Calmette's barrow, Marienborg

Facts

A convincing fake

By Flemming Kaul, Museumsinspektør, mag. art. (31 stories)

Marienborg Castle no longer stands but its park on the island of Møn still houses a long barrow. It is 14 metres long with a single stone chamber. A ring of large stones form the sides. There is something odd about the long barrow. It is almost oval rather than the usual square. The stones themselves are the same shape as those in other barrows, though. In 1880, Henry Petersen, an expert from the National Museum of Denmark, visited the barrow and declared it authentic. But he was wrong. It was built in the 1790s by G.P.A.B. de la Calmette, a local landowner.

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Romantic folly

Story written by Flemming Kaul

Time / Periode 1795

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Landowner de la Calmette of Marienborg had a passion for prehistoric relics and horticultural art. He created a romantic garden at Marienborg with canals and rare trees. No romantic garden was complete without a prehistoric touch, so ancient monuments were popular. Calmette built a fake barrow. It was not a total fake, though, as the stones came from several genuine barrows. Some stones were fetched from King Red's barrow near Klekkendehøj. The western end stone, which is almost three metres tall, was originally a freestanding single-stone monument from Askeby Field. It took a team of 16 horses to drag it to Marienborg Park.