Hammershus - Hammershus

Hammershus is a ruined castle Bornholm.

background

Hammershus is a ruined castle on the northwest tip of Bornholm. The castle is considered to be one of the largest castle ruins in Northern Europe. Exact data on the construction of the castle are not available, it is assumed that the first groundbreaking was made around 1250 by the Archbishop of Lund in the then still part of Denmark, now Swedish province Gentle (Swedish Skåne). The trigger for the expansion into a particularly well-fortified fortress was the destruction of the Lilleborg, in today's wooded area Almindingen located by the archbishop's brother.

Hammershus has an extremely eventful history, which was mainly about power struggles between the various Danish kings and the Catholic Church. It was always the rulers on Bornholm who owned Hammershus. In the 15th century, the city of Lübeck also received Bornholm as a pledge for 50 years. In the course of the changing rulers, Hammershus was continuously expanded, although the extensions such as the warehouse were not used to defend the island, but to store taxes.

With the advancement of artillery, the importance of fortresses decreased, including that of Hammershus. In 1645 the Swedes were able to take the fortress almost without resistance after only a few hours of artillery bombardment. After that, Hammershus only had a special meaning as a prison, when the complex was used from 1660 to 1661 for the king's stepsister and her husband, who was accused of high treason.

The fortress was finally abandoned in 1743 and used as a quarry for building materials in the following decades. In 1822 it was finally placed under monument protection.

Hammershus Fortress is located directly on the cliffs above the Baltic Sea, and you have a good view of the nearby Hammerknuden, among other things Sandvig. To the south the castle grounds slope down to the deeply cut Mølledalen. When the weather is good and the visibility is very clear, you can see the southern Swedish or Scandinavian coast from Hammershus.

getting there

For supra-regional travel information see Hasle and Allinge.

motorist turn on road 159 from Hasle direction Allinge Driving at Borrelyngen turn left and follow the signs to Hammershus. There are several big ones 55.273714.7611Parking lot11 55.272514.7618Parking lot 22 Parking spaces on the street below the castle ruins. Out Sandvig Coming on the Hammershusvej drive out of town and follow the signs.

The Bus routes 7 and 8 drive to Hammershus. The bus stop is near the parking lot at the fortress. The lines run in the opposite direction along the following route: Rønne - Hasle - Vang - Hammershus - Sandvig - Allinge - Gudhjem - Listed - Svaneke - Joboland - Aarsdale - Nexø - Balka - Snogebæk - Pederskirke - Aakirkeby - Arnager - Rønne Airport - Rønne. This line is Bornholm's tourist bus route, it runs at a reduced frequency outside of the summer season.

Cyclist on the circular route around Bornholm coming from Finnedalen and Slottslyngen pass Hammershus fortress on the road between Borrelyngen and Sandvig. Here they have to share the road with the drivers for a few kilometers.

walker You can reach the castle on the former sea rescue route if you follow the coast from Vang and then climb up to the castle via Mølledalen.

mobility

Even if the paths are largely straightened, the paths are rather difficult to walk with a wheelchair or walker. It's a good 500 m from the parking lot to the inside of the castle.

Tourist Attractions

ruin

From the parking lot or bus stop you first walk a bit over the bumpy pavement until you cross the 55.271814.75735Moat Bridge1 Bridge over the moat (which used to be a drawbridge) approaches the actual castle ruins. In an arch it goes through two forecourts, then you enter 55.2715414.75563Access to the outer courtyard2 outer courtyardthe relatively well-preserved 55.2707114.755293 Manteltårn, the main tower as part of the inner castle complex, dominates. First, however, the earlier one is immediately to the left of the passage through the outer castle wall 55.2715314.7564 Warehouse, in which the levies ("tithe") of the Bornholmers to the respective rulers were stored.

Across the outer courtyard it goes to the Manteltårn, where the different bricks are particularly striking. The tower initially only consisted of three floors made of granite, but was then added by the Lübeckers with three more floors, but made of bricks. Manteltårn used to be the only access to the castle, and was closed with a portcullis and a heavy gate, from which you can still see hinges and slots in the portcullis.

If you go around the inner castle of Manteltårn counterclockwise, the closes 55.270614.754785 Castle Church with the state rooms. Behind the castle church, outside the inner castle, are the remains of the castle directly on the outer castle wall 55.2702614.754536 Bakery and brewery . Continuing around the inner castle you can now see the 55.2704914.75504Mansions7 Wing of the castle ruin in its basement, presumably the kitchen and the oven, on the upper floor probably the Mansions lay.

Hammershus exhibition

There is one in Slotsgården at the entrance to the castle complex 55.2731914.768 Exhibition on life in the castle how it might have looked around 1570, the height of the castle. The one shown there Model of the castle complex was reconstructed on the basis of building remains and excavation finds, but also on the basis of old inventory registers that were made and were preserved with every change of ownership of the castle.

This is particularly clear Model of the inner castlewhich depicts the everyday life of the castle residents in many small individual scenes - from prisoners in the dungeon to work in the kitchen and meat processing to the king in the outhouse.

Some original finds and numerous reconstructions of weapons, household appliances and clothing complete this small but well-made exhibition. Because of the very clear and detailed model of life in the castle, this exhibition is particularly suitable for children.

activities

• If you still have some energy left after visiting the castle ruins and the exhibition, you can still get one 55.26914.75369 Hike through the Mølledal down to the coast and through 55.264414.755510 Slottslyngen (Schlossheide) go back to the fortress (hiking route is marked with yellow signs).

• If you want to try your hand at stone-knocking, you can take a detour to 55.27271414.7756511 Moseløkke granite quarry Companies. Here you can also find a small stone museum attached. The entrance to the quarry is at the level of the bus stop at Hammershus Fortress.

• This takes place annually in July not far from the castle OpenAir Hammershus Fairtrade Concert instead, where the illuminated castle ruins can be seen in the background after dark.

kitchen

• 55.2731714.760541  Slotsgårdens Café, Langebjergvej 128, 3770 Allinge. Tel.: 45 56 48 18 28, Fax: 45 56 48 07 99, Email: [email protected]. In Slotsgården, in the building next to the castle history exhibition, there is a small café and kiosk.last change: not specified

accommodation

There are no overnight accommodations directly at the fortress, the nearest hotels can be found in Sandvig (approx. 2 km) and Allinge (approx. 5 km). Campsites are located in Sandvig and Borrelyngen. A simple, free one 55.27143914.778038Storage place1 Lejrplads (Camp site) is next to the Moseløkke quarry.

trips

If you want to combine a visit to Hammershus Fortress with a tour of other sights in the northwest, you can choose from these destinations:

• Hammerhavn below Hammershus
• Sandvig, the small town on Hammerknuden, and its directly adjoining neighboring town Allinge
• Jon's Kapel, a rock on the cliff a few kilometers south of Hammershus
• Olsker with the Olskirke
• the small fishing village Hasle with its famous smokehouse.

literature

Web links

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