Korsør Castle

Facts

Fortress tower in multiple versions

By Mette Svart Kristiansen, Middelalderarkæolog (10 stories)

The remains of Korsør Castle are situated north of old Korsør – originally on a small island at the entrance to the cove, Korsør Nor. The two wings of the castle were torn down in 1812, but the tower was left intact. Built in the 1300s, it replaced the earlier castle, Tårnborg, inside the cove. From Korsør, navigation in the Great Belt could be watched, and the new, deep-draft ships of the era could seek shelter at the entrance to the cove. The tower was the strongest structure in this Medieval fortress, and the last place of refuge. Only at Vordingborg and Hammershus does Denmark have as well-preserved fortress towers. During the Dano-Swedish War (1658-1660), the Swedes modernised the fortress with cannon bastions.

Public place

Selected entry

Towering tale

Story written by Mette Svart Kristiansen

Time / Periode 1300 1812

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A building can be read like a book, which is why we know so much about the preserved tower of Korsør Castle, even if there are no written sources describing its original appearance. Studies of the masonry reveal that the tower was originally four storeys high, with crenelations and embrasures. It had an entrance on the second storey, and a garderobe – a latrine built into the outside wall on the third storey. Access to the garderobe was walled up in the Middle Ages, when the tower was reinforced on the inside and extended by two storeys. The window niches show the reinforcement. Instead, the tower was given a fireplace. The two uppermost storeys are post-Medieval. Borrow a key at the museum and explore the masonry – and let the tower tell its tale!