Koge

Koge received its charter in 1288 and grew as a market town and port on the bay, and it kept an unusual amount of its old fabric: the streets around Torvet, the large market square, hold a long run of half-timbered houses, including one of 1527 in Kirkestraede that is among the oldest half-timbered buildings in Denmark. The church of Sankt Nicolai has a tower once used as a sea mark. The town's darker fame is the witch trials of the 1610s, when a series of accusations spread through the town and more than a dozen people were burned, an episode recorded in a widely read pamphlet at the time. The harbour has been rebuilt as a new quarter, and a broad sand beach runs south of it.

History

Køge was first recognised as an official market town in 1288, as a southern counterweight to Roskilde, the church centre of the time, and was an important merchant town in the late Middle Ages. During the local witch hunt known as Køge Huskors, in 1608-1615, at least 15 people were convicted of witchcraft and burned at the stake. The town suffered in the wars between Denmark and Sweden of 1643-1720, at the time of the Battle of Køge Bay, and in 1807 the area saw the Battle of Køge between British and Danish troops. Køge remained a small town until industry and population growth came in the late 19th century (Wikipedia, Køge).

The main sights

• Half-timbered Kirkestraede - including a house dated 1527.
• Torvet market square - one of the largest in Denmark, still used for markets.
• Sankt Nicolai church tower - used as a sea mark for the bay.
• The town museum - covering the witch trials and the town's trade.

When to go

April to October for walking; the market on Wednesday and Saturday mornings fills Torvet. Half a day. Summer weekends bring visitors to the beach south of the harbour. It is quiet in winter.

Good to know

Modern development around the harbour and station is unattractive and dominates the approach. The museum is small. Some half-timbered buildings are shops with unsympathetic frontages. The beach is ordinary by Danish standards.

Nearby

Vallo Castle is south; Copenhagen is about forty minutes by train.

Key facts