History - Gl. Lejre

Legend has it that Odin sent King Skjold to the Danes so that he could become their first king. Kong Skjold arrived as an infant, alone on an empty ship. The ship landed at Lejre, which became the first Danish royal residence.

The history of Gl. Lejre

However, the legend is merely a legend, and if you are to tell the story of Lejre, you must go back in time even further. The fact is that there have been people in the area ever since the Hunter-gatherer Stone Age.

When the ice melted

When the ice-age glaciers melted some 12,000 - 15,000 years ago, the ablation moraine landscape of lakes and bogs at Ledreborg was formed. Southeast of Gl. Lejre, a smooth moraine was deposited that became Hedeboegnen. Melting water eroded the moraine surface and created the creek valleys that today come together at Lejre and flow into Roskilde Fjord.

A good life

The natural environment of the Lejre area gave the hunters and, later, the peasants unparalleled living opportunities. The creeks and the proximity to the fjord made fishing possible. The soil was easy to cultivate and you could hunt and cut timber in the woods.

At the same time, the many streams that came together at Lejre meant that the place eventually became a natural regional centre.

Burial mounds and dolmens

The first findings in Gl. Lejre originate from the Neolithic period. Harald Hildetand's mound, which allegedly contained the remains of the last king of the Skjoldunge family, Harald Hildetand, is a dolmen from about 3,500 BC.

In the Bronze Age, the leading families put their mark on the landscape in the form of the hilly burial mounds that are visible on the ridges. One of the best kept is Mysselhøj.

On the other hand, no settlements have been found from neither the Stone Age nor the Bronze Age; however, according to historians, there is no reason to doubt that people lived in the Lejre area. This also applies to the Iron Age, although there are not many findings from that time.

The mighty halls of the Vikings

However, there are ample findings from around 500 AD. At that time, something really happened. The great halls that testify to wealth and maybe even royal power emerge.

One replaces the other until approximately 900 AD. Today you see the outlines of several of these marked with turf in the landscape. The largest hall was 650 sqm. Over 60 metres long and 12 metres wide. The halls are located high up with an impressive view of the countryside.

The journey after death

The great stone ships also bear witness to power and wealth. The largest stone ship, the second largest in Denmark, was 100 metres long and was shaped like a ship. It symbolized the journey after death and is generally linked to the burials in the area. There has been a total of at least four stone ships in the area to the west of the old village. This is also the location of the burial mounds Grydehøj, Ravnshøj and Hyldehøj.

The prince’s tomb

In Grydehøj, the remains of a prince’s tomb were found. The tomb originates from approximately 650 AD and was, unfortunately, looted. However, you can tell from the gold-shot clothing, in which the deceased was buried, that he or she was a person from the upper echelons of society. In another tomb, a master was found with his slave. The slave had been decapitated and was presumably meant to follow his master on the final journey.

Also, individual findings bear witness to wealth and grandeur. A gold treasure was found near Mysselhøj. And in 2009, an amateur archaeologist found an Odin figurine that depicts the god as a ruler on his throne. The figure supports the idea of ​​Lejre's royal status.

Odin from Lejre

The small Odin figurine cast in silver is only 2 cm high and originates from approximately 900 AD. Odin was the god of the kings. He was the supreme of the Nordic gods, and the small figurine depicts him as the ruler sitting in his seat, called Lidskjalv. The two birds on either side are the ravens Hugin and Munin, which returned home every night and told Odin what had happened in the world.

Skjoldungerne

The old historians are the first to connect Lejre with Denmark's first kings. Both Saxo and Lejrekrøniken (“the chronicle of Lejre”) as well as the chronicler Svend Aggesen write about the royal family "Skjoldungerne" from the pagan era.

The Old English poem "Beowulf" tells the story of how Beowulf visited King Hroar ​​in the magnificent Hjorthal in Zealand. It was the same Hjorthal, which was destroyed by fire when Rolf Krake and his fighters were taken by surprise and killed.

The chronicles are not reliable historical sources; however, archaeological excavations have shown that Gl. Lejre undoubtedly was a significant place in the period 500 AD and 1000 AD.

The poorest village

When Svend Aggesen wrote his chronicle in the 1100s, the time of greatness had passed. Now Roskilde was the new power base of the Christian kingdom. Aggesen refers to the formerly famous royal residence in Lejre and states that Lejre is now "barely inhabited and almost one of the poorest villages".

Udlejregård becomes Ledreborg

Lejre only reappears in written sources in 1348, when the Crown takes over Lejre city. A few years later, Udlejregård also appears as the king takes over the residence, which becomes a lesser royal fiefdom.

Udlejregård is Lejregård, which later became Ledreborg Slot (“Ledreborg Palace”), when Johan Ludvig Holstein bought it in 1739 and transformed the small manor house into a beautiful estate. Today, Ledreborg Slot is considered one of the country's most harmonious manor farms.

Preserved for posterity

Gl. Lejre itself has not changed dramatically. During the transformation, half of the farms remained in the village. Including Hestebjerggård, which today houses Lejre Museum.

In 1969, the state bought Hestebjerggård and, today, the Danish Nature Agency owns a significant number of the areas containing ancient monuments.

The historic landscape was preserved in 1992. The area features a marked hiking trail which takes you through Denmark's history and Lejre's rich past. Here you can literally walk from treasure to treasure while experiencing nature in the beautiful rolling Zealand countryside.

About the name Lejre

The name Lejre is one of the very oldest known place names in Denmark. The name indicates a light construction, a tent or a cabin. The word “lejr” (“camp”) has the same etymological origin.