Jelling is known for its Viking Rune Stones, and is a World Heritage Site and one of my favorites. However, this visit I was also able to visit the Royal Jelling museum, which was closed last time. Additionally, we were lucky enough to see the stones after a blizzard, meaning some snow had blown into the indentations on the stone, creating a very neat effect allowing the images carved into the stone to be seen very clearly.
Sønderborg and Dybbøl is the site of one of the most famous battles between Prussia and Denmark during the Second Schleswig War in 1864. It represents the end of the Danish Empire (which once included parts of Norway and Sweden, Northern Germany, as well as Iceland) and the beginning of the modern Danish propensity towards pacifism and internal development. It is also the site of a Danish Icon, the Dybbøl Mill. Last time I visited the mill was under construction, and I was unable to see it. This time, I was able to see only a little more however, as there was heavy fog that morning. We also visited the museum on the battle site, which documents the history of the war and the battle. The Victory Column of Berlin, which I saw in January, is in part a monument to the Prussian victory of the Danes at this battle.
Vejen is the home of Danish Sculptor Niels Hansen Jacobsen (1861-1941) and its art museum now houses many of his works. He is a sculptor beloning to the French Symbolism movement, and his sculptures are often dark and grotesque.
One of his most famous works, The Troll that Smells Christian Blood
Militarism
The Shadow
Ribe is Denmark’s oldest town, and this year is celebrating its 1300th birthday. It is a very quaint old town, best known for its cathedral. We toured the city and its cathedral, and were even able to climb to the top of its tower to get a panoramic view of the town and its surroundings.
A very old building
The Cathedral
Views of Ribe from atop the Cathedral Tower
There is a small Viking museum in Ribe, which has many artifacts as well as reconstructions from the Viking times, when the town was founded.
I also had an interesting cultural experience in Ribe. My friends and I decided it would be fun to visit a Danish tavern one night after dinner. We wandered around the completely deserted town until we found Sønderjylland Hotel, and old pub not far from the cathedral. Upon entering we discovered it was mostly a bar occupied by elderly chain-smoking Danish men, along with some old wooden stalls and a pool table. We all got our drinks, me my favorite Somersby Apple Cider, and sat down at a table in the corner. Not long after we arrived however, a large white-haired man speaking what appeared to be German joined us. He was obviously intoxicated so we let him continue speaking for a few minutes. After he summoned the bartender to bring us all more drinks, we learned that he was the Danish owner of the bar, and that his English was not very good. We tried talking to him in Danish, but he seemed intent of practicing at least one foreign language with us. Somehow, I was able to understand him enough to learn that his was Danish, born in Ribe itself, but that he had German or Austrian family. He also knew some Spanish, and told me that he had been to Alicante in southern Spain. He was also planning a trip to Bali, Indonesia. Unfortunately for us, his drunkenness inhibited him from formulating sentences in less than two languages, and his sentences were a spattering of Danish, German, English, and Spanish. It was a fantastic opportunity to test my capacities for linguistic comprehension, as well as a valuable reminder of the absurdity and dangers of alcoholism. We left an hour or so later (after promising our new friend we would return the next night) in complete shock of the experience we had just gone through. Needless to say we were sure he would not remember us and were somewhat comforted by the fact that we would be 150 miles away in Copenhagen by the next evening.
Our Pub, Sønderjylland Hotel
Overall, it was a great study tour, and it gave me the opportunity to think about western Denmark in a new way. I also have a very important discussion of the town of Padborg which I will be publishing soon, as it really was a fascinating story.
