1. Lejre Museum
Lejre Museum is housed in Hestebjerggård at Gl. Lejre. Here, you may enjoy the newest exhibitions on past life in the village, which was a major Danish power base during the late Iron Age/early Viking Age.
You may hear the story of the Skjoldunge family which, legend has it, was the first royal family of Denmark. Afterwards, you may walk out and see with your own eyes where the Vikings lived and where they were buried. Because, although the legends about King Skold, Roar and Rolf Krake are just legends, there are plenty of findings that bear witness to the fact that Lejre really was the country’s power base.
The name Hestebjerggård also derives from legend. It refers to the horses of King Dan. King Dan was the legendary king who, according to ancient chronicles, gave name to the Danes and Denmark.
Read more about Lejre Museum at lejremuseum.dk
2. The stone ships
The area has featured at least four major stone ships. Today, the remains of two are left. The best preserved one is 20 metres wide and was almost 100 metres long. It is built of closely positioned granite stones, of which 28 are preserved. The stones are erected in the shape of a ship - hence the name stone ship.
The stone ship is to be perceived as a symbol of the journey after death. The stone ship was not constructed to honour a single individual, but was a monument linked to the burials in the area.
Between the stone ships and Grydehøj, 55 Viking Age tombs have been found. In one of the tombs, a chief and a decapitated slave were buried together. The slave was presumably to follow his master on the journey after death. In another tomb, a man was buried with his shield.
The burial site at the stone ships was abandoned at the time of the conversion to Christianity in the late 900s.
3. Grydehøj – a prince's tomb
The area has featured at least four major stone ships. Today, the remains of two are left. The best preserved one is 20 metres wide and was almost 100 metres long. It is built of closely positioned granite stones, of which 28 are preserved. The stones are erected in the shape of a ship - hence the name stone ship.
The stone ship is to be perceived as a symbol of the journey after death. The stone ship was not constructed to honour a single individual, but was a monument linked to the burials in the area.
Between the stone ships and Grydehøj, 55 Viking Age tombs have been found. In one of the tombs, a chief and a decapitated slave were buried together. The slave was presumably to follow his master on the journey after death. In another tomb, a man was buried with his shield.
The burial site at the stone ships was abandoned at the time of the conversion to Christianity in the late 900s.
4. Queen Margrethe's stone
The stone is probably a remnant of a previous stone ship. The reason for it being called Queen Margrethe's stone is unknown. The stone was preserved in the 19th century.
5. Harald Hildetand's mound
Legend has it that the burial mound contained the earthly remains of the legendary king Harald Hildetand. Hildetand was the last of the Skjoldunge family. Legend has it that the Skjoldunge family were the first royal family of Denmark and that their royal estate was located in Lejre.
However, reality is different. In actual fact, the burial mound is a dolmen from the Neolithic period - long before Harald Hildetand's legendary reign in Lejre. Archaeologists date the hill to approximately 3,500 BC.
The dolmen was restored in 1819, when the edge stones was re-erected. Harald Hildetand's mound is believed to be the first burial mound restored by the National Museum of Denmark.
6. Gl. Kongsgård Museum
Gl. Kongsgård Museum is located a few hundred metres from Lejre Museum. The 300-year-old farm was originally a copyhold farm belonging to Ledreborg Castle. The last resident at the farm, Kirsten Nielsen, took up residence in 1925 and lived there until her death in 1959.
The farm is left largely as it was at the time of Kirsten Nielsen - with its open chimney and jamb stove. It is still furnished with the original furniture and fittings of former residents.
Today the farm belongs to the self-governing institution Hestebjerggård.
See opening hours at lejremuseum.dk/en/
7. Lejrehallerne – The mighty halls of the Vikings
The old legend of the God, Odin, who sent the Danes the infant Skjold alone on an empty ship so that he could become their first king, is the starting point of the myth of Lejre as the cradle of Denmark’s royalty.
The legends of King Skjold and Skjoldungerne in Lejre are not based in history. However, the many findings in recent years help document that Gl. Lejre really was the centre of great power - perhaps even a royal power - in the late Iron Age/Viking Age. The mighty halls, of which remnants have been found in Gl. Lejre, testify to this.
The halls, which have replaced each other in the period from about 500-1,000 AD were up to 650 sqm in size. The largest was 61 metres long and 12 metres wide. In the middle of the hall, the king or nobleman held court. Along the walls, you would find seating in several levels. Here, the king would sit on his throne at the north side. The distinguished guests sat across from him along the south side of the room.
Today, you can see the outline of some of the old halls, which are marked by turf. The halls are located at the top of marked ridges and have a wide view of the area. In addition to the large halls, the settlement consisted of a number of smaller pit houses, where traces of craftsmen such as ironsmiths, bronze founders, etc. have been found.
8. Mysselhøj
Mysselhøj, with its single oak, overlooks Gl. Lejre and the surrounding areas. Here, you can see the landscape as it was formed by the ice many thousands of years ago. To the west, you can see wooded hills surrounded by swamps and lakes. This area features several burial mounds from the Stone- and Bronze Ages. In this area, traces of cultic ceremonies have been found. To the east lies the valley of Herthadalen.
Mysselhøj is one of the best-preserved mounds in the area. It has never been investigated and, therefore, cannot be accurately dated. However, it is believed to date from the Bronze Age.
9. Sagnlandet Lejre
Sagnlandet Lejre is an exciting attraction for both families and school classes. Here, you find houses and environments from the Stone Age, the Iron Age and the Viking Age with active workshops and ancient breeds of domestic animals.
The purpose of Sagnlandet Lejre is to gather new knowledge of the past through experiments. In Sagnlandet, you can try living like people did in the past and you can meet researchers and craftsmen, whose work revolves around coming up with new explanations and interpretations of relics of the past.
10. Ledreborg Slot
The palace Ledreborg Slot is one of the most harmonious 18th-century manor houses in Denmark. The Holstein family bought the manor house, Lejregård, in 1739 and rebuilt it with the help of the best architects of the day. At that time, the impressive avenue of linden, which still leads up to the house, was planted.
The origins of Ledreborg, or Lejregård, lead even further back in time. The property is referred to as Udlejregård in written sources of the mid-1300s and is described as a manor which had been moved out of the village.
The manor became a smaller royal fief with changing governors. In 1661, the municipality of Copenhagen took over Udlejregård for a short time. However, shortly after, Treasurer Henrik Müller bought the farm, which was in a sorry state after the Dano-Swedish Wars. He built the manor house of Lejregård, which later became Ledreborg Slot.
It is possible to visit parts of the palace and the park.
Read more about tours and opening hours at ledreborg-slot.dk
11. Herthadalen
Herthadalen is a so-called meltwater gorge. From the 1850s and up to our time, the scenic valley formed the backdrop for major constitutional meetings with many well-known Danes among the speakers and audiences of up to 15,000 in the large recess with its stone pulpit in the woods.