ホルベックの天然記念物・トップ5

After the Courthouse you will see a large rock out in the water. It is said that it was an angry troll who threw it at the church in Egebjerg. Firewood and timber for Holbæk, Roskilde and Copenhagen were previously shipped from the beach here. It was both faster and cheaper to transport the logs by boat than by road. In addition to the large, beautiful beech trees that grow all the way to the water, this particular place is known for its blue anemones in April.

The story goes that the legendary King Øre is buried here after he was killed at Kalundborg. According to the legend, he was buried with a gold chain so long that it reached from King Øre's grave to a mound in Stokkebjerg Forest, which is four km from the grave. You have never seen the shadow of the gold chain and the burial mound is from before the time when there were kings in Denmark. The grave is a long dowel that is dated to approx. 3,500 BCE i.e. to the Stone Age. At that time there was no such thing as Kalundborg, and thus hardly any King Øre. The legend has also been associated with the forest's name Kongsøre. Others believe that it is the "King's Islands" - tree-covered hilltops. The name researchers believe that -øre means "gravel beach". The forest was owned by the crown for centuries, and was therefore supposed to be the king's "gravel beach". The mound was restored and got a new capstone in 1937. In one of the southern curbstones you can see bowl marks. Bowl signs are a primitive form of petroglyphs. The bowl signs can be a fertility symbol. On one of the northern stones, a circular mark is carved. However, it is of recent date – made by the Geodetic Institute for use in their surveys.

Prinsehøje are two burial mounds that lie next to each other. Frederik VII, who was very interested in archaeology, had one mound excavated when he was crown prince. Hence the name Prinsehøje. Unfortunately, we do not know what he found in the grave. The excavated mound dates from the Stone Age, approx. 3,500 BCE In the cover stone you can see 19 bowl signs. These are rock carvings – small depressions which are believed to be symbols of fertility. A narrow passage leads into the dowel chamber on the excavated mound. The western mound is probably from the Early Bronze Age, approx. 1800-1000 BCE An old crooked oak grows here. The oak was protected in 1907. Prinsehøje are two of a total of 55 burial mounds in Kongsøre Forest.

A little further north along Isefjordstien you come across Tingstedet, which is in fact a long dolmen from the Neolithic. The name suggests that it was once thought that the stone setting was an old courthouse. Part of the dolmen has crashed down the slope and into the fjord.

From the forest road Gl. Grønlandsvej takes a path up to the left to Torneløkke round dolmen. The round dolmen is from the Peasant Stone Age and is approx. 5,000 years old. It is majestically situated on its hill surrounded by beech trees and is definitely worth a visit. The mound is about 13 meters in diameter. It has been surrounded by a ring of smaller stones and has five supporting stones and a large high-backed deck. In the entrance there are on each side two more stones. The chamber itself is 2x1 meters long. On the inside of the dolmen northwestern supporting stone are six bowl signs - a primitive form of petroglyph that is thought to be a symbol of fertility. Several wheel marks have also been found on the inside of the support stones in the dolmen. They're a little hard to see, but try for yourself!