Børglum Abbey

Nordjylland, Vendsyssel · Denmark · Monastery

The bishops of Børglum ruled Vendsyssel with an iron hand — and in one particular room, the dead canons are said to still appear.

For four hundred years the bishops of Børglum ruled from this hill above the plains of Vendsyssel, with their own courts, their own power and a reputation for ruthlessness that outlived the Reformation. The abbey's legend concerns the dead canons: in one specific room the deceased clergy were said to show themselves, and it was told that the bishop of the diocese had seen them himself. The story was so well established that Hans Christian Andersen already knew of it when he arrived in the summer of 1859 and stayed eleven nights here. He sought out the room, examined it and found nothing — yet later wrote one of his darkest tales about the bishop of Børglum and his kinsman. Today you walk whitewashed vaults where your own footsteps are the only sound.

FAQ

Where is Børglum Abbey located?

Børglum Abbey is in Nordjylland, Vendsyssel, Denmark.

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Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.

Image: Matthias Schalk, Germany / CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons