Bastrup Tower

Facts

Thick tower wards off the enemy

By Vivian Etting, Museumsinspektør og seniorforsker på Nationalmuseet (28 stories)

Near Bastrup Lake in North Zealand are the remains of a 12th century castle complex. Only the bottom parts of the huge round Bastrup tower are left but even these are of impressive dimensions. The tower is 21 metres in diameter and the walls are six metres thick. The tower walls were probably thinner higher up to make more space inside. The art of firing bricks was not widespread until the end of the 12th century, so the walls consist of a core of fieldstone covered with a finely carved porous kind of limestone. An outer stairway once led up to the entrance on the first floor, and the whole castle was surrounded by a moat.

Public place

Selected entry

The Tower Castle

Story written by Vivian Etting

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The castle near Bastrup Lake seems to have belonged to the influential Hvide family. A letter written to King Niels in about 1130 mentions Ebbe of Bastrup", who was probably one of Skjalm Hvide's sons. The Bastrup tower design of castle was very popular, especially in France and England during the 12th century. The huge tower at the heart of the castle was useful for both defence and accommodation. In English this kind of tower is called a "keep" and in French a "donjon". Denmark has very few remaining examples of this kind of 12th century tower, but with its impressive dimensions, Bastrup Tower was a fine match for the towers found abroad. "