Kalø Castle Ruins, Rønde, Denmark

Kalø Castle was founded in 1313 by the Danish king Erik Menved in order to establish a stronghold in northern Jutland to counter the ongoing rebellions by the local nobility and peasants against the crown. The castle was successful and from the 15th century and onwards the castle had a more peaceful role as the local administrative center. King Christian II held the future Swedish king Gustav Vasa captive at Kalø during 1518-1519, until he escaped.

When king Frederick III converted the elective monarchy into an absolute monarchy by the revolution of 1660 in Denmark, the castle lost its function. In 1661, Frederick III gave Kalø to Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve, who in the following year (1662), tore down the now abandoned castle. The material was used to build his private palace in Copenhagen, now called the Charlottenborg Palace. Today the castle ruin is owned by the Danish State.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

AK Fav Music (4 years ago)
Great płace with perfect view. You can Stay here longer for example for a picnic. The best thing is to be here when is a sunset. It is so lovely.

Toni Lexmond (5 years ago)
Loved these unique ruins and the fantastic light

Michael Marquard Otzen (5 years ago)
Fantastic location. It sits on an extended peace of land. It used to be inaccessible due to reconstruction, but now there are stairs so you can walk up inside the monument. You drive to a parking lot, which is located on the mainland and then there is a good 20 minutes walk from there to the caste site. On a clear day, you can see for miles around.

Miruna Mihalache (5 years ago)
If you are up for a long walk, this is a really nice place to visit, but be sure to bring water. There is a small restaurant at the beginning of the trail so you can buy from there. The road to the ruin is old and made out of big rocks so be careful if you bring strollers and wear comfortable shoes. You can't drive to the actual ruin, but they have a free parking lot. All in all, it takes about 1 hour and 30 min to walk to the castle, visit it and walk back.

Tina Bæk Hougaard Led (5 years ago)
A beautiful medieval castle ruin placed on a small peninsula with a stunning panorama view of Aarhus and Mols. Kalø Ruin is not easy accessible - it's a 500 m walk from the parking spot and the road is very bumpy, but the trip is SO WORTH IT! In clear weather you can see very far. Try it out - it is free and it is such a beautiful spot!

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Château de Foix

The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.

In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians. The county became a privileged refuge for persecuted Cathars.

The castle, often besieged (notably by Simon de Montfort in 1211 and 1212), resisted assault and was only taken once, in 1486, thanks to treachery during the war between two branches of the Foix family.

From the 14th century, the Counts of Foix spent less and less time in the uncomfortable castle, preferring the Governors' Palace. From 1479, the Counts of Foix became Kings of Navarre and the last of them, made Henri IV of France, annexed his Pyrrenean lands to France.

As seat of the Governor of the Foix region from the 15th century, the castle continued to ensure the defence of the area, notably during the Wars of Religion. Alone of all the castles in the region, it was exempted from the destruction orders of Richelieu (1632-1638).

Until the Revolution, the fortress remained a garrison. Its life was brightened with grand receptions for its governors, including the Count of Tréville, captain of musketeers under Louis XIII and Marshal Philippe Henri de Ségur, one of Louis XVI's ministers. The Round Tower, built in the 15th century, is the most recent, the two square towers having been built before the 11th century. They served as a political and civil prison for four centuries until 1862.

Since 1930, the castle has housed the collections of the Ariège départemental museum. Sections on prehistory, Gallo-Roman and mediaeval archaeology tell the history of Ariège from ancient times. Currently, the museum is rearranging exhibits to concentrate on the history of the castle site so as to recreate the life of Foix at the time of the Counts.

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