene]], [[Tune, Denmark|Tune]] and [[Vindinge, Roskilde Municipality|Vindinge]], some 20&nbsp;km west of central [[Copenhagen]], [[Denmark]]. The undulating landscape has emerged as a result of comprehensive extraction of gravel followed by [[environmental restoration]] since the late 1970s. The area is owned by a company, I/S Hedeland, which is owned by the municipalities of [[Høje-Taastrup Municipality|Høje-Taastrup]], [[Greve Municipality|Greve]] and [[Roskilde Municipality|Roskilde]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.denstoredanske.dk/Danmarks_geografi_og_historie/Danmarks_geografi/K%C3%B8benhavn/Hedeland|title=Hedeland|language=Danish|publisher=Gyldendal|accessdate=2014-05-27}}</ref>
The landscape consists of both woods and open land and has a varied flora and bird life. Many of the former gravel pits have been converted into lakes and ponds. Hedeland is also home to a wide selection of recreational facilities, including a golf course, a kart circuit, a vintage railway, equestrian centre, amphitheatre and fishing ponds.
==Name==
The name has been created from the words ''hede'', meaning heath. The flat and fertile moraine landscape between [[Roskilde]], [[Køge]] and Copenhagen was from the Middle Ages known as ''Hedeboegnen'' or simply Heden ("The Heath").
==Facilities==
===Equestrian centre===
Hedehusgården Equestrian Centre is located at Brandhøjgårdsvej 2 in the northeastern corner of Hedeland. Hedehusgården is an old farmhouse which in 1892 was purchased by an engineer who wanted to extract gravel from its land. The equestrian club traces its roots back to 1946 but took over Hedehusgården in 1976.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hgrk.dk/hedehusgardens-rideklub/historie|title=Historie|language=Danish|publisher=Hedehusgårdens Rideskole|accessdate=2014-05-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140527213324/http://hgrk.dk/hedehusgardens-rideklub/historie|archive-date=2014-05-27|url-status=dead}}</ref>
===Vintage railway===
Hedeland Vintage Railway is a 5.2&nbsp;km [[narrow gauge railway]] operated by the Danish Industrial Railway Society. Built by members of the society, construction began in 1975 and the first short stretch was opened in 1977. It currently offers a 10&nbsp;km return trip but plans exist to extend the railway all the way to Tune which will increase its length to 7&nbsp;km. Service is both steam and diesel locomotives. Most of the tracks and rolling stock come from defunct industrial rail lines that were used for transporting sugar beets on the island of [[Lolland]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibk.dk/welcome_to_hedelands_railway.htm#About%20the%20railway |title=About the railway|publisher=Hedeland Vintage Railway|accessdate=2014-05-27}}</ref>
===Brandhøj Miniature Railway===
Brandhøj Miniature Railway covers 18,000&nbsp;m<sup>2</sup> and has a total length of more than 1,200 metres. Construction began in 1984.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brandhojbanen.dk/dk/index.htm|title=Velkommen|language=Danish|publisher=Brandhøj Banen|accessdate=2014-05-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180825103532/http://www.brandhojbanen.dk/dk/index.htm|archive-date=2018-08-25|url-status=dead}}</ref>
===Motor sports===
Roskilde Racing Center is located next to [[Roskilde Airport]] at Tune. Hedeland Motor Club (Hedelands Motorklub), a club with more than 500 members, opened a kart circuit there in 2001. It has a length of 1250 metres. There is also a cross circuit.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hedelands-motorklub.dk/Kart/Banen/Historie.htm |title=Historie |publisher=Hedeland Motor Klub |accessdate=2014-05-27 |url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140527212031/http://www.hedelands-motorklub.dk/Kart/Banen/Historie.htm |archivedate=2014-05-27 }}</ref>
[[Image:Vinterrasser i Hedeland (3294875835).jpg|thumb|200px|The vineyard]]
===Vineyard===
In 1984, 1,000 grape vines were planted on a southwest-facing slope on the north side of an artificial lake. The number has later been increased to 3,000, of which half are [[Marechal Foch (grape)|Marechal Foch]] and half are [[Léon Millot]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hedeland.dk/frameset404.htm |title=Vinterresserne |language=Danish |publisher=Hedeland |accessdate=2010-01-04 |url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100108180713/http://www.hedeland.dk/frameset404.htm |archivedate=2010-01-08 }}</ref>
[[Image:Denmark-Hedeland-amphitheatre.jpg|thumb|200px|left|The amphitheatre]]
===Amphitheatre===
The amphitheatre was constructed between 1994 and 1996 and seats 3,500.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hedeland.dk/frameset408.htm |title=Amfiteater |language=Danish |publisher=Hedeland |accessdate=2014-05-27 |url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070707045642/http://www.hedeland.dk/frameset408.htm |archivedate=2007-07-07 }}</ref> A self-owning, Hedeland Theater, now Opera Hedeland, was founded on 1 July 2002. It produces an annual opera. Previous performances are ''[[Tosca]]' (2005), ''[[Nabucco]]'' (2006), ''[[Carmen]]'' (2007), ''[[Turandot]]'' ''[[The Magic Flute]]'' (2009), ''[[Norma (opera)|Norma]]'' (2010), ''[[La Traviata]]'' (2011), ''[[Don Giovani]]'' (2012), ''[[Madame Butterfly]] (2013), ''[[Il trovatore]]'' (2014).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.operahedeland.dk/tidligere-saesoner/|title=Tidligere forestillinger|language=Danish|publisher=Gyldendal|accessdate=2014-05-27}}</ref>
===Golf course===
Hedeland is also home to an 18-hole golf course. It is operated by Hedeland Golf Club.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hedeland-golf.dk/banen/|title=Banen|language=Danish|publisher=Hedeland Golf Klub|accessdate=2014-05-27}}</ref>
=== Temple of Tokamak ===
[https://www.instagram.com/temple_of_tokamak/ The Temple of Tokamak], designed by [http://www.alscherer.com/about Annie-Locke Scherer], is a structure originally built by participants of the participatory art event [[List of regional Burning Man events#Denmark|The Borderland]] in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sn.dk/Taastrup/Se-billederne-Stort-naturomraade-har-faaet-et-tempel/artikel/859888|title=Se billederne: Stort naturområde har fået et tempel|date=2019-08-07|website=sn.dk|language=da|access-date=2019-08-18}}</ref> The inspiration for its design was a Tokamak reactor, a torus-shaped device that generates a powerful magnetic field to create fusion.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.alscherer.com/#/the-temple-of-tokamak/ | title=Annie Locke Scherer }}</ref> This is meant to be a symbol of the unifying forces of humanity that bring us together. This project was fully funded by Borderland art grants.
The Temple of Tokamak is an example of parametric modeling techniques used for architectural and structural design.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Parametric architecture and design|url=https://www.dezeen.com/tag/parametric-design/|access-date=2021-01-09|website=Dezeen|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Jabi|first=Wassim|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/900292116|title=Parametric design for architecture|date=15 September 2013|isbn=978-1-78067-536-7|location=London|oclc=900292116}}</ref>
==Cultural references==
One of the old gravel pits in Hedeland is used as a location at 1:30:13 in the 1969 ''[[Olsen-banden]]'' film ''[[The Olsen Gang in a Fix]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.olsenbande-homepage.de/index3.html|title=Film 2 Olsenbanden på spanden Die Olsenbande in der Klemme|language=German|website=olsenbande-homepage.de |accessdate=2014-05-29}}</ref>
==See also==
* [[Køge Bugt Strandpark]]
* [[Hedebo Greenway]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|Hedeland}}
* [http://www.hedeland.dk/ Official website]
{{Copenhagen western suburbs}}
{{coord|55.6250|N|12.1722|E|source:wikidata|display=title}}
[[Category:Roskilde Municipality]]
[[Category:Greve Municipality]]
[[Category:Geography of the Øresund Region]]