The next morning we went to the small town of Jelling, which is the burial place of the first King of all Denmark, Gorm the Old. Gorm was originally buried in a Viking style burial mound, with many grave goods and even a stone ship. However, his son Harald Bluetooth moved him into a church next to the mound. Harald was the king who converted to Christianity. There is a very old stone church where Gorm is buried, and also a large rune-stone commissioned by Harad honoring his father. This stone also bears the first known representation of Christ in Scandinavia.
Gorm's Mound
Rune Stones
A Modern Version
Jelling Church
Our next stop was the small village of Stadil, on the west coast of Denmark. Stadil is the village where my great-grandmother lived before she immigrated to the United States with her parents. We visited the old family farm, Stougaard, as well as the Stadil Church.
Stougaard Farm
Stadil Church
Next, we made our way south along the coast, and stopped near the town of Hvide Sande to look at the North Sea.
Finally, we arrived in Ribe, which is the oldest town in Denmark. It was originally settles in… We saw the Ribe Cathedral, which is very beautiful, even from the outside.
Overall, it was a successful journey to Jutland. We saw a lot, but learned that there was even more we didn’t see. A lot was closed because of the holidays and the winter, which is not peak tourist season. Nevertheless, we saw a lot of very interesting things, many of them hundreds of years old. It is incredible how much happened there so many years ago, and how much of it remains today for visitors like us to see and enjoy.
