Hesselager offers a range of historical and landscape perspectives: a freestanding Renaissance house, an originally Romanesque church, Damestenen and Hesselagers Grønne Tråd. They reflect the history of an estate, ecclesiastical architecture, geology, and a route with landscape views and cultural history stories.

Damestenen: a geological highlight

Damestenen is located in Hesselager Parish and is open to the public. It is the largest glacial erratic in mainland Denmark and is part of the Geopark Det Sydfynske Øhav. Signs point the way from Hesselager to Damestenen. Three specific features are therefore central here: public access, its status as the largest glacial erratic on the mainland, and its inclusion in the geopark. For travellers interested in geology, its size and regional context can be considered together. Signposts provide directions from Hesselager all the way to the erratic.

Hesselagergård and its building history

Hesselagergård was first mentioned in 1231 in the cadastre of King Valdemar Sejr. The main building was built much later, between 1538 and 1550, as a freestanding Renaissance house for Chancellor of the Realm Johann Friis. The two dates refer to different periods: 1231 is the first mention, while 1538–1550 is the construction period of the main building. The historic estate also included two separate elevations. The main building and farm buildings stood on them; both elevations were surrounded by moats, and a narrow drawbridge lay between them. This arrangement broadens the focus from architectural style to the historic layout of the estate. Hesselagergård can only be viewed from the outside; access is by appointment only.

Romanesque church and Hesselagertæppet

Hesselager Church is originally Romanesque; its oldest part is a nave built of fieldstones on a granite plinth. This is a different architectural form from the Renaissance house at Hesselagergård: the church’s Romanesque origins and the materials of its oldest part shape the way its architecture is viewed. The Hesselagertæppet, an embroidered wall hanging, is displayed in the church porch. Its installation was completed in 2021. The tapestry depicts more than 1,000 years of local and national history. The church thus offers two distinct ways of looking at the past: Romanesque architecture and a textile depiction of long periods of history.

Landscapes and stories along Hesselagers Grønne Tråd

Hesselagers Grønne Tråd complements the building history with landscapes and cultural history. The route offers views across open fields and towards the Storebælt. One section follows Stokkebækken through a forest. QR codes along the route provide access to cultural history stories. Its features can be compared: on the one hand, there are views across open fields and towards the Storebælt; on the other, the stream and the forest section. The QR codes complement these landscape impressions with stories.

The highlights are distinct: Hesselagergård and the church offer insights into building history, Damestenen into geology, while Grønne Tråd combines landscapes and cultural stories.

Discover more destinations: Eskebjerg, Stenstrup, Lundeborg, Lundby, Vester Skerninge, Troense, Skårup Fyn, Vejstrup.

For the wider travel overview: Svendborg Municipality.