Vejle Travel Guide

The Jelling Mounds, Runic Stones and Church lie in the municipality of Vejle in central Jutland and were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. They are Denmark's national symbol, hailed as the 'birthplace of Denmark'. In the 10th century King Gorm the Old unified Denmark and made Jelling his seat of power; his son Harald Bluetooth conquered Norway and proclaimed the Danes Christians. Two flat-topped turf mounds about 70 metres wide and 11 metres high, two runic stones and a whitewashed limestone church share one meadow, compressing the turn from Norse paganism to Christianity into a single field: first the pagan mounds and the smaller stone raised by Gorm for Queen Thyra (carrying the earliest surviving mention of the name Denmark), then the larger stone, some 2.4 metres tall and set midway between the mounds, which bears the earliest depiction of Christ in Scandinavia, and finally the church of about 1100, built on the burnt-out site of three earlier wooden churches. Excavations in 2006 also uncovered a vast wooden palisade and part of a ship setting. The outdoor monument area is open free of charge around the clock; the Kongernes Jelling experience centre next door charges separately for its interactive exhibitions.

St Nicolai Church is Vejle's oldest landmark, a brick Gothic church begun in the 13th century whose tower long served as the town's visual centre and a lighthouse-like guide. Inside survive medieval murals and a carved wooden altarpiece, serene and plain; the churchyard links to the old south quarter, the starting point to read Vejle's thread from medieval trading port to today's liveable town. From the tower you overlook Vejle Fjord and the red rooftops, gentlest at sunset.

Vejle Kunstmuseum is an art museum in the centre of Vejle, a town in eastern Jutland, Denmark, close to the Flegborg district and the Vejle fjord system. Known as the town of valleys, Vejle is surrounded by forested hills and river valleys, and the museum is a key local venue for art. Its collection focuses on Danish painting and sculpture, spanning nineteenth-century landscapes and portraits as well as modern and contemporary works, with particular attention to artists of the Jutland region. The galleries are moderate in size and clearly arranged, suitable for art lovers and families on a half-day visit. Afterwards you can stroll along the fjord paths or explore old-town landmarks such as the Vejle windmill and St Nicholas Church.