Gurre Castle Ruins, Kvistgård, Denmark

Gurre Castle was a royal castle built in the 12th century. Four towers and a perimeter wall were added in the 1350s; it was excavated in the 19th century (from 1835) and is now restored. It is first mentioned in court chronicles in 1364, when Pope Urban V sent a gift of relics to its chapel.

The castle is associated with a legend about a Danish king named Waldemar (usually identified with the 14th-century Valdemar IV Atterdag), his love for his beautiful mistress Tove Lille (Little Tove) and the jealousy of Queen Helvig. Over the centuries, this core saga was enriched by other legends, eventually growing into a national myth of Denmark. Valdemar IV died in the castle in 1375. The myth was put into poetical form by the novelist and poet Jens Peter Jacobsen; a German translation of his poems forms the text of the huge cantata Gurrelieder by Arnold Schoenberg.

References:

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User Reviews

J EB (8 months ago)
This is worth going to in daylight. Was there at dusk and missed out on so much! It was amazing in dimness of evening. I can imagine a late morning picnic no matter what time of year. Historically fascinating.

Maja Jacobsen (8 months ago)
It was great to see the ruins of Gurre castle, scene of the Danish legend of Valdemar and Tove, which is the basis for the famous cantata "Gurrelieder" by the austrian composer Arnold Schönberg (1874-1951). The legend tells, that Valdemar Atterdag was cursed to ride 'the wild hunt' in the forest at nights, because he blasphemously said: Let God keep his heaven, if I can just keep Gurre. Over time this legend was combined with another legend about the King's love to his mistress Tove, who was murdered by Valdemar's jealous Queen Helvig. The myth is described in a 19th century poem by the danish author Jens Peter Jacobsen and the german translation of this poem is used for the text of Schönbergs “Gurrelieder”.

Tore Brynaa (11 months ago)
Love this place. Remains of castle from 1300s. Nice quiet place with its share of secrets ...

Mårten Nilsson (2 years ago)
A very historic site. Not so much to see of the old castle, but you can get an idea of this historic castle how it was built and the size of it.

lady abdeen (3 years ago)
Nice

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Steinvikholm Castle is an island fortress built between 1525 to 1532 by Norway's last Catholic archbishop, Olav Engelbrektsson. Steinvikholm castle became the most powerful fortification by the time it was built, and it is the largest construction raised in the Norwegian Middle Ages.

The castle occupies about half of the land on the rocky island. The absence of a spring meant that fresh water had to be brought from the mainland. A wooden bridge served as the only way to the island other than boat. Although the castle design was common across Europe in 1525, its medieval design was becoming obsolete because of the improved siege firepower offered by gunpowder and cannons.

The castle was constructed after Olav Engelbrektsson returned from a meeting with the Pope in Rome, presumably in anticipation of impending military-religious conflict. As Archbishop Engelbrektsson's resistance to the encroachment of Danish rule escalated, first with Frederick I of Denmark and his successor Christian III of Denmark, Steinvikholm Castle and Nidarholm Abbey became the Catholic Church's military strongholds in Norway. In April 1537, the Danish-Norwegian Reformation succeeded in driving the archbishop from the castle into exile in Lier in the Netherlands (now in Belgium), where he died on 7 February 1538. At the castle the archbishop left behind St. Olav's shrine and other treasures from Nidaros Cathedral (Trondheim). The original coffin containing St. Olav's body remained at Steinvikholm until it was returned to Nidaros Cathedral in 1564. Since 1568 St. Olav's grave in Nidaros has been unknown.

From the 17th to 19th century, the island was used as a quarry and some of its masonry was sold and removed from the site. This activity was condoned by the Danish-Norwegian authorities as a way of eliminating a monument to the opposition of the Danish–Norwegian Union.

Steinvikholm fort is owned and operated today by The society for the Preservation of Norwegian Ancient Monuments. The island has been the site of the midnight opera which details the life and struggles of the archbishop. The opera is held in August annually. The opera is organized by Steinvikholm Musikkteater since the beginning in 1993.

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Gurre Castle Ruins

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