Brande church/ Brande kirke, Nørvang herred, Vejle amt.

The whitewashed, tiled church in Brande has a cernel of a Romanesque choir and nave with a late Gothic tower to the west. The church is strongly marked by a rebuild in 1939, where it was extended with a side-nave and a sacristy to the north. The Romanesque building, the choir and nave, are built in granite ashlars upon a bevel plinth. From original details are three Romanesque windows, one to the east, and a bricked-up window the north and one to the south. The round choir-arch has kragsten, but is very scrapped.  In the rebuild was for a short period built a cross-vault in the choir, and the barrel-vault of the nave was replaced by a beamed ceiling. Most of the north wall was removed, and a side-nave was built, which outside has three pointed gables, added with a sacristy at the northside with a fourth pointed gable. In the southdoor was inserted a new pillar-portal with a "Romanesque" tympanum, and the porch from the reformation period was rebuilt. The late Gothic tower, which was only marked little by the rebuild in 1939, has a cross-vaulted bottom room, which opens to the nave in a pointed tower-arch. Its wallwork was mainly rebuilt in 1724 and probably also in 1737.

Brande church, photo Google Earth.

The brick communion table has a reliquary. It is covered by a panelwork from 1624 with biblical paintings. The altarpiece is a carved work in slightly blurred Renaissance with large evangelist figures. It is probably contemporary to the panel of the communion table;  it has original paintings. Brass candelabres in Baroque, balustershaped with big ball joints. A seven-branched candle-stick, given in 1946 by R. and J. Søndergaard. A wrougth iron kneeler from 1939. The Romanesque granite font, which is brutally dismantled, has a smooth basin with a profiled edge and a cubic foot. An engraved Netherland dish ab. 1625 with a lion in a band with inscription: D. Henricus Coster. A pulpit in Renaissance from the beginning of the 16th century with the coat of arms of Kaas. Upon the corner evangelist figures and in the fields biblical reliefs. Upon a stool gable inscriptions: Hans Lange, Karen Clausdatter, 1604 ( owners of Brandholm). A small crucifix group from the 1600s. An apostle group in alabaster in the sacristy is probably an Italian work from the Baroque period. In the new side-nave is a door wing from ab. 1550 with a post hinge. Two bells, both cast by "De Smithske Støberier", Aalborg, one from 1948 in the memory of 5/5 1945. In the tower room some coffin plates. In the porch two worn-out 1700s gravestones.

Filialkirