WI: Sweden and Denmark damm Oresund

Valdemar II

Banned
WI Denmark and Sweden decide to go together in a common project to damm the Oresund with long term plan to drain and reclaim the land. Maybe as a big make-work project in the thirties.

Amager_i_Sund_ubt_1_DA.png
 
WI Denmark and Sweden decide to go together in a common project to damm the Oresund with long term plan to drain and reclaim the land. Maybe as a big make-work project in the thirties.

Amager_i_Sund_ubt_1_DA.png

Whats the point? The Zuiderzeewerks were built because the Netherlands had a problem with ocean floods and needed more land. I don't think Denmark and Sweden have either issue, and at any rate it would cut off ocean trade into the Baltic if Denmark/Sweden weren't also willing to build a system of canals and locks.
 

Valdemar II

Banned
Whats the point? The Zuiderzeewerks were built because the Netherlands had a problem with ocean floods and needed more land. I don't think Denmark and Sweden have either issue, and at any rate it would cut off ocean trade into the Baltic if Denmark/Sweden weren't also willing to build a system of canals and locks.

Yes it would be slightly insane, but I was inspired by a thread in Chat, with Iori suggesting it. The reason I suggested the thirties are because it's the earliest Denmark they can get away with it, have a reason to do so (it would simply be a way to get the unemployed in work) and won't care about the envioremental damages yet*. Canal And locks will likely be made, Denmark and Sweden have a interest in sea acces to Copenhagen and Malmö.

*They're going to be enoumous, 25% of the water from the Baltic to Kattegat goes through Oresund, here this will move to Lillebælt (Little Belt) and Storebælt (Great Belt), which will mean less saltwater wil be able to enter the Baltic and we will see the salination level go down.
 
Whats the point? The Zuiderzeewerks were built because the Netherlands had a problem with ocean floods and needed more land. I don't think Denmark and Sweden have either issue, and at any rate it would cut off ocean trade into the Baltic if Denmark/Sweden weren't also willing to build a system of canals and locks.
That would almost certainly be a deal-killer. Every single country with a baltic port would go absolutely nuts at the prospect of either being completely cut off, or at best having their trade heavily restricted and under Swedish/Danish control. Germany is the only nation with a Baltic port that might accept this, just because it would make their Kiel canal that much more of an advantage.
 

Valdemar II

Banned
That would almost certainly be a deal-killer. Every single country with a baltic port would go absolutely nuts at the prospect of either being completely cut off, or at best having their trade heavily restricted and under Swedish/Danish control. Germany is the only nation with a Baltic port that might accept this, just because it would make their Kiel canal that much more of an advantage.

They still have transit through Lillebælt and Storebælt, and the transit was de facto under Danish control already, even if both Storebælt and Oresund was international waters.
 
Wouldn't it spell the economic doom of broad swathes of Sweden?

edit- oh, you mean just the sound. Oops took this to mean dam the whole entrance to the baltic.
hmm...The thing there is I don't see much point, tjhere's not that much need for the land from Denmark and absolutely no need for it from Sweden.
Maybe in a scenario where Denmark keeps Skane?
 

Valdemar II

Banned
Wouldn't it spell the economic doom of broad swathes of Sweden?

I don't see how, there would still be access through the sound, it would just be freshwater with a locks in the end, in the long term we would likely see canal being set up. Of course it would mean easier access to Denmark, so we would likely see more Swedes trade in Copenhagen, and with the greater economical integration of easier transit, this would likely also result in more Swedish season workers in Danish agriculture, which would result in capital being transfered to the poorest Swedes, of course it also go the oher way, the inferior Swedish
agriculture would risk being outcompeted by the Danish one with the easier export of Danish foodstuff to Scania, while the superior Swedish heavy industry lay farther to the north, and would be unlikely to outcompete the Danish.
 
Whats the point? The Zuiderzeewerks were built because the Netherlands had a problem with ocean floods and needed more land. I don't think Denmark and Sweden have either issue, and at any rate it would cut off ocean trade into the Baltic if Denmark/Sweden weren't also willing to build a system of canals and locks.

hmm...The thing there is I don't see much point, tjhere's not that much need for the land from Denmark and absolutely no need for it from Sweden.
Maybe in a scenario where Denmark keeps Skane?

While I was'nt serious in what I said that inspired Vald to make the thread you do have to realize that at the time people did'nt necessarily do things because their was a reason.

For instance (as I had in brackets) a Futurist at the time (of which their were many, including in positions of power) would support it for the simple sake of doing it and proving mans superiority to the natural world.

It could also make in the long-term a good Nordic Megacity.
 
They still have transit through Lillebælt and Storebælt, and the transit was de facto under Danish control already, even if both Storebælt and Oresund was international waters.
There would still be access, but making it canal-only is still going to result in a lot of countries with Baltic ports being very, very unhappy. That's not even considering the potential environmental effects; I suspect the Baltic fishing industry is going to take a hit, and any changes in sea levels will not just have an effect in Denmark and Sweden.
 
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