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 (2 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 (3 years ago)
Loved these unique ruins and the fantastic light

Michael Marquard Otzen (3 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 (3 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 (3 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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Photo from Flickr, copyright Erik Christensen, Porkeri

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Kirkjubøargarður

Kirkjubøargarður ('Yard of Kirkjubøur', also known as King"s Farm) is one of the oldest still inhabited wooden houses of the world. The farm itself has always been the largest in the Faroe Islands. The old farmhouse dates back to the 11th century. It was the episcopal residence and seminary of the Diocese of the Faroe Islands, from about 1100. Sverre I of Norway (1151–1202), grew up here and went to the priest school. The legend says, that the wood for the block houses came as driftwood from Norway and was accurately bundled and numbered, just for being set up. Note, that there is no forest in the Faroes and wood is a very valuable material. Many such wood legends are thus to be found in Faroese history.

The oldest part is a so-called roykstova (reek parlour, or smoke room). Perhaps it was moved one day, because it does not fit to its foundation. Another ancient room is the loftstovan (loft room). It is supposed that Bishop Erlendur wrote the 'Sheep Letter' here in 1298. This is the earliest document of the Faroes we know today. It is the statute concerning sheep breeding on the Faroes. Today the room is the farm"s library. The stórastovan (large room) is from a much later date, being built in 1772.

Though the farmhouse is a museum, the 17th generation of the Patursson Family, which has occupied it since 1550, is still living here. Shortly after the Reformation in the Faroe Islands in 1538, all the real estate of the Catholic Church was seized by the King of Denmark. This was about half of the land in the Faroes, and since then called King"s Land (kongsjørð). The largest piece of King"s Land was the farm in Kirkjubøur due to the above-mentioned Episcopal residence. This land is today owned by the Faroese government, and the Paturssons are tenants from generation to generation. It is always the oldest son, who becomes King"s Farmer, and in contrast to the privately owned land, the King"s Land is never divided between the sons.

The farm holds sheep, cattle and some horses. It is possible to get a coffee here and buy fresh mutton and beef directly from the farmer. In the winter season there is also hare hunting for the locals. Groups can rent the roykstovan for festivities and will be served original Faroese cuisine.

Other famous buildings directly by the farmhouse are the Magnus Cathedral and the Saint Olav"s Church, which also date back to the mediaeval period. All three together represent the Faroe Island"s most interesting historical site.

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