Koldinghus - new meets old

Koldinghus - new meets old
Koldinghus Castle and Stableyard by the castle lake in Kolding forms the historic center of the old Koldinghus County and is today Kolding city's most remarkable building. It is a special experience to approach the old royal castle. From its ramparts, high above the town, it causes awe. As it was meant to. Koldinghus was built in the 1200s to guard the kingdom's southern border.

History
Koldinghus, was build by Erik the fifth Klipping in 1268 as a frontier guard against the Duchy of Schleswig. Throughout the Middle Ages Koldinghus was expanded to a castle surrounded by a moat. The West wing and parts of the North wing is from the 1400th century. During the next centuries Koldinghus underwent  a lot of change in the hands of various kings, and it was ruined by a great fire in 1808. It is said that the fire occurred because it housed the passing Spanish troops at the castle, and that they fired too hard in the fireplaces because of the cold Danish climate. The fire guards failed to respond to the fire - they where sleeping - and it spread so fast that it became a choise either to save people or let the castle burn down. Unfortunately there were no funds to start rebuilding immediately. Around 1830 storyteller Hans Christian Andersen visited the ruin, and spoke of his desire to preserve it. At that time, the castle functioned as a quarry for Kolding town, the surrounding areas and its citizens. Only 30 years later the work with the first plans for reconstruction began, and in the 1890s the rebuilding started. Parts of the North wing of Koldinghus were renovated first and turned into a museum. After a few years, the entire wing was restored, 40 years later the reconstruction of other parts of the castle including the giant tower commenced. The Second World War put a stop to the reconstruction and the castle was not completed until the 1970s. The restoration was awarded the Europa Nostra award in 1993 and ended completely in 1994 by Inger and Johannes Exner.

Arts and cultural history museum
During the war against England The Stableyard was used for storage of military equipment, and escaped the fire that put the castle in ruins. Then the building was used by the city's merchants as storage, but in 1907 The Stableyard was again taken over by the military as a remonte for breeding and the breaking in of horses. In 1942 the Gestapo involved The Stableyard as their head—quarters in South Jutland. Here the Germans imprissoned captured freedom fighters, and to this day the walls of the cells still carries the names and inscriptions the freedom fighters wrote during their captivity.

When you visit Koldinghus it is not only the castle's exciting and changing history you will be fascinated by. In addition to a wealth of special exhibitions, an amazing collection of Danish gold and silver, the castle houses a small but fine collection of religious art represented by medieval wooden sculptures from the village churches in the large areas that was administered from Koldinghus. The pearl of the collection is Madonna - Our Lady of Løsning Church. She was scrapped after the restoration of the church in 1846 and has since been traded a few times before she in 1895 was sold to Koldinghus. She is in a poor condition and has been treated harsly over the years, yet you will be fascinated by her enigmatic smile that since the year 1250 has spoken to our faith, and it still does. The castle houses a number of beautiful rooms and halls, and as something special, you will meet a well-designed contrast between old and new in the south wing.This part of the castle was left in ruins since the fire in 1808. But from1976-93 the ruin was closed off and protected by new, modern building materials. As an experience in itself, the castle hill presents a unique view over Kolding city and lake. Do not miss a very special experience - visit Koldinghus.