History » Into Denmark

The Abbey Church in Horsens.

Aug 012011

August 1, 2011 Posted by Bart Westgeest Culture, History, Religion No Responses »

The Abbey Church, Horsens.

As a foreigner I find the Lutheran churches in Denmark rather strict and slightly less aw-inspiring than most churches in for example middle Europe. With the reformation in 1536, most statues and decorations disappeared form the Danish churches and the main focus went from the altar to the pulpit.

The Abbey Church in the town of Horsens is therefore a surprise, as it is very rich in its art and decorations. Situated in the middle of the town, at the end of the main shopping street, it is a little oasis of quietness with its small park and relatively big building. Originally build between 1261 and 1275 as part of a – now disappeared – monastery, it went through various extensions and a last restoration program around 1890.

This history is also visible in the interior, where objects of different moments in time fill the space with many interesting details. One of the first things one notices are the painted wooden benches, or “pews” as they are called, which date from a restoration in 1738. They are all hand painted with emblem-paintings on the doors and ends. Perhaps not the best paintings in the history of art, but very nice and original 18th century decorations nevertheless. The floor of the church is covered with tiles that, although being from the last restoration in 1890, give a historical feel and fit very well into the interior.

Looking to the far end of the church one sees almost an abundance of richly decorated items, such as the pulpit from 1670 with many figures and reliefs, and the Baroque Choir latticework with large figures of cherubs and saints. On the left of the choir is a larger Baroque Chapel with coffins and an epitaph, and on the right is the so called Russian chapel, where 4 members of the Russian royalty are buried. They were expelled to Horsens in the 18th century, as they where considered a possible threat to the Russian throne.

Altarpiece Aabey Church Horsens - CC from Wikipedia user:Nico-dk / Nils Jepsen

At the end of the church is what I consider the main piece of all, the altarpiece from around 1500, a possible Dutch work. It is filled with numerous figures, including 7 horses in its main frame, depicting the Crucifixion and 12 apostles and 4 saints.

At the entrance of the church one can buy a brochure (5 Dkr.) in English with information about all the main objects in the church, and containing an article about the Russian Court in Horsens and “A little about Vitus Bering.”

Prøvesten – from a word to an island.

Dec 202009

December 20, 2009 Posted by Bart Westgeest History, Language 1 Response »

Picture: Map of the main attack by the swedish army on Copenhagen on the 11th of February 1659. Source: Wikipedia

While listening to the danish language program Sproghjørnet I heard a discussion about the word “Prøvesten”. It was said that besides being a stone to test whether a material was what it seemed to be, for example gold, it had also been the name of a ship. This ship, together with other ships, was after ending its duties, sunk to form the basis of a little Island called Prøvesten on which was build a fortress to defend Copenhagen.

I went looking for this little island on the internet and saw that it is now part of Copenhagen harbour, well connected to the mainland. I also found amap showing the little island of Prøvesten but also the rather immense defense works of Copenhagen. I had hardly realized that those remains of the defense system still exist and that Copenhagen had once been fortress like that. I came to think of this post of Cristhoper’s picture blog with the text explaining about an amazing long siege of Copenhagen.

It struck me that there is a lot of focus in Denmark on the prehistoric times of the Vikings and before. An enormously rich and unique period of Danish history, but there have been other times, much closer to ours, that have been of major importance to the present state of this part of the world.

I know a tiny little bit about Swedish supremacy and Danish invasions and interests in the south of Sweden and the Danish interests in the north of Germany. There must have been many wars and events, but it is not a very common thing to discuss this period in the media or elsewhere.

Was Copenhagen indeed such a strong fort as the remains of its walls suggest?

Being a Dutchman I remember a story from Danish history books about the Dutch “helping” to free Copenhagen from a siege by the Swedes, and I wondered if it was a part of the same story.

It is quite amazing to notice that finding information about this period is not that simple. The internet is great, fantastic, but sometimes it is clear that it is also still young and under development.

Luckily there is Wikipedia telling about the long siege of the apparently well defended and walled city of Copenhagen in 1658 to 1660. And indeed it is confirmed here that the intervention of the Dutch fleet was a major help that probably saved the town. Wikipedia states (without naming a source) that Dutch marines even helped on land, o.a. in this fragment:

The moats and the beaches had been kept free of ice, and now the ice free zones were widened to 44 feet with the help from 600 Dutch marines. The ice was thick, and the work was done in heavy snowfall from 4 o’clock in the afternoon till evening on the 10 February.

After reading a little bit more about this Swedish attack on Denmark I now understand that Denmark was on the verge of being wiped out completely. A major event as big as the defeat against Germany in 1864. The latter being more often mentioned and commemorated, probably also because it is not that long ago (as a result of this war parts of south Denmark became danish again as late as in 1920). But where as the teaching of history and the culture and identity of the Dutch is mainly based upon the 17^th century, it is in Denmark an eventful period that seems to be outside the main interest or perhaps overshadowed by other periods.

