Koldinghus

Koldinghus was the last royal castle in Jutland, begun in the 1200s and rebuilt many times before a fire in 1808 gutted it and left the shell open to the sky for most of two centuries. The restoration finished in the 1990s took an unusual line: rather than fake the lost interiors, the architects roofed the ruin with laminated timber columns and steel, so you walk through a modern hall that never pretends to be old, with charred brick and blackened stone left exposed beside it. The museum inside covers silver, ceramics and Danish furniture, and the tower gives a view over the lake.

What you actually see

• The ruin hall - laminated timber columns and steel set inside the burnt shell.
• The Giant Tower - the climb for a view over Kolding and its lake.
• The museum collections - silver, ceramics and Danish furniture design.
• The old stonework - the surviving medieval and Renaissance walls and chapel.

When to go

Open year-round, and being mostly indoors it is a good wet weather stop in a part of Jutland that gets plenty of rain. Weekday afternoons are quiet. Special exhibitions change through the year and are worth checking before you decide how much time to allow.

Honest expectations

The modern restoration is the reason to come, and if you were hoping for furnished royal rooms you will be disappointed, because they burnt in 1808 and were never replaced. The permanent collections are modest for the ticket price. The tower stair is steep and narrow, and the top is exposed.

Nearby

Kolding's pedestrian centre lies below the castle; Christiansfeld is about twenty minutes south.