Købelev offers several distinct ways to explore history and garden culture: historic furnishings take centre stage in the church, Købelevhaven is a botanical Japanese garden, and archaeological finds add to the picture of the area. When planning your trip, you can therefore choose to focus on art, the garden or the history of the finds.

The church and Præstegård as a cultural setting

Købelev Præstegård and Købelev Kirke form a well-preserved cultural setting, with intact visual connections and a link to the garden. An opening in the church wall provides access to the church and churchyard. The relationship between the buildings and the garden is therefore one of the defining features of this cultural setting.

The church furnishings include an 1841 altarpiece with an oil painting by C. W. Eckersberg depicting the Last Supper, and a Renaissance pulpit dating from 1593. Købelev Kirke also has one of the very few surviving Gudme organs. The dates and the rare organ offer different points of reference when exploring the church’s historic furnishings.

Later alterations are also part of the church’s history: it was restored in 1883, 1970 and 2016. One of the church pews bears the name of peasant leader Otto Kuld and the year 1646. Several gravestones dating from the 17th century and the first half of the 18th century are located in the tower room and outside the western tower door.

Købelevhaven: Japanese garden spaces

Købelevhaven is a botanical Japanese garden at Oddevej 116 in Købelev. Prydhaven makes up the largest part of the grounds and is also their oldest section. This part of the garden therefore gives an insight into both the scale and development of the grounds.

The Zenhaven has a different focus: this 200 m² Japanese dry garden is designed for meditation and follows authentic Japanese principles. Its area, design and purpose describe this section in more detail; Prydhaven, by contrast, is distinguished above all by its size within the grounds and its age.

About 70 different magnolias grow throughout Købelevhaven. There is also a plant shop offering a selected range of interesting perennials, trees and shrubs, as well as an area where you can enjoy your own food and drinks. It has pavilions, tables and benches in pleasant surroundings. Check before you travel whether the plant shop and seating area are available.

Archaeological traces near Købelev

Fragments of silver needles and a mould for making costume buckles were found at the site near Købelev. The finds suggest that Vikings of exceptionally high status lived near present-day Købelev. A rune-inscribed Thor’s hammer was also found near Købelev using a metal detector. The history of the finds thus links specific objects with a historical interpretation; this distinguishes it from the dated furnishings in the church.

The topics are easy to distinguish when planning your trip: Købelev Kirke offers points of interest related to art, furnishings and restorations, while Købelevhaven focuses on garden design and plant life. The archaeological finds add another story of the area to these two perspectives.

Discover more destinations: Rødby, Torrig, Fejø, Hoby, Kramnitse, Ydø, Horslunde, Soesmarke

For the broader travel overview: Lolland.