Lejre: Holiday apartment between the Viking Age and Ice Age landscape

During the Late Iron Age and the Viking Age, Lejre was a centre of power and probably a royal seat for more than 500 years. This historical depth characterises the town just as much as its museums, archaeological sites and paths through a protected landscape.

History

The entire exhibition at the Lejre Museum is located on the ground floor and is easily accessible by wheelchair. There is a free car park directly next to the museum. One of the special exhibits is the unique silver figure from the Viking Age known as “Odin from Lejre”. West of Gl. Lejre are excavated royal halls; the largest is 62 metres long. During the Iron Age and the Viking Age, these royal halls were used for feasts and ceremonies. Harald Hildetand's Mound, a Neolithic dolmen dated by archaeologists to around 3500 BC, is also part of the area's earlier history.

Sagnlandet Lejre covers 43 hectares of hills, forests, lakes and meadows. The site includes reconstructed environments from the Stone Age, the Iron Age, the Viking Age and the 19th century. These include hands-on activities such as grinding grain, baking bread, travelling in a Stone Age boat and archery. At Videsø, Sagnlandet Lejre also has historic workshops for pottery and textile work. Gl. Kongsgård is a 300-year-old former tenant farm with original furnishings and other inventory belonging to its former residents; it has been a family farm since 1749.

Nature

The protected landscape around Gl. Lejre offers paths through fields, meadows and pastureland, as well as views of a landscape formed during the last Ice Age 13,000 to 15,000 years ago. The Gl. Lejre area is home to pheasants, roe deer and hares, as well as various birds of prey throughout the year, including red kites and peregrine falcons.

In Elverdamsdalen, Tadre Mølle is the last of a total of 13 former watermills. Today, it serves as a fully functioning cultural history museum and nature centre. At Tadre Mølle, paths run along the millpond and around the meadows; Denmark's only open spring limestone quarry is located there, with the 1.4-kilometre Kildekalksruten passing it as a circular route from the mill. Every July, a haymaking event takes place in the meadow at Tadre Mølle, organised by Tadre Mølles Venner, DN and the national park.

Ejby Skrænter and Ejby Ådal also offer an approximately 4.5-kilometre circular route with botanical experiences and extensive views across the Isefjord. South of Gl. Lejre, Ledreborg Allé can be followed on foot or by bicycle to Ledreborg Castle. There, a terraced Baroque garden lies along the Ledreborg Å.

Paths and getting there

Skjoldungestien is approximately 50 kilometres long and runs between Roskilde, Lejre and Hvalsø through open countryside, forests and along Roskilde Fjord. Gudernes Stræde is an approximately 64-kilometre hiking trail with Gl. Lejre as its centre and around 80 information boards.

Lejre railway station provides direct rail access to Skjoldungernes Land National Park. From there, the King's Halls, ship settings, burial mounds and museums can be reached directly. Bus 207 runs through the national park and stops at numerous excursion destinations; it can be taken at Lejre railway station or Roskilde railway station.

The 390-kilometre Istidsruten connects the landscape shaped by the Ice Age with a cycling tour. The Lejre loop of the Istidsruten starts and ends at Lejre railway station, allowing the cycling tour to be combined with travelling by train. For another active perspective, Ledreborg Palace Golf Club offers a challenging 18-hole golf course and modernised practice facilities in a natural setting.

Accommodation

When choosing a holiday apartment or accommodation in Lejre, you can compare the respective offer pages and check the exact location, type of accommodation, occupancy, included services, price components, and booking and cancellation conditions before booking. Compare the fields relevant to your planning and read the conditions of the specific offer in full. This keeps the decision focused on the features actually specified.

For selecting another location, the pages Gershøj, Kirke Hyllinge, Kisserup, Kyndeløse, Kirke Såby, Lejre, Kirke Hvalsø and Ordrup are available.

For the higher-level travel overview: Zealand.