Kalundborg, Denmark
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fleet used to assemble before embarking on punitive expeditions, the fortified town of Kalundborg burgeoned in the 12th C. It was surrounded on all sides by walls and had a strongly defended castle, the towers of which included the "Folen", Denmark's largest medieval tower. In 1285 the fortress was sacked by pirates.

In the 13th C. Kalundborg carried on extensive maritime trade. The oldest town privileges date from 1485. After Valdemar Atterdag had taken Kalundborg about 1340 he razed the old castle to the ground and replaced it with a larger one in the east of the town. It was here that the "Danehof" (later the parliament) met between the 14th and 17th centuries, and the king often stayed in Kalundborg. By the end of the Middle Ages the town's halcyon days were over. From 1658 to 1660 Swedish troops occupied the town, and the castle was taken by them and blown up.

Since 1684 ships have been sailing twice a week between Kalundborg and Århus; after 1874 a rail link was formed with Copenhagen and trade was established with Norway and England. At the end of the 19th C. various industries were set up in Kalundborg.

Kalundborg is noted for its five-spired church and the Lerchenborg home, considered the best example of Rococo architecture in Denmark. The home is found on the outskirts of Kalundborg.