Givskud-Bindeballe

Selected experiences on the stage

The Jelling Monuments
The Jelling Monuments is a collective term for the Jelling Church, the Jelling Stones, and the two large burial mounds in Jelling. The monuments were added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1994 as the first Danish site and are described as Europe's most distinguished from the Viking Age.

In 965, the Viking king Harald Bluetooth said farewell to the Nordic gods and embraced the Christian god. He had this event carved into a large runestone in Jelling, close to the stone his father, Gorm the Old, had erected a few years earlier. The two runestones are considered Denmark's baptismal certificate, and the Christ figure from the stone can today be seen in all Danish passports. On the large runestone, Harald boasts that he won Denmark and Norway and converted the Danes to Christianity: 'King Harald erected this memorial after Gorm, his father, and Thyra, his mother, Harald who won all of Denmark and Norway and made the Danes Christian'. The smaller runestone was rediscovered in the 17th century and is Gorm's memorial stone for Queen Thyra, but also the oldest testimony to the name of Denmark: 'King Gorm made this memorial after his wife Thyra, Denmark's adornment'


When you visit Jelling Church, you can see that the church is beautifully situated between the two largest burial mounds in Denmark. It was Harald Bluetooth who, during his reign, had the two burial mounds and a church built here. The two burial mounds are 10 meters high and 70 meters in diameter, and from here you have an excellent view of the monument area. Between the two mounds, you will find the two runestones.


The northern mound had a wooden burial chamber, presumably built by Harald Bluetooth for his father and later transferred to the Christian church. Today's Jelling Church is a Romanesque stone church, built around the year 1100 on top of Harald Bluetooth's wooden church from the 10th century. In 2000, Gorm the Old was reburied in the church's chamber grave.

In the midst of the monuments, you can immerse yourself in the runestones and be engulfed by the entire history of Denmark.

Thyrasvej 1, 7300 Jelling

Vejle Ådal
When you visit Vejle Ådal, you step into a fairy-tale landscape filled with amazing natural experiences and cultural-historical highlights, including the story of the Egtved Girl from the Bronze Age.

The valley is the largest of the area's tunnel valleys and is also known as Denmark's Nature Park. The valley offers numerous hiking and biking trails. One of the most popular routes is the Bindeballestien, which follows the abandoned Vandel railway track from Vejle through Vejle Ådal to Bindeballe by the Hærvejen.

In Vejle Ådal, you can experience a mosaic of attractions, including the old country store and merchant museum, Bindeballe Købmandsgård, Frederikshåb Mill Park. Among the cultural highlights are the Egtved Girl's grave, the Ravning Bridge from the Viking Age, and impressive sculptures by Robert Jacobsen and Jean Clareboudt in Tørskind Gravel Pit. The nature is, of course, fantastic with both Randbøl Heath and Frederikshåb Plantation. When you stand on top of Runkenbjerg, you can enjoy a breathtaking view of the valley.

Skibetvej 139, 7100 Vejle

Ravning Bridge
Already in the Viking Age more than 1000 years ago, there was a great need to traverse the Vejle River Valley with dry feet. At the site in Ravning Meadows, the past is palpably felt, and here you can see a reconstruction of two bridgeheads.

Ravning Bridge was built around the year 980 by the people of Harald Bluetooth, stretched over 760 meters, and was one of Denmark's most impressive engineering feats of the Viking Age. In fact, Ravning Bridge was Denmark's longest bridge until the opening of the old Little Belt Bridge in 1935.

Whether the bridge was a trade route or a military road is still uncertain, but according to some archaeological theories, Harald Bluetooth had the bridge built to quickly move troops across the valley. One thing is certain: It required enormous resources in both oak wood and manpower to construct the bridge. With a foundation made of 1,800 piles up to six meters in length and a cross-section of 30 x 30 cm, it was a major undertaking.

At the original location of the bridge, you can today see the reconstruction of the bridge, which demonstrates the scale of the construction. Not far from the reconstruction, in the former station building of the Vejle-Vandel railway, you can delve deeper into the bridge's history and archaeological findings.

Seize the opportunity to explore this historical site on a hiking or cycling trip along the popular Bindeballe trail, which passes right by. If you wish, you can also pitch a tent and spend the night under the stars or enjoy your packed lunch in the picnic house.

Ravningvej 25, 7182 Bredsten