OneHour
Naestved is an incredibly interesting city which is well worth dedicating an hour on. It is exciting to shop in the variety of modern stores the city offers, or enjoy a refreshment in one of the numerous cafés. It is also very interesting to look at the many sights in the city which, separately, tell a little of Naestved's history. This applies especially to the Middle Ages. A walk of about an hour will give you a good impression of Naestved
Næstved City
By Knud Rasch
Published: 17-05-1995
It would be a good idea to start your walk at Sct. Peder's Square. Here you find yourself right in Naestved's medieval heart. This was when the city was pinned between the 10 kilometres long Mogenstrup aas (a ridge) and the Susaa (a stream).
Let us begin our walk through the old town facing Sct. Peders Church.
We have proved the city to date from 1135, the year where the pious nobleman Peder Bodilsen, his mother and brothers gave extensive lands and Sct. Peders church to the Benedictine monks for the foundation of Sct. Peder's Monastery.
Sct. Peders Church was erected in the period from c. 1375 to the 15th century. If you have time to look inside, you should especially pay attention to the beautiful chancel where you will find the well-known fresco with Valdemar Atterdag and Queen Hedvig kneeling to God.When you leave the church, you are facing Hotel Vinhuset. The name dates from 1778 when the owner was licensed to serve wine and to put guests up for the night. The present building was built in three stages in the last half of the 18th century. In the Middle Ages Tyge Due's estate was here. From that period, a large, very beautiful, medieval brick cellar with cross-vaulting arches has been preserved.
Naestved's first town hall was probably here. We are not certain of this, but we can still prove this the oldest town hall in the country, today Sct. Peder's Parish Community Centre. The oldest part of the building is from approximately 1450, but in c. 1500 a considerable enlargement took place. It is fantastic to note that the old town hall functioned as such till 1856. The town council was housed in the old building. There was the council hall and, in the cellar, there was a prison. Earlier the town council met in the open air, west of the church, more or less diagonally opposite Hotel Vinhuset where a small cosy place has been established today. The old square was situated between the town hall and the church.
The building on the corner to your left is a half-timbered house from 1606. The building on the opposite corner is from 1825. Since 1878 there has been a wine shop here. The company Lorange Wine Shop has established a small wine museum which can be seen during the shop's opening hours.
You are now opposite Naestved's old main street, Farvergade. At the end of this street, on the corner of Brogade and Mollegade, is an old merchant's house which can be traced back to 1682. The building is worth a peep, but do walk back up Farvergade to the church square.
We shall now to the right around the church to look at what we in Naestved call the first terraced houses in Denmark. These are the medieval Stenboderne (The Stone Stalls ). The central building in the complex, Boderne (The Stalls), is from the 1440's and is therefore the oldest. Originally there used to be three shops or trade stalls.
The eastern building is Mogens Tuesson's Stenboder from approximately 1480. At one time it was a block of flats consisting of seven terraced houses. Mogens Tuesson was mayor and he donated his stone stalls to Sct. Peder's Church in 1484 in return for which there should be prayers for him forever. However, this only lasted until the reformation in 1536.
All of the terraced houses have been beautifully restored which won the Europe Nostra Award in 1985. The buildings serve as an exhibition for Naestved Museum. There are valuable collections of potsherd material from an excavation of Laurits the Potter's workshop in Farvergade (approximately 1580-95).
Now you have reached the end of the terraced houses. Since 1987 the local Music School has been situated here. The sculpture on the green lawn up by the church is a cult stone made of granite from Bornholm by the sculptor Ole Christensen.
In the Middle Ages the grocers had their domicile in Kobmagergade, one of the oldest streets in Naestved. This was perfectly naturel, because it was close to the medieval harbour and the Susaa stream upon which the merchandise was transported. This was also the explanation for why a number of narrow streets appeared, running down towards the waterway.
We walk down Kompagnistraede, past the corner building's extention. Now we are standing in front of one of the great pearls of the Middle Ages, Kompagnihuset. This worthy building, which was presented in 1993 with the Europe Nostra Award, presented by Prince Henrik of Denmark for a brilliant restoration, consists partly of a half-timbered house, partly of an impressive stone house. The first of these is dated to the time around 1750, whereas the new dendro chronological examinations have proved that the stone house was built in the period 1490-1500. As the house is mentioned for the first time in 1493, the uncertainty about the building time can be narrowed down to three years.
