A day-trip to Schleswig

Yesterday we got up early and took a 2 1/2 hour train trip to Schleswig, located mid-way up the Jutland Peninsula, just south of Denmark. Schleswig has a fascinating history, having been the location of the largest marketplace between Scandinavia and northern Europe from around 800 to 1066 (the year of the Battle of Hastings, after which historians say Medieval Europe began). At that point, this Viking settlement — called Hedeby — was destroyed, and Schleswig became the new city at this location. 

Before I continue, I have a confession: except for the first photo, I'm using stock photos in this post, because they’re better than the ones I took, but I swear, everything we saw looks exactly like these photos.

Our goals for Schleswig were to see Gottorf Castle, St. Peter’s Cathedral, the fishing village of Holm, and the museum at Hedeby, which we should have known was far, far too much to fit into one day. We ended spending most of our time at Gottorf Castle, and had just enough time for a quick peek into St. Peter’s before it started to get dark and it was time to head back home. Lesson learned, we hope. 

Gottorf Castle was built in the late 1600s, although the estate itself began in 1161. It’s located on an island in the Schlei fjord -- not at all like the majestic fjords of Norway (it’s much lower terrain in this area, so the fjord looks more like a Minnesota lake). The castle was home to various local dukes and counts for a while, until they were overthrown in the late 1700s and the estate became part of Danish crown land. In 1864 it was annexed to Prussia, and now resides in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. 

Gottorf Castle looks more like a barracks (which it was, in fact, in the late 1800s) than a castle, but is nevertheless very grand. It now houses an excellent art museum and an archeology museum. 

Our favorite things at the castle were the reconstructed rooms from Medieval northern Europe (including a wine stube from Lübeck!), a huge Viking boat called the Nydam Båden, which was discovered in a swamp in Nydam and restored, and the “moor people”: mummies from the moors. 

This is a photo of Windeby, a man who lived in the moors around the 1st century, A.D. It's uncertain why he was blindfolded, but despite earlier theories of a violent end via sacrifice,  scientists have concluded that Windeby had been quite sick during his lifetime, and may have died of natural causes. One German scholar suggests that he may have been blindfolded at burial "to protect the living from the gaze of the dead."










Unfortunately, while looking at all these fascinating things, we failed Rule #1 of museums — Do Not Attempt To Look At Everything — and by mid-afternoon we had run out of time and energy. 

We did manage to walk into the town of Schleswig just before it closed (yes, the entire old town apparently closed at 4:00 sharp), and got a far-too-quick glimpse inside St. Peter’s Cathedral. 

Besides seeing its carvings and artwork, I wanted to visit this particular church after reading its history. In 1134, the Danish King Niels found himself in enemy territory near Schleswig, and despite the danger, he went for a walk, remarking as he went out the door,“Should I fear tanners and shoemakers?" It turns out he should have, because the townspeople killed him, beheaded him, and threw his body into the fjord. It was later pulled out by fishermen in their nets, and laid out in St. Peter’s Cathedral. 

The monks who attended the corpse claimed they heard strange noises, and believed that the spirit of King Niels wandered about in the church. So they moved his body to Gottorp, and buried it in the bog.

King Niels of Denmark

Just to make sure Niels stayed put, someone hammered a stake through his heart. Niels, I gather, was not a well-loved man. As far as I know, his body is still there, but local legend says he still hunts the bogs at night, with his hounds. 

With a history like that, Schleswig deserves a second look. I hope we'll have time to go back.