In Jelling, runestones, burial mounds and a church represent key chapters in Danish history. The monument area can also be explored day and night throughout the year. If you’re planning a stay, you can combine historic inscriptions and buildings with a walk along the white posts or a longer hike.
Runestones and UNESCO Monument
For 1,000 years, the Jelling Stones have symbolised the founding of the Danish nation and Danish identity. The smaller stone dates from around 950 AD. It is the first known instance of the name Denmark appearing within the country’s borders. The Great Jelling Stone tells a different, royal perspective: its inscription records Harald Bluetooth’s claim to have won Denmark and Norway and Christianised the Danes. The statements on the two stones can therefore be read as distinct historical accounts, without confusing their respective contents.
The Jelling Monument comprises two burial mounds, the church, and the small and large runestones. In 1994, the Jelling Monuments became the first Danish site to be added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Their significance extends beyond the inscriptions: the monument is considered the oldest documentation of how and when the Danes were Christianised. To help you find your way around, it is useful to distinguish clearly between the individual elements: the mounds, the church and the two stones together make up the monument, while each inscription conveys its own historical statement.
Jelling Church
Jelling Church was built around 1100 and is the fourth church on this site. A Romanesque building, it is made of travertine, also known as spring limestone. A low western tower was added in the Late Middle Ages. The building thus brings together an early construction date and a later addition. If you’re interested in architecture, take a closer look at how the church’s Romanesque style, building material and western tower work together. These features describe the building without conflating the church with the runestones.
The Viking Age at the Experience Centre
The Kongernes Jelling Experience Centre introduces children and adults to the Viking Age. Topics in the permanent exhibition include impressive buildings, everyday Viking life and the royal dynasty’s pursuit of power. An interactive journey leads from the battlefield across the Bifröst bridge to Valhalla. The centre offers a different perspective from the historical inscriptions: its focus is the Viking Age as a story and how it is presented. Individual exhibitions may change.
The Monument Area and Walking Routes
North of the church, a viewpoint sits on a hill in the monument area. Visitors can follow the route of the 1,440-metre Jelling Palisade around the site, marked by white posts. The Jelling ship setting is 356 metres long and consists of 500 stones. The viewpoint, the line of posts and the ship setting offer different ways to explore the landscape and scale of the monument area. The area can be explored day and night throughout the year.
There are also two time estimates for different routes and modes of transport: the entire Grejsdalstien can be walked in about 3–5 hours; one endpoint of the route is in Jelling. The Medieval Route from Jelling to Lunderskov takes about 2 hours and 25 minutes by bicycle. These estimates refer to different routes and modes of transport, so they are guides for different kinds of planning, not a direct comparison of travel times on the same route.
Another Activity
Jelling Outdoor Pool has a 25-metre pool with diving boards, a children’s pool, a toddler pool and a small water slide. Other facilities include beach volleyball, an inflatable jumping pillow and trampolines. Facilities may change; if the pool is important to your plans, check the details before your visit.
Discover more destinations: Høl, Brejning, Vejle Municipality, Børkop, Vesterlund, Båstlund, Give, Bredsten.
Back to the regional travel overview: Vejle Municipality.
