Holiday apartment in Sorø Municipality: Lakes, round church and cultural history

Among green forests, deep lakes, meadows, bogs and open landscapes, Sorø reveals a diverse cultural history amid varied natural surroundings. One particularly distinctive building is Bjernede Church: it is Zealand’s only round church and dates from around 1170.

Culture

In Sorø, art history is combined with regional history. Sorø Art Museum preserves around 2,500 works from the 18th century to the present day. It is known for its collection of Russian icons, modern art and well-curated special exhibitions. Sorø Museum is located in Christian IV’s Inn, one of Sorø’s oldest buildings, constructed in 1624–25. The interior exhibition is dedicated to B. S. Ingemann and the Danish Golden Age.

Sorø Museum also includes Apotekerhaven. It reconstructs part of the botanical garden that Joachim Burser established in the 17th century and provides information about medicinal plants. Hauchs Physiske Cabinet complements the museum landscape with research instruments, models, apparatus and toys that illustrate scientific principles.

Tersløsegaard also has a special literary history. It is the only surviving place known to have been lived in by Ludvig Holberg and now houses the Ludvig Holberg Museum. The Tersløsegaard Museum is closed during the 2026 and 2027 seasons due to restoration work.

Klosterporten, a protected medieval gate dating from around 1200, forms the entrance to Sorø Academy, the monastery church and Akademihaven. The monastery church was built at the end of the 12th century as part of the Cistercian monastery that Bishop Absalon founded on the shore of Lake Sorø. It preserves more than 800 years of Danish history and houses the tombs of Danish kings and bishops.

Further evidence of bygone eras can be found in the surrounding area. Fjenneslev Church preserves frescoes from around 1150, which are among Denmark’s oldest surviving medieval frescoes. Its distinctive twin towers are associated with the noble Hvide family. Møllediget is a 1,800-metre-long medieval canal beside Filosofgangen in Sorø. On a hill northwest of Sorø, Pedersborg combines a medieval castle mound with a church ruin. In Broby Vesterskov lie scattered prehistoric burial sites from the Stone Age and the Bronze Age.

Nature

Tystrup-Bavelse encompasses a landscape shaped by the Ice Age, with hills, ancient forest and lakes. Swimming, hiking, canoeing, birdwatching and fishing are possible in this area. Kongskilde Nature Centre is located in an old watermill and includes a nature exhibition and an aquarium, both open to visitors year-round.

The path from the car park at Kongskilde Nature Centre to the bathing area with a jetty on the shore of Frederikskilde Skov is wheelchair accessible. Bus 615 from Sorø station stops at Kongskilde; from the stop, it is about a three-minute walk to the entrance to the hiking area.

The Suserup Skov reveals another side of the landscape. The forest has been left to develop naturally since the end of the 19th century; visitors may only move along the paths there.

Trails and excursions

The Sorø Søsti is an 8.5-kilometre circular route around Lake Sorø, through ancient beech forest and past Sorø Academy. The route is mostly flat, has well-maintained paths and rest areas, and is suitable for families with children. The 3.5-kilometre Ingemann Poets’ Route also runs around Lake Sorø and combines the walk with mobile audio stories.

For younger explorers, Sorø’s Natureventyr app offers free, child-friendly nature adventures on local routes written especially for children.

The connection between landscape and history can also be explored by bicycle. Sorø has four cultural cycling routes through Stone Age landscapes, past medieval monuments and to places associated with Holberg and Ingemann. The routes are complemented by a free app with information about points of interest, read-aloud texts about Holberg and four route-specific podcasts.

Other places

Other place names in the municipality are Sorø, Fjenneslev, Alsted, Nyrup, Munke Bjergby and Ruds Vedby.

To the higher-level travel overview: Zealand.

More destinations

More places within the same destination:

Odsherred, Køge Municipality.