Aalborg-Rebild

Selected experiences on the stage

Jens Bang's Stone House
Join a historical journey through Aalborg's Renaissance era at Jens Bang's Stone House, one of the city's most impressive and photogenic historical sites. With its five floors and flamboyant decoration, the house represented a fist in the face of the bourgeoisie of Aalborg at the time.

The building was erected in 1624 as a counter to the then-mayor and Jens Bang's half-brother Jørgen Olufsen's estate. Along with the city's church towers, Jens Bang's Stone House was a visible part of Aalborg's skyline, and the first thing travelers saw when they arrived in the city. Jens Bang himself lived there until his death in 1644.

Jens Bang was a typical Renaissance figure – a grand merchant, ostentatious and talented – but also quarrelsome and self-righteous. Although he was a wealthy and enterprising gentleman with significant influence in business, his legacy is not solely positive. After his death, it was rumored, among other things, that he had murdered his shop assistant.

When you stand and look at the building, you will see a multitude of diverse, grotesque masks and the head, which are supposed to be caricatures of his many enemies. Even though Jens Bang was the richest man in Aalborg, he never became a member of the city's government, and therefore, he was said to sit on the gable of his house sticking his tongue out at the town hall. This story has been confirmed as a hoax in later times, as the faces were only moved to the gable in the 18th century.

The house contained the Swan Pharmacy from 1666 to 2014, and over the years, the pharmacists filled the old attic with all sorts of jars, furniture, and outdated medicine. By arrangement with Aalborg Historical Museum, you can go up under the roof and experience the Pharmacy Collection.

Østerågade 9, 9000 Aalborg

Gravlev Lake
Gravlev Lake, located in the Lindenborg Å valley near Rold Forest, is a scenic gem with a history that dates back to the Ice Age. The approximately 65-hectare lake has existed since the Ice Age as a bulge on the Lindenborg Å.

At the end of the 19th century, the lake was drained, and the river was diverted in the hope that the fertile lakebed silt could be transformed into waving cornfields. Despite persistent drainage and attempts to pump away the water, the area remained too moist, the soil settled, and it never became an agricultural success. In the 1990s, the owners gave up on pumping away the water, and the lake reemerged. The re-protection of the Gravlev valley and state purchase laid the foundation for a nature restoration that has ensured the lake and its surroundings as a unique wetland area.

Although the river now flows around the lake, the Gravlev spring ensures that the water remains ice-free, which attracts especially geese and ducks. You will also see that the lake is a popular breeding ground for many other exciting bird species.

Gravlev Lake, 9520 Skørping

Gravlev Spring
At the foot of the church hill in Gravlev, you can see a spring gushing forth. Today, Gravlev Spring is a large, beautiful basin spring, a source where water surges from the sides or bottom. From the viewpoint 15-20 meters up, you get a fabulous view of the spring: Crystal blue with water pulsating up from the bottom, even though the basin was once created by digging for road material. Every second, about 100-150 liters of water flow out into Gravlev Lake, making the spring one of the largest in Denmark.

The spring has a fascinating history behind it. It is believed to be the reason why the church was built right here in the 12th century, as springs were often considered sacred places in ancient times. There might even have been a pagan temple, a temple for the Nordic gods, here. In the Middle Ages, the spring was regarded as a holy well, just like many other springs at the time.

In 1938, the main road was constructed over Gravlev Spring, and its source was pushed eastward, and for half a century, the spring fed a fish farm. The beautiful, "natural" spring field below the basin and the winding spring brook are the results of a nature restoration project carried out by the Danish Nature Agency in 1995.

Although the area has undergone changes, the spring water continues to flow undisturbed, and it is a joy for rare small creatures, trout, kingfishers, grey wagtails, and dippers. On quiet winter days, you might even witness sea trout spawning in the spring brook.

Gravlev Spring, 9530 Støvring