Poskær Stenhus

Facts

Denmark's largest round barrow

By Jørgen Westphal, Konsulent, cand. mag. (14 stories)

Poskær Stenhus is Denmark's largest round barrow. The best view of this monument is from the north approach by the road through the hills of Mols Bjerge. The burial chamber has a diameter of more than 2 metres and a ceiling height of almost 1.8 metres. The chamber is surrounded by 23 kerb stones, some of which are more than 2.5 metres high. In 1859, the owner, Ole Hansen, started blasting the barrow stones to sell them as building material. He needed the money for his family and couldn't turn a proper living from the land where the barrow was. The barrow was rescued by local officials.

Public place

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Barrow saved from blasting

Story written by Jørgen Westphal

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In 1859, when landowner Ole Hansen attempted to blast the stones in the barrow for building material, local people were outraged. At that time, granite was a valuable commodity, and well worth quarrying, even manually. A chain of important officials was mobilised to stop this destruction. First the local pastor contacted the chief administrative officer of Randers. Fortunately, he appreciated the significance of the round barrow, and persuaded several local officials to make a statement on the matter, and sent in the data to the Inspectorate for the Preservation of Antiquarian Monuments". A year later, the barrow was brought under a preservation order, in return for which Ole Hansen received 100 rix-dollars in compensation. Outside the burial chamber, a stone with gunpowder marks from the blasting testifies to the attempted destruction of this monument. "