Tonder Tourist Attractions
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JutlandThe town of Tønder is situated in the fenland of South Jutland, north of the Danish-German border.HistoryAbout 1130 the place is mentioned as being "a good harbor". At that time the town had access to the North Sea, thanks to a river (the Vidå) with a good depth of water.
Christ Church
The Late Gothic Christ Church (Kristkirke) was built of brick in 1591. Note the tower with its octagonal spire, which had formed part of an earlier church. The richly decorated interior boasts an altar table of 1696, a pulpit of 1586 and a font of Belgian marble, as well as 17th and 18th C. tombs of leading merchants of Tønder and their families.
City Museum (South Jutland Art Museum)
In the 16th C. gatehouse of Tønderhus Castle, which was pulled down in 1750, and in a more recent building are housed the Tønder Museum and the South Jutland Art Museum. In the former, the municipal museum, can be seen 17th and 18th C. silverwork, lace and Dutch tiles and porcelain, as well as a "Kagmand", a wooden figure with a cane which once stood in the marketplace; at one time anyone who had committed a crime was tied to a post (kag) and publicly whipped.In the Art Museum are exhibited works by contemporary Danish painters and sculptors.
Surroundings
Mogeltonder
Møgeltønder, a few miles west of Tønder, is a very old town, with thatched brick houses and cobbled streets. The church has one of the oldest organs in the country.
Schackenborg
Slotsgade in Mogeltonder leads to Schackenborg Manor; originally Baroque, the buildings in their present form date from the 19th C. In 1660 the house was bought by Marshal Hans Schack and since then has been privately owned.
Rudbol
Southwest of Møgeltønder lies the frontier village of Rudbøl; since 1920 the Danish-German border has run right through the middle of the village. In Sebüll, on the German side, is the Nolde Museum. Nolde, actually Emil Hansen, was born near Bylderup-Bov in Nolde in 1867; he died in 1956.
Hojer
Højer, on the coast northwest of Møgeltønder, has an interesting Romanesque church. After Tønder had been cut off from the sea as the result of the construction of a dike, Hojer developed into a cattle-exporting port.Near Højer stands a 30m/98ft high windmill of 1857, which now houses a museum and a restaurant (opening times given). Also of interest is the Flood Column near the sluice, on which are marked the water levels reached during all known floods which have occurred here; the last one was on January 3, 1976, when the dike broke its banks and Tønder had to be evacuated.
Logum Abbey, Logumkloster
The village of Løgumkloster, 18 km/11 mi north of Tønder, grew up around Løgum Abbey. After Tønder, Løgumkloster was for a long time the second largest lace-making center in the country. The former Cistercian abbey, founded in 1144 in an uninhabited and marshy plain, is now an ecclesiastical administrative center.
Church
Of the old Løgum Abbey buildings only a part of the east wing - including the chapter house, sacristy, library and church - remains. The abbey church (1230-1330) is impressive, with spacious Early Gothic pointed windows and beautiful pillars. The original whitewashed walls were revealed only when restoration work was carried out early this century. Inside can be seen a winged altar (ca. 1500), sumptuous choir-stalls, a reliquary with wings and a Gothic triumphal cross (ca. 1300).Opposite the main building, the "Refugium", stands a 25m/80ft high tower with a carillon, which is heard at 8 and 11 am, 3, 5, 6.30 and 9 pm.
Logumkloster Country Fair
This annual country fair is one of the biggest in Denmark. The fair runs for three days in mid-August and includes a fireworks display, a horse fair, an amusement park and a flea market.
Løgumkloster - Art Museum
At Østergade 13 in Løgumkloster is an Art Museum dedicated to the artist and sculptress Olivia Holm-Møller (1875-1970).