The stone house was built as the Merchant's Guildhall, with the banqueting hall at the top floor and with the storeroom at the bottom floor. In 1621 King Christian IV established the Spanish trading company with headquarters in the stone house which changed its name to Kompagnihuset.
We continue along Kobmagergade and soon we are standing in front of Hotel Kirstine, originally built as a one-storey farm with three wings in 1745-46. Naestved's mayors lived here from 1809 to 1876. At that time the hotel was called "Den Gamle Borgmestergaard" (The Old Mayoral Manor).
If you have plenty of time you can take a little trip down Slagkildevej which is named after the old spring Slagkilde that can still be seen today. You can see it by the monument to city councillor Søren Knæckenborg who put a tremendous effort into the embellishment of Naestved.
By the large green area there is a red building built in 1841 by master painter Christian Ostenfeldt. In 1818 he founded "Den Ostenfeldske Stiftelse" (The Ostenfeldtic Institution), which the building is still called. Here, 12 widows or daugthers of officials or citizens of Naestved had their home. A monument has been raised in honour of the founder in the area. Earlier "Sortebrodre Klostret" (The Black Frairs' Monastery) was on this spot. The Black Frairs are said to have arrived in Naestved in approximately 1242.
Down towards Havnegade you see the beautiful old yellow warehouse which at one time was connected to the house of one of the great merchants in Naestved. Good business acumen is still found here as it is here that The Naestved Area Business Association is housed, together with Naestved's Tourist Office. This is a good thing to know for a tourist.
We go back to Hotel Kirstine. Now it is time to bring your camera or your video to light, because you are standing in front of the most photographed street in Naestved, Riddergade. It is the eastern side you should pay attention to. It contains fascinating buildings from different ages.
First there is a simple, classicistic building, Riddergade 7. The building's facade is mainly from 1803, but we are probably talking about the rebuilding of a house which stood on the plot in 1736. It was here the first newspaper in Naestved began in 1848.
The next building, Apostelhuset (The House of the Apostles), is even more looked at, but after some rough restorations there isn't much left. The building is interesting because of the 13 large, carved young men from about 1510-20. They are adorned with the oldest half-timbered figures in Denmark. The figures represent Jesus and the 12 apostles. The house may have been built for one of the medieval guilds in Naestved, Christ's Body Guild.
Building number three is Ridderhuset, built in half-timber in the period of King Christian IV 1588 - 1648. The last two buildings are " Det Rode Pakhus" (The Red Warehouse), today an idyllic restaurant, and a simple, but beautiful residential property, today a bank. Both of these buildings are from the middle of the last century.
At the end of Riddergade you see the second big city church, Sct. Morten's Church, of which the oldest parts are from the period around 1220. The tower was added in the 14th century, whereas the baptistery and the porch were added in the 1850s. The pulpit was made by Abel Schroder the Elder and it is his son, Abel Schrøder the Younger, who is the master of the impressive altarpiece. He lived from c. 1602 to 1676.
From the church the walk through the city continues down Sct. Morten's gade, but for you who have more than one hour at your disposal, you could have an extra experience by turning up Ostergade. Notice the memorial for those killed in the two Slesvig Wars in 1848-50 and 1864, and notice the lifelike sculpture, Kalven (The Calf) too. The artist is Gudrun Lauesen.
Turn left down Krumport and go to Teatergade. On the right you see the monument to the founder of the Danish Constitution, King Frederik VII 1848 - 1863. Further up the street is the old Amtmandsbygning (a building for the Chief Administrative Officer of the County). This is from 1886 and today contains the local archives, premises for art exibitions and the administration for The Municipal Youth School.
On your left you have Naestved's town hall from 1940 where the most important council administration is housed. The town council has its meetings here and, from his office, the mayor can look down at the big, hefty, concrete statue made by the sculptor Arne Bang.
The statue represents the Fladsaa Troll which, according to the myth, got so angry at the sound of the church bells in Naestved that he wanted to bury them with sand. However, a hole caused the sand to run out of the sack creating the 10 kilometre long Mogenstrup Aas (a ridge).