Cities of Denmark: Silkeborg

Dec 042009

December 4, 2009 Posted by Daniela Lot Entertainment, History, Tourism No Responses »

The Commichau & Co.'s clothes factory. This publicity drawing shows not only the new body suit fabric, but also the steam boat Hjejlen, the new judge´s house, the railway, Silkeborg Windmill, Frederiksberg´s district, Ameliagade street with horse cart and the rural surroundings. Source: http://www.silkeborgshistorie.dk

Silkeborg was a small town situated in a big piece of nature until 1845, when the arrival of the Drewsen paper dynasty from the north of Copenhagen to the city stimulated its modern development.

Silkeborg Commichau & Co factory, 2008

One of the reasons that made the family establish their new fabric in the town was, naturally, its location by the lake Silkeborg Langsø, which should be the energy source for their paper production.

In 1877, the clothes factory Commichau & Co was established in Silkeborg near the new Århus-Silkeborg railway. This gave new impulse to Silkeborg´s industry and to the development of the city.

It is also at the margin of the lake Silkeborg Langsø, between the cities Silkeborg and Ry, that it is located the peak that once was considered to be the highest in Denmark: The Himmelbjerg.

Himmelbjerg

The place started to be popular in 1839, and in 1875 was there erected the Himmelbjerg Tower, which is open to the public during summertime. From both Ry and Silkeborg the visitor can take a sailing boat to the mountain – for more information, read “Himmelbjerg – the top of Denmark – almost“.

Back to Silkeborg, it is possible to visit the oldest building in town, the farm house from 1767, where is now the Silkeborg Museum. The permanent collection includes, for example, artefacts from the Stone Age early hunting societies, rock carvings of cup shapes and wheel symbols from the Bronze Age, artefacts and replicas from the Iron Age, including the

Tollund Man

Tollund Man (which was preserved by staying in a bog for 2350 years, until its discover in 1950, 10km west of Silkeborg), and some finds from the Viking Age and the Medieval Times.

For more information, check the museum site.

Some of the other attractions in Silkeborg are the Aqua Freshwater Aquarium, the steam boat Hjejlen, Jysk Automobilmuseum, Silkeborg Museum of Art, Silkeborg Bunker Museum and a few churches and monasteries. Here you can find more on attractions, accomodations, places to eat and active holidays.

Most visited places in Denmark: Den Gamle By

Jul 262009

July 26, 2009 Posted by Daniela Lot Entertainment, History, Most Visited Places in Denmark, Tourism No Responses »

Den Gamle By_entrance

It was 1914 when an open-air museum was ianugurated in the city of Århus. Back then, the so called The Old Mayor´s House consisted of a renaissance house, a small garden pavilion, a seven-stock renaissance house from Århus and a loghouse from the Kolding region. It was the beginning of the industrial society; the rapid growth of the cities and the need for more space lead to the demolition of old houses. To avoid the destruction of old Danish houses, the enthusiastic professor and translator Peter Holm worked at the creation of the open-air-museum. In 1923, Holm acquired eight houses from different periods that were about to be demolished in the city of Aalborg. He succeeded in taking those houses to Århus, where they were rebuilt. In 1926, five of those buildings were opened to the public and the name of the museum was changed to Den Gamle By (or The Old Town in English).

The Pharmacy

Nowadays, the 75 historic houses from different Danish cities stand on paved streets and alleys – the atmosphere of the museum is of an old market town from the 19th century. Among the houses the visitor finds a post office, a school, a theater, a custom house, 5 historical gardens, shops and 34 workshops, all of them furnished with original interiors. There is also a small amusement park.

The shops

The merchant’s house is one of the shops to visit in Den Gamle By. It is furnished as it would have been in 1864. Some of the goods are part of the exhibition, but some are for sale, such as spices, potato sausages, copies of blue kitchenware, chewing tobacco and traditional handmade sweets, including the liquorice wood (sweet wooden stick). Den Gamle By_ice shop

The other shops are the museum shop, the bookshop, the ironmonger’s, the market garden, the baker’s, the tobacconist, the stalls and the post office – when it is opened, the visitor can stamp his or her letters with Den Gamle By‘s own postmark.

The Modern Town

Aiming to show the townscape and life from the 1920s until the 1970s, Den Gamle By has been working on two projects. One will recreate the period from 1870 up to 1940, using some of the already existing houses in the museum and adding some others from the beginning of the 20th century. The other project focuses on 1974, and it will be a separate town quarter outside Den Gamle By, but connected to it.

***

For information on entrance fees, opening times and how to get there, click here.

(A list with the 50 most visited Danish attractions in 2008 can be found at visitdenmark.com)

Cities of Denmark: Skanderborg

Jul 212009

July 21, 2009 Posted by Daniela Lot Culture, Entertainment, History, Tourism 2 Responses »

Situated 30 km south-west of Århus, Skanderborg, with its 13.864 inhabitants*, is a city with nice spots for a cultural and active holiday.

