The Borgring

Is this ring fortress – Borgring – one of Harald Bluetooth’s ostentatious displays of power? Are the burned posts at the east and north gates the result of an attack, and will weapons finally be unearthed to indicate this? In a bare field at exit 33 – Lellinge – on the E47 road, just 4km from Køge, archaeologists from the Museum of Southeast Denmark made world history when in 2014 they uncovered yet another Viking ring fortress. And this Borgring, as it was called, is still shrouded in mystery, mystique and concealed clues that archaeological excavations will gradually uncover. You can be there as archaeologists and researchers dig into the past for answers because the fortress will be excavated over the next few years and you can follow this exploration up close, day by day in the three summer months up to and including 2018. 

Begin your visit to the Borgring with a bird’s eye view from the 8 metre high viewing platform at the reception centre. The fortress is almost right in front of you and Køge Bay can be glimpsed to the right. You will also see that Køge River threads its way between the fortress and the bay along the valley below steep Køge Ridge. You will immediately grasp why this fort was located right here at the only place where the valley can be crossed in a south/north direction. It was simply the ideal place to control all traffic in East Zealand. The container below the viewing platform holds a display of small finds from the excavation. View these before heading out on the 675m defence line to the fortress. A journey 1,000 years back in time through Denmark’s ancient defence works.

The ring fortress The Borgring looms over you like a landscape sculpture on the hill behind the river – 11m high steel columns mark the position of the outer palisade, the ramparts and the gates. The fortress had an inner diameter of 121.50m and the ramparts were about 10.5m wide with the gate about 4.6 m across. These dimensions are very similar to the Fyrkat for

tress at Hobro. It is in this area that archaeologists go in search of the fortress’s secrets every summer. Join the daily guided tour and learn more about their work and preliminary results. Follow their blog app Vikingeborgen where VR movies (VR glasses available in the hallway), interviews with archaeologists and much more offer hours of absorbing insights, to enjoy both on-site and at home afterwards. You can also follow the latest news from the Borgring all year round on Facebook at Vikingeborgen Borgring.