Tårnborg

Facts

3,294 coins and a lost town

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

Tårnborg near Korsør is the remains of a royal medieval castle. The castle consisted of a central tower of 8 m x 8 m, surrounded by a square outer wall. An excavation in the castle courtyard in 1894 also revealed the remains of three small houses. The castle stood the test of time from about 1200 up to the last part of the 14th century when a new castle in Korsør took over Tårnborg's role. From written sources we know that the castle was captured several times, once in 1326 when King Christopher II’s son was forced to submit to the rebellious troops after a two-week siege.

Public place

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In the lee of a castle

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Story written by Vivian Etting

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Today, the distinguished white-washed church is the only building that testifies to Tårnborg's importance in the Middle Ages. But from new archaeological research, we know that there was also a flourishing trading town at the foot of the castle facing Korsør Cove. Merchants could sail here and trade in peace and quiet. The research in the 1980s revealed the remains of small half-timbered houses, cobbled streets and wells in an area of about 200 m x 300 m. An astounding 3,294 coins primarily from the 13th and 14th centuries were also unearthed, as well as a number of objects such as locks, fittings, jewellery, spindle whorls, keys, pilgrim emblems, cloth seals and a large number of broken fragments of pottery and stoneware.