Givskud-Jelling

Selected experiences on the stage

Jelling of the Kings
When you visit Jelling, you step into the heart of Denmark's history. The runes tell us that it was in Jelling during the Viking Age that Denmark was named. King Gorm wrote it on his runestone, and it has been used ever since. It was here that King Harald on his great runestone declared that he had made the Danes Christian. With Gorm the Old, Thyra Danebod, and Harald Bluetooth, the deep roots of the Danish royal house are planted here among the runestones, mounds, and Jelling Church. The experience center Jelling of the Kings is located on the large Monument Area, which Harald Bluetooth had enclosed with a palisade – the largest building structure of the Viking Age. Within the palisade stand the two runestones, the church, the ship setting, and the two mounds, all part of UNESCO's World Heritage List.

At Jelling of the Kings, the whole family can get behind the runes on Harald's Jelling Stone, explore the lineage of kings from Gorm the Old to today, and learn more about the life and daily routines of the Vikings. Here you can gain insight into the life and daily routines of the Vikings. The exhibition is designed to provide a special experience for both children and adults.

At Jelling of the Kings, there is free admission for the whole family, and you have the option to purchase family activities both indoors and outdoors. Guided tours are organized throughout the year on the monument area in several languages, so you can get even more out of your visit.

Keep an eye on the Jelling of the Kings website for special exhibitions, events, and tickets for guided tours and activities during school holidays. There is always something exciting to experience in Jelling.

Gormsgade 23, 7300 Jelling

The Jelling Monuments
The Jelling monuments collectively refer to the Jelling Church, the Jelling stones, and the two large burial mounds in Jelling. The monuments were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994 as the first Danish site and are described as Europe's most distinguished from the Viking Age.

In 965, the Viking king Harald Bluetooth said farewell to the Nordic gods and embraced the Christian God. He had this event carved onto a large runestone in Jelling, close to the stone his father, Gorm the Old, had erected a few years earlier. The two runestones are considered Denmark's baptismal certificate, and the Christ figure from the stone can today be seen in all Danish passports. On the large runestone, Harald boasts of having won Denmark and Norway and having converted the Danes to Christianity: 'King Harald erected this memorial after Gorm, his father, and Thyra, his mother, Harald who won all of Denmark and Norway and made the Danes Christian'. The smaller runestone was rediscovered in the 17th century and is Gorm's memorial to Queen Thyra, but also the oldest testimony to the name of Denmark: 'King Gorm made this memorial after his wife Thyra, Denmark's adornment'

When you visit Jelling Church, you can see that the church is beautifully situated between the two largest burial mounds in Denmark. It was Harald Bluetooth who, during his reign, had the two mounds and a church built here. The two mounds are 10 meters high and 70 meters in diameter, and from here you have an excellent view of the monument area. Between the two mounds, you will find the two runestones.

The northern mound had a wooden burial chamber, presumably built by Harald Bluetooth for his father and later annexed to the Christian church. Today's Jelling Church is a Romanesque stone church, built around the year 1100 on top of Harald Bluetooth's wooden church from the 10th century. In 2000, Gorm the Old was reburied in the church's chamber grave.

Amidst the monuments, you can immerse yourself in the runestones and be engulfed by the entire history of Denmark.

Thyrasvej 1, 7300 Jelling