The royal ghost in Gurre Slotsruin

Do you believe in ghosts? 

When the clock in Tikøb church tower strikes midnight, the ghost of King Valdemar IV – known in Danish as Valdemar Atterdag, meaning ”A New Dawn” – rides through the forests at Gurre with his rambunctious hunting party and ferocious black dogs, forever on the hunt for prey. ”Let God keep His Paradise if I can keep Gurre”, King Valdemar defiantly said. When he died at his beloved castle Gurre Slot on 24th October 1375, just 55 years old, God punished him, and he will be forever riding around his beloved Gurre.

Or at least, so the legend goes. But is he the only ghost in the ruins of the castle? Could King Valdemar’s leading lady, Tove, who was murdered in the castle baths, also be haunting the place?

The ghost story can be traced back to the 16th century. Many great Danish writers, such as H.C. Andersen, J.P. Jacobsen and Halfdan Rasmussen, have written of the royal ghost. However, there seems to have been a mix-up of the many legends and folksongs that the ruins of Gurre Slot have inspired: Tove was not Valdemar Atterdag’s leading lady, but rather the mistress of King Valdemar, Atterdag’s ancestor.

In the Middle Ages, fabled Gurre Slot stood on a small island in the lake Gurre Sø. The oldest part of the building is a turret dating back to the 12th century, more than 200 years before Valdemar Atterdag built the ring wall with four small turrets around it. The inner turret was built of granite blocks, while the ring wall was built of red monk bricks.

Gurre Slot was used as royal residence and mint from around the 1360s and into the 15th century. The building was presumably destroyed during the civil war in Denmark in the early 16th century.

After that, Gurre was abandoned and later used as a quarry, and materials from the castle ruin were in fact used in the construction of Kronborg castle – from one castle to another!

Come visit the ruins of the castle – if you dare!               

Source: Naturstyrelsen

Picture: VisitNordsjælland  

Coordinates:  Latitude: 56.019514
Longitude: 12.50514