Kalundborg

Kalundborg was founded in the twelfth century by Esbern Snare, brother of Bishop Absalon, and the church he built is why the town is worth a stop: Vor Frue Kirke is laid out on a Greek cross with a tower over the centre and a tower on each arm, five in all, in red brick with stepped gables, a plan with no parallel elsewhere in Scandinavia and probably drawn from Byzantine influence. The south tower collapsed in 1827 and was rebuilt. Around the church the old upper town keeps cobbled lanes and low houses, while the modern town below is an industrial port with a large refinery and an unusual reputation in industrial ecology, since its factories exchange waste heat and by-products in a closed loop that has been studied internationally.

History

The Kalundborg area was first settled in 1170 at a natural harbour at the head of what is now Kalundborg Fjord, and its five-spired Church of Our Lady, closely associated with King Valdemar I and Archbishop Absalon, is said to have been built by Absalon's brother Esbern Snare. The town grew more urban in the 19th century and became a major industrial centre by the mid-20th. Its industrial symbiosis began in 1961, when surface water from Lake Tissø was piped to a new oil refinery to spare the limited groundwater, with the city building the pipeline and the refinery paying for it; further joint projects followed, and by the end of the 1980s the partners found that they had effectively organised themselves into what is probably the best-known example of industrial symbiosis, exchanging energy, water and by-products (Wikipedia, Kalundborg).

What you'll find

• A five-towered church - a Greek-cross plan unique in Scandinavia.
• The old upper town - cobbled lanes around the church.
• Stepped brick gables - the twelfth-century detailing of the church.
• The industrial symbiosis - factories trading waste heat and materials.

When to go

April to October for walking the upper town. Half a day. The church is open daily outside services. Ferries to Jutland and Samso leave from the harbour, which makes the town a natural stopping point.

Good to know

The modern town and harbour are industrial and unattractive, and the refinery dominates the approach. Only the upper town rewards walking. Museum hours are limited out of season. There is little else to detain a visitor beyond the church.

Nearby

Samso is reachable by ferry; Roskilde lies east.

Key facts