Gurre

Facts

Ghostly King on his nightly gallop

By Vivian Etting, Museumsinspektør og seniorforsker på Nationalmuseet (28 stories)

Today, Gurre Castle is a romantic ruin near Gurre Lake in North Zealand. The large central tower was built sometime in the 13th century on a small island in the swamp between two lakes. Today, the lake south of the castle has dried up. In the mid-14th century, King Valdemar Atterdag extended Gurre Castle into a large royal castle complex. The tower was surrounded by an outer wall with four corner towers. Many buildings were built on artificial islands in the swamp around the main castle and a cobbled road on a dam led to the castle from the east. King Erik of Pomerania produced coins at Gurre Castle in the 1430s.

Public place

Selected entry

King Valdemar's wild hunting party

Story written by Vivian Etting

Time / Periode 1240 1430

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King Valdemar Atterdag died at Gurre Castle on 24 October 1375, and this has whipped up a storm of tales and ghost stories. Every night the King gallops across the countryside with his wild hunting party, so remember to open the gates. Legend has it that this is God's punishment for the King's comment: Let God keep his heaven, if I can just keep Gurre". The ghost story dates all the way back to the 16th century, when a magic amulet was blamed for "tying" the King's soul to Gurre. Since then, the legend has often been mixed up with the tale of Valdemar's mistress, Tove, who died in the bath. Many poets, such as Hans Christian Andersen, J.P. Jacobsen and Halfdan Rasmussen, have gained inspiration from the Gurre legend. "