Koldinghus

Facts

Jutland's border castle

For centuries, Koldinghus was a border castle between the kingdoms of Denmark and Schleswig. It was used frequently by Danish kings. King Christoffer of Bavaria built the west wing and the castle's northern section in 1447. Later, in 1549-54 under King Christian III, it gained its four fully completed wings. The south wing was the finest. The master builder was probably Morten Bussert. King Christian IV began radically changing the castle in 1598. He had the north wing converted and added stair turrets and a huge tower. He also added a castle chapel at the north end of the west wing. A ballroom was also built above the chapel. This time the building work was led by master builder Hercules von Oberberg.

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Cold Spaniards in Kolding

Story written by Jakob Seerup

Time / Periode 1447 1598

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In the winter of 1807-08, Spanish troops were billeted at the Medieval castle of Koldinghus in Kolding. The Spaniards were in Denmark as a result of the Danish alliance with Napoleonic France. Under French command, their supreme commander was Marshal Bernadotte, who later became king of Sweden. The winter was bitterly cold, and the Spanish troops were far from home. To warm themselves, they kept the fireplaces well-stoked until one night something went badly wrong. On the night of 29 March, the fire spread from the great fireplaces and the old castle burned to the ground. In July 1808, Spanish troops from the Guadalajara and Asturia regiments rebelled against their French supreme command. They were disarmed and interned until they could be dispatched from Denmark. But before they left, they managed to leave some traces behind them. Hans Christian Andersen, author of the famous fairytales, recalled the colourful Spanish soldiers as one of his earliest childhood memories. The heart of many a local girl fluttered at the sight of the dark-skinned soldiers in their handsome uniforms. And for those who did more than cast a sideways glance, the result was a good few brown-eyed babies. There are still dark-skinned, brown-eyed families in the Kolding area who claim to trace their ancestry back to the Spanish soldiers.