Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WORTH A TRIP
GRÅSTEN PALACE
For three weeks each summer the sleepy town of Gråsten (population 4200) is abuzz as
Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik (and usually the extended family) head for some
R&R at their summer residence. When they're not visiting, the lovely
palace gardens
(
from 7.30am year-round) are open to the public (seasonal closing times vary, from 4.30pm in
winter to 8pm in summer).
Gråsten Palace
(
www.slke.dk
; Slotsgade) is on the banks of the lake, Slotssø. It was origin-
ally built in the middle of the 16th century but destroyed by fire in 1603. It was rebuilt, only
to be ravaged by fire again in 1757; in 1842 the main building you see today was construc-
ted, and in 1935 the rights to the castle were handed to the royal family.
The only part of the palace open to the public is the richly adorned
chapel
( 11am-2pm
Wed, 10am-noon Sat, 2-4pm Sun Apr-Oct), built between 1699 and 1702. It's the only section of
the old castle to survive the fire of 1757.
Trains between Kolding and Sønderborg stop at Gråsten (from Sønderborg Dkr40, 12
minutes). Buses 100, 223 and 915X cover the 16km between Gråsten and Sønderborg
(Dkr40).
Sønderborg
Pop 27,400
Sønderborg, nestled on both sides of the Als Sund (Als Sound), nurtures a modern ambien-
ce despite its medieval origins. In the mid-12th century Valdemar I (the Great) erected a
castle fortress along the waterfront and the town has since spread out from there.
To some degree the town has shaped Denmark, acting as the battleground for two wars
against Germany in the middle of the 19th century. In 1864, during the battle of Dybbøl,
Danish forces gathered here while a bombardment of 80,000 German shells paved the way
for the German occupation of Jutland for some 60 years. After WWI the region once again
became Danish soil.
Postwar reconstruction of the city has led to its modern feel and a bombardment of an-
other kind - the annual descent of German and Danish holidaymakers. There's not as
