Top Historic Sights in Haderslev, Denmark

Explore the historic highlights of Haderslev

Home > City Guides > Haderslev, Denmark

Haderslev Cathedral

Work on building Haderslev Cathedral began in the mid-13th century. It was originally a large cross-shaped single-naved church built of bricks and granite cubes recycled from an older church. Only the original transept is still standing. The church nave was soon expanded to include three tall naves under one roof. This type of church is called a hall church. The present three-naved choir from 1400 is one of the most beaut ...
Founded: c. 1250 | Location: Haderslev, Denmark

Duke Hans Hospital and Church

Duke Hans Hospital and Church (Hertug Hans Hospitalskirke) was established in 1569. It was not a hospital in today’s sense; we would call it a poorhouse. It was a place where poor and infirm elderly people could get free board and lodging when they could not fend for themselves and had no family to take care of them. It was far from luxurious, but they had a roof over their heads and were spared from having to beg. The ...
Founded: 1569 | Location: Haderslev, Denmark

Hammelev Church

Hammelev Church dates from the Middle Ages and it was enlarged with porch and sacristy in the 18th century.
Founded: 12th century | Location: Haderslev, Denmark

Old Haderslev Church

The old church of Haderslev (Gammel Haderslev Kirke) was uilt in the twelfth century as a Romanesque granite church, and the first tower was built in the Gothic time. The present tower is from 1911-12, but many changes have taken place through the centuries. The altar is made by granite. There is a wooden crucifix, and some brass-candlesticks from 1609. The frescos behind the altar have a motive from the Apocalypse. The ...
Founded: 12th century | Location: Haderslev, Denmark

Halk Church

Halk church is a whitewashed church with a lead covered roof, which consists of a Romanesque choir and nave. Later, an expansion towards the west was added, as well as a sacristy, weaponhouse, chapel and an east facing tower, which is rarely seen. The alter tablet is a beautiful combination of parts from a late-gothic alter tablet, which has been inserted into a late-renaissance frame from around 1640. The church has ...
Founded: 13th century | Location: Haderslev, Denmark

Fjelstrup Church

Fjelstrup church is a big whitewashed church built in late Romanesque style. It was built with large medieval bricks and consists of a chancel and a nave. The church has been expanded with several extensions in late gothic style: an expansion of the chancel, an addition to the north and a tower to the west. At a later period a vestry was added to the north. The nave has a flat plaster ceiling and the big chancel has been ...
Founded: c. 1200 | Location: Haderslev, Denmark

Jegerup Church

Jegerup church is a whitewashed Romanesque church with choir and nave. Two late-Gothic buildings were added later: A tower on the western side and a weaponhouse to the south. In 1905 a sacristy was added to the northern side of the church. The inside of the church is also whitewashed and the flat ceiling is in plaster with stucco, the choir arch has been changed into a pointed arch. The alterpiece is from 1614 and was ...
Founded: c. 1150 | Location: Haderslev, Denmark

Øsby Church

Øsby Church is a large, white village church, which was remodelled into a Gothic long church. You can see the remains of the original 13th century church at the bottom of the east wall. The current church was built in the 16th century. The church has large, Gothic windows to the south, giving the church a bright and airy space with four sets of rib vaults. The ribs are decorated in Gothic frescoes, and on the northern w ...
Founded: 16th century | Location: Haderslev, Denmark

Bjerning Church

the exact foundation of Bjerning Church is unknown, but since the original part of the church, nave and choir is a typical Romanesque ashlar-church, it is reasonable to assume that is was erected around the year 1200. Fixtures in the church also confirms this, like a figure of an archbishop in wood, which has been dated to around 1250, and a figure of Mary and child from around 1350. On November 17th 1937, a violent fire ...
Founded: c. 1200 | Location: Haderslev, Denmark

Moltrup Church

Moltrup Church is mentioned for the first time in 1460 but it was erected probably in the 12th century. The sacristy was added in 1728. The altarpiece is from the 17th century and pulpit from 1882.
Founded: 12th century | Location: Haderslev, Denmark

Nustrup Church

Nustrup Church consists of a Romanesque nave, choir and apse with late-Gothic tower and an unusually large weaponhouse towards the south. The church is rich in exciting fixtures, like a St. Hjælper (Saint Helper) crucifix from the early 1400s. The altarpiece dates from 1475 and Renaissance pulpit from 1575.
Founded: c. 1100 | Location: Haderslev, Denmark

Sønder Starup Church

Sønder Starup Church is a Romanesque church dating from c. 1100.  The tower was erected around 1450.
Founded: c .1100 | Location: Haderslev, Denmark

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

House of the Dragon Filming Locations
Photo from Flickr, copyright joiseyshowaa

Historic Site of the week

Broch of Gurness

The Broch of Gurness is an Iron Age broch village. Settlement here began sometime between 500 and 200 BC. At the centre of the settlement is a stone tower or broch, which once probably reached a height of around 10 metres. Its interior is divided into sections by upright slabs. The tower features two skins of drystone walls, with stone-floored galleries in between. These are accessed by steps. Stone ledges suggest that there was once an upper storey with a timber floor. The roof would have been thatched, surrounded by a wall walk linked by stairs to the ground floor. The broch features two hearths and a subterranean stone cistern with steps leading down into it. It is thought to have some religious significance, relating to an Iron Age cult of the underground.

The remains of the central tower are up to 3.6 metres high, and the stone walls are up to 4.1 metres thick. The tower was likely inhabited by the principal family or clan of the area but also served as a last resort for the village in case of an attack.

The broch continued to be inhabited while it began to collapse and the original structures were altered. The cistern was filled in and the interior was repartitioned. The ruin visible today reflects this secondary phase of the broch's use.

The site is surrounded by three ditches cut out of the rock with stone ramparts, encircling an area of around 45 metres diameter. The remains of numerous small stone dwellings with small yards and sheds can be found between the inner ditch and the tower. These were built after the tower, but were a part of the settlement's initial conception. A 'main street' connects the outer entrance to the broch. The settlement is the best-preserved of all broch villages.

Pieces of a Roman amphora dating to before 60 AD were found here, lending weight to the record that a 'King of Orkney' submitted to Emperor Claudius at Colchester in 43 AD.

At some point after 100 AD the broch was abandoned and the ditches filled in. It is thought that settlement at the broch continued into the 5th century AD, the period known as Pictish times. By that time the broch was not used anymore and some of its stones were reused to build smaller dwellings on top of the earlier buildings. Until about the 8th century, the site was just a single farmstead.

In the 9th century, a Norse woman was buried at the site in a stone-lined grave with two bronze brooches and a sickle and knife made from iron. Other finds suggest that Norse men were buried here too.

Map Top Sights Tags Historical Periods City Guides About Us Sign Up Upload new site
© 2022 SpottingHistory.com. All rights reserved.