Tønning church / Tønning kirke, Tyrsting herred, Skanderborg amt.

Tønning Church, ab. 15 km southwest of Skanderborg
Tønning sogn, Tyrsting herred, Skanderborg amt.

The church in Tønning has a Romanesque choir and nave with late Gothic additions: a tower to the west and a porch to the north. The Romanesque building is in granite ashlars . The preserved north door has a straight coverstone with a curved middle section, and the south door is tracable by frame stones. Upon the north side the choir has one, the nave two round arched windows with monolit coverstones, and a couple of similar window stones lie at the porch. Inside is the round choir arch with finely profiled kragsten with rope windings. In the late Gothic period was in choir and nave built cross vaults and the gable-top to the west was re-walled in monk bricks. Shortly after was the tower built, its cross vaulted bottom room opens to the nave in a broad round arch. A modern staircase in a pentagonal stair-house at the north side leads up to the middle storey. The peephole to the east is divided by a pillar with a single capital, but the upper section of the tower is strongly rebuilt in 1770 and 1806. The porch is also late Gothic.



Upon the vault of the nave are frescoes from the building time, rosettes and funny masks. The communion table is covered in a panelwork from 1593 with horseshoe-portals. The altar piece from ab. 1625 in Renaissance, in details much similar to the piece in Rye church. Baluster-shaped Baroque candelabres given 1674 by Gese Heckmann. Romanesque granite font in Horsens-type with lion figures and a low trapeze-shaped foot. A south German bowl 1550-75. A pulpit in late Renaissance was given 1642 by herredsfoged Anders Jensen and wife and its sounding board in 1643 by Martin Lauridsen in Gammelstrup and his wife. Threemaster church ship, "Harbyes Minde" from 1880. A bell without inscription from Renaissance-period. - Grave menorials in the church from 1600s and 1700s.


Gudenå river forms the eastern border of the parish.

A main farm in Gammelstrup belonged to Bo Høg, who lived ab. 1375. His daughter Gunner, widow after hr. Erland Kalf, pawned it in 1411 to her brother's son Lage Christiernsen Rød (Høg); 1485 G. was by law given to the younger Bo Høg's heirs and belonged in 1560 to his daughter's daughter Bege Rosenkrantz, widow after Anders Skeel.

Names in the Middle Ages: Tønning (1411 Tynnyngh, 1456 Tøning); Gammelstrup (1411 Gamælstorpp Hofgardh); Korsballe (* 1472 Korsballj).

Listed prehistorics: 7 hills, of which Låddenhøj at Troelstrup Overgård and Oddeskærhøj at Skovlund in Troelstrup are rather large, the same is another hill, which is placed a litttle east of the previous.
Demolished or destroyed: 47 hills. In the northernest of Trebjergshøje were found a bronze sword and a gold-fingerring from early Bronze Age . In a hill at Troelstrup was a grave from early Roman period with a bronze bowl, baler, sieve, 7 silver needles etc.; in another hill a grave from late Roman period with shield plate, gold ring, gaming pieces, clay vessels, etc.

Source: Trap Danmark, Skanderborg amt, 1964.


photo Tønning kirke 2003: grethe bachmann