When the Troll realized this, he got so angry that he emptied out the final contents of the sack, creating the 63 metres high Munkebakke (The Monk's Hill) behind the Troll.
We go back to Farimagsvej which we follow to Jernbanegade. Before you turn up this street you have, on your right, the post office in front and the railway station from 1870 standing back.
On Jernbanegade street, you must stop at some of the buildings: The first one is Vaabenbrodrestiftelsen (The Brothers-in-Arms Foundation) which was built in 1876 with accommodation for needy Brothers-in-Arms and their widows. A little further ahead you see Jernbanegade's School from 1912. Next door is Naestved's Technical School, erected in 1884 (today the building is only a small part of the huge school complex which has been built on Jagtvej).
On the right side of Jernbanegade, opposite the two schools, the YMCA-building was erected in 1912.
You continue along Jernbanegade and cross Teatergade. On the opposite side you see the Odd Fellow-building which has a facade here as well as a facade to Sct. Mortens Gade. You turn down this street and we are now back at Sct. Morten's Church on the actual route. Cross Ramsherred and walk down Gronnegade.
Naestved is an old garison town. There are still some of the old barracks in the town. They were built at the end of the 18th century, but serve another purpose today.
This is also the case with the Gronnegade Barracks which is an important part of Naestved's cultural history and which has contributed to characterize the building culture in Naestved. The barracks have mainly been domicile for the horsemen- and the Dragoon Regiment up until 1923, after which the building complex was used as a military school.
Facing Gronnegade is the oldest building, the riding- and drill house or, as we call the building, Det gamle ridehus (The Old Riding House). This was erected in 1799. Parallel to the old riding house, a new one (1888) is situated and at the end of the parking area you see the Commandant's residence which is from 1806. In 1995 a monument to the liberation of Denmark in 1945 was erected in front of this building.
On top of the ridge an even newer riding house is situated. Up there, on the big area, there is some talk about building a cultural centre containing, amongst other things, a concert- and theatre hall with room for approximately 1200 people, showrooms, library etc.
Walk through Gronnegade and enjoy the beautiful building at Gronnegade 17 and the corner house on the left side at Indre Ringstedgade. This is Staalgaarden, erected in 1935 in, for Naestved, a completely new building style. Straight ahead you have Naestved Tidende's building (the local newspaper) from 1898. Look up and enjoy the glazed ceramic decoration from Kähler.
Now you should turn left down Indre Ringstedgade. Here you find a significant building, also from the Middle Ages, The House of the Holy Spirit, which is the town museum today, is mentioned for the first time in 1398. It was originally a combination of a hospital, an old people house an a poorhouse.
At Kindhestegade you turn left towards Hjultorvet, in which the smallest equestrian statue in Denmark is situated. The statue represents Peder Bodilsen and was erected for Naestved's 800th jubilee in 1935. Behind the statue is Bindebol's Town Hall, erected in 1855-56. It was in use as a town hall until 1940, but is today the county gaol and court house.
From Hjultorvet (Torv = Square) you walk in to Axeltorv (a market square) where you have the nicely restored Love Apotek (a pharmacy) on your right. You should especially go into the pharmacy's yard and experience the atmosphere with half-timber and paving stone. Don't abstain from a little walk through the narrow Apotekerstraede to look at the venerable building from the back with a medicinal- and aromatic herb garden in front. It is absolutely fascinating.
The market square today has not yet found its final form. Every Wednesday and Saturday it is market day in Naestved and the market square has an exotic atmosphere.
The last impression of the square could be the last sculptur. It is situated by Diskontobanken (a bank) and erected by the sculptor Bjorn Norgaard in 1994. The name of the sculpture is "Talbrücke Tiefland" - a fabulous animal, which has given occasion for a lot of astonishment and debate. Now you can philosophize a little about the work of art yourself when you end your walk through the city, either by leaving Axeltorv via the first pedestrian street, Torvestraede, or via Kirkestraede.
If you choose the latter, you will now be back at the starting point of the city walk, Hotel Vinhuset. Perhaps the host will open the large medieval brick cellar so you can allow your impressions to fall into place , while you enjoy a cold and much-needed beer.
Sidst opdateret den 26. marts 2008