THE HISTORY OF NYBORG CASTLE
The importance of Nyborg Castle in danish history is impossible to overlook. It was within these historic walls, where kings and queens made crucial decisions, that Denmark was shaped into the country we know today.
The castle is currently undergoing restoration and is closed to the public.
The founding of Nyborg Castle
The importance of Nyborg Castle is impossible to overlook. Here is a brief overview of the history of Nyborg Castle.
Nyborg Castle is first mentioned in written sources in 1193. Thanks to new archaeological findings, we now know that the facility, with surrounding moats, was completed in 1209/10. It is therefore believed that the castle was build around the year 1200 as a ring wall castle. The core of the preserved palace building dates from the early 13th century. The large watch tower dates from around 1300 and replaced an earlier tower in the castle’s north-eastern corner.
The first constitution and the last regicide
Nyborg was conveniently located in the centre of the kingdom and by the water, and in the 13th century King Erik Klipping began using the castle as a meeting place with the most powerful men of the realm. Denmarks first constitution was thus signed by Erik Klipping at Nyborg Castle in 1282. When Erik Klipping was later murdered, it was also at Nyborg Castle that the presumed perpetrators were declared outlaws in 1287 for Denmarks last regicide.
The medieval Christiansborg
After the death of Erik Klipping, Nyborg Castle continued to serve as the regular meeting place for what later came to be known as the “Danehof”. The name Danehof apparently came into use in the mid-14th century. Until then, the assemblies between the king and the realm’s “best men” had been referred to as royal assemblies or court meetings. Here, matters concerning legal proceedings, foreign policy, and disputes over the rights of the Crown were decided. Throughout the 14th century, Danehof assemblies continued to be held at Nyborg Castle. It was also at Nyborg Castle that, in 1377, 139 bishops, royal officials, knights, and squires personally pledged their full support to Oluf, the son of Magrethe I. In doing so, the foundation for the Kalmar Union was laid. The last Danehof held in Nyborg took place in 1413.
A royal castle in the royal residence
In 1525, Nyborg was designated as the country’s first royal residence. As a result, major rebuilding works began at Nyborg Castle. Large round arched windows were installed in the west wing, and inside several rooms were decorated with geometric patterns on the walls and a distinctive ceiling construction. In the 1550s, Christian III continued with further expansions and modernizations of Nyborg Castle. The Castle was enlarged and reinforced to withstand the increased range and power of contemporary artillery. While the outer walls of the medieval castle had been up to about 1.25 metres thick, the strengthened walls were now a full 3 metres thick!
In addition, a system of ramparts was constructed around the town and the castle, which was further expanded in the centuries that followed.
After the kings
During the swedish wars of the 1650s, Nyborg Castle was captured by Swedish forces. The Castle, like the rest of the town and the country as a whole, was ravaged by the occupying power, which left very little behind when it finally returned home. Everything of value had been taken to Sweden as spoils of war, and the furnishings had been used as firewood in the fireplaces. It is said that no furnishings were left at all, which may well be true, as today no items of inventory are known that originally belonged to Nyborg Castle.
After the war, the king was no longer interested at staying at the ravaged castle. As a result, the castle was handed over to the military, which used it until 1913, when the garrison left Nyborg.
The castle during the garrison period
The castle was now used for purposes such as an armoury and a grain store. Some of the internal partition walls were removed, and in the basement large openings were made in both the outer walls and the partition walls so that carts and cannons could be moved around below. During this period, large parts of the castle were also demolished. In the 1670s, the damaged south-western corner tower was taken down, and in the 18th century most of the south, east and north wings followed. The Watchtower was reduced to a low, empty shell and converted into a gunpowder magazine, and the last remaining part of the north wing disappeared in 1873. Stranges Tower was demolished in 1789, and in 1868 the wall-walk on the King’s Wing was removed to simplify the roof structure. The building materials were reused for works on the fortress and for the restorations of Odense Castle. In the mid-19th century, two new buildings were constructed on the castle islet, serving as workshops for the garrisons.
Nyborg Castle becomes cultural heritage
When the garrison left Nyborg in 1913, what remained was an old and dilapidated castle. In 1916-17, the castle was transferred to the National Museum of Denmark. The National Museum commissioned the architect Mogens Clemmensen first to examine the castle and later to restore it.
Mogens Clemmensen was a skilled restoration architect who carefully examined the castle before beginning the restoration itself. His method was to observe traces revealed through building archaeology and then reconstruct them. The restoration of Nyborg Castle was included in the national budget, but unfortunately the funding ran out as early as 1922, before the restoration had been completed. Among other things, the stair tower that was intended to provide access to the castle was never built.
After the not entirely completed restoration, the castle was opened to the public. The Nyborg Fortress, including the castle islet with its buildings, the castle lake, and the ramparts, was listed as a protected monument in 1918.
The castle project
Around 100 years after Clemmensen’s restoration, Nyborg Castle has once again undergone a much needed restoration aimed at preserving this cultural heritage for the future while also making the history more accessible to everyone. In this connection, archaeological investigations were carried out on the castle islet between 2009-18. The investigations have provided a wealth of new knowledge about the castle’s history and development knowledge that has been essential for the major Castle Project, the restoration of Nyborg Castle and the town.
The Castle Project is being carried out by the building owner, the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces, in collaboration with the A.P. Møller Foundation, Realdania, Nyborg Municipality, and Østfyns Museer. The project includes, among other things, the restoration of the castle (the old King’s Wing) and the creation of new square in Nyborg. A new visitor and interpretation building with a café, meeting hall, and special exhibition spaces will also be constructed, and the existing Watchtower will be raised. At the same time, Østfyns Museer and the architectural studio Moesgaard are working on an entirely new interpretation project (The King Arrives) in the old King’s Wing.
CUBO Architects and JAJA Architects are responsible for the designs of the new extension and the raising of the Watchtower.
Read more about the Castle Project here.
Read more about The Main Street of the Realm, the historic route from the labour to the castle in Nyborg.
The King Arrives – New and engaging interpretation
In connection with the Castle Project, an entirely new interpretation project has also been developed. The interpretation project The King Arrives is carried out by Østfyns Museer in collaboration with Moesgaard Architects. It is a unique and innovative interpretation project that aims to bring cultural heritage to life and make it relevant within the authentic surroundings of the castle. The main narratives of the interpretation are:
- The story of democracy: The history of the Danehof assemblies held at Nyborg Castle for around 200 years, and the story of Denmark’s first constitution in 1282.
- Nyborg as the heart of the Danish Realm: Denmark’s central hub in the traveling kingdom.
- The struggle for power and the history of royal authority, 1200-1500: Including Nyborg Castle as a royal residence.
- Nyborg as Denmark’s first royal residence, 1525.
The King Arrives is supported by the Augustinus Foundation, the Knud Højgaard Foundation, and the Ole Kirk’s Foundation.
H. M. Queen Margrethe is patron of the interpretation project, thereby creating a direct connection between the historic royal castle and the present day royal family.
Her Majesty Queen Margrethe is patron of the interpretation project. Photo: Kongehuset.
Timeline for the Castle Project in Nyborg
2028: Opening of the new Nyborg Castle.
2026: Construction begins.
2026: The tendering phase is completed.
2025: The Knud Højgaards Foundation and The Ole Kirk’s Foundation support the interpretation project The King Arrives.
2025: Preliminary investigations at the Watchtower and on the Castle islet before construction begins in 2026.
2024: Construction Act for Nyborg Castle adopted.
2024: H.M. Queen Margrethe continues as patron of Nyborg Castle.
2024: Financing of the construction project secured.
2024: Financing of the main narrative in the interpretation project The King Arrives secured.
2024: Lead consultant for the construction project selected.
2019-2020: Restoration of the town square.
2018-2022: Restoration of the King’s wing and the Watchtower.
2018-2019: Planning of the interpretation project.
2017: Prospectus for the interpretation project in collaboration with Moesgaard Museum.
2016-2018: Development of the project.
2016: Winner of the architectural competition selected.
2015: Financing of the restoration and construction project secured.
2013: Preliminary investigations begin, funded by Realdania and A.P. Møller Foundation.
2011: The idea emerges.
In 2022, the King’s Wing was fully restored. Take a look inside in this beautiful drone film. The film was made by Dreier og Co, whose carpenters worked on the second and third floors of the West Wing / King’s Wing, and by site manager and drone operator Claus Schnor Mølgaard.
The history of Nyborgs – a brief overview
- 1193: The fortress of Nyborg is mentioned for the first time in a surviving source.
- 1210: Nyborg Castle is completed as a royal castle for Valdemar the Victorious. A town is established around the castle, and Nyborg becomes the seat of the kingdom’s new parliament: the Danehof.
- 1282: Denmarks first constitution is adopted in the Danehof Hall at Nyborg Castle.
- 1287: At a Danehof held at Nyborg Castle, Marsk Stig and other leading nobles of the realm are convicted of the murder of King Erik Klipping.
- 1377: In a coup at Nyborg Castle, the six year old Oluf is proclaimed king, and his mother, Margrete I, gains power over both Denmark and Norway. The Danish-Norwegian union then lasts until 1814.
- 1525: Nyborg is appointed a royal residence (the place where the king lived most of the time). Nyborg Castle and the town are expanded in the following decades.
- 1534-36: Nyborg is besieged and ravaged twice during the civil war known as the Count’s Feud, first by the troops of Christian II and later by those of Christian III.
- 1659: The battle of Nyborg becomes the final decisive battle of the Swedish wars. The Swedish forces withdraw from their occupation of what is now Denmark.
- 1797: A city fire devastates large parts of central Nyborg. The town is subsequently rebuilt in the neoclassical style that characterises the town centre today.
- 1808: The world’s first airmail letter is sent by balloon from Nyborg to Korsør.
- 1808: Nyborg is briefly and bloodlessly occupied by Spanish troops during the Napoleonic Wars.
- 1869: Nyborg Fortress is abandoned as a defensive structure.
- 1883: The first railway ferries begin operating between Nyborg and Korsør.
- 1897: Handball is invented in Nyborg by the 24-year old schoolteacher Rasmus Nicolaj Ernst.
- 1913: The garrison leaves Nyborg Castle and the town.
- 1913: Nyborg State Prison opens as a prison for juvenile offenders.
- 1930: The first car ferries between Nyborg and Korsør are introduced.
- 1939: Nyborg Voldspil, Denmarks oldest open-air theatre, has its first performance.
- 1998: The Great Belt Bridge is inaugurated and opened to road traffic. The rail connection had already opened the year before.
- 2010: Danehof is revived after nearly 600 years, now as an annual historical festival in Nyborg.