Skanderup Church

Near the train station the visitor can find one of Denmark´s oldest churches. Build of chalkstone around the year 1050, Skanderup Church has a horseshoe shaped apse,

Apse, Skanderup Church

which has an unique architecture in Danish church building because of its chamfered edges and round arch friezes, as shown in the picture.

The church remained as the only building on a slope until the beginning of the 20th century, when the city of Skanderborg grew to its direction. In the 1960ies, its restoration uncovered some Romanesque wall paintings from de 13th century – to read more about medieval churches in Denmark and Romanesque and Gothic wall paintings, click here.

Going down the slope, in the direction of the old part of the town, the visitor finds Skanderborg Museum, which is located in a house from 1888 that once was the local judge’s residence. Some parts of the house date back to the old bailiff’s house from 1750.

The permanent exhibition is small, but rich. It shows the history of the town and the region, including finds from the Early Stone Age, with its highly specialised hunter population; the weapons and spoils of war of the Roman Iron Age; the fortification and neighbouring monasteries from the Middle Ages; and the history of Skanderborg Castle, erected during the Renaissance and, unfortunately, sold in an auction and demolished in 1767 when the need for a Skanderborg army unit was not necessary anymore.

Skanderborg Castle Chapel, entrance

The castle remains can be found at the end of the shopping street, a few hundred meters past the Skanderborg Museum. On the castle mound, the only building remaining is its Chapel, which has gone through several restorations, but preserves, for example, the wooden benches from the 16th century.

Located at the margin of Skanderborg Lake, the region is also attractive for its open-air activities, which include canoeing, golf, Denmark’s highest climbing point, cycling and boat tours. For more information, click here.

Skanderborg Lake

* January 2008, Statistics Denmark.

Grundlovsdag: A day of the nation

Jun 052009

June 5, 2009 Posted by Bart Westgeest History, Politics, Tradition No Responses »

Today, June the 5th, is each year the day when the Danes celebrate their national constitution (in danish: Grundlov). It is the day when in 1849 King Frederik the 7th. signed the first constitution, thereby giving power to the people in stead of the aristocracy or king.

Even though it is not an official holiday (it used to be half a holiday from 1891 to 1977) you can expect celebrations especially during the second half of the day. As Grundlovsdag is the day when people celebrate the Danish democracy, there will be numerous political speeches by leading politicians held throughout the country. A lot of them will be in a natural setting where people (hopefully) can enjoy the weather and landscape while listening to the speech.

Many shops and, after 12 o’clock in the afternoon, also companies will be closed. But since there is no law made about the celebration of Grundlovsdag it is up to the companies to decide if they will, or can, give there employees an afternoon off.

Saxo Grammaticus and his Gesta Danorum

Apr 272009

April 27, 2009 Posted by Bart Westgeest History No Responses »

Original Gesta Danorum parchment page. Page 1, front, of the Angers Fragment. Now located in the Royal Library of Copenhagen, found in Helle Stangerup's book Saxo, 2004.

Original Gesta Danorum parchment page. Page 1, front, of the Angers Fragment. Now located in the Royal Library of Copenhagen. Source: Wikipedia

This picture shows one of the four most precious pages in Danish history.

They became known as the Angers Fragment, called after the city in France where they were discovered. They were written before 1220.

As you can see they contain notes and additions that were meant to be added later. So scholars assume that they are written by the writer himself, a man called Saxo Grammaticus. The huge work he wrote is a history of the Danes, unique in it’s kind, the Gesta Danorum. The Angers Fragment are the only 4 original pages that survived the ages, but luckily a copy of the complete work was found an brought into print in the year 1514.

About Saxo

There is not too much known about the writer. He seems to have followed a family tradition by being a soldier at some point and he was a thoroughly educated writer of classical Latin, as that is the language he wrote his history in. He create the work for the Danish archbishop and statesman Absalon, a highly influential and well known figure in Danish history.

His work: Gesta Danorum

The title of the book he wrote can be translated as “The Deeds of the Danes”, a name that was given at a later point in history to the book. It is an attempt to write the history of the Danes from the earliest beginnings to the time of Saxo, where he extensively describes the achievements and history of his employer Bishop Absalon. There wasn’t a world of science in the 11th. century as we know it today where something is only true when many facts support a theory. So Saxo did what everybody did. He read the books he had at his disposal (a source could have been the Icelandic Sagas), listened to the stories and perhaps asked everybody he knew that could give him some information. Oral tradition was strong in his time before bookprinting and it can sometimes prove to be remarkable accurate. After he had gathered his information he then added what he thought was fitted. Of course he wasn’t free from political influences and he wanted to give the Danes a place in international history. So not everything he wrote are actual facts, especially not in the first period of the history.

That leaves us wondering today which parts are true and which are fiction. But it is one of the very few sources available and therefore important for the understanding of the (mythical) world of the time.

One of the many stories in the Gesta Danorum is about a certain Amlet, which, probably via a later version, became the source of inspiration for Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

Saxo’s work is an often cited work in Denmark as it remains the classical work in and about Danish history.

This is a link to an English online translation of the Gesta Danorum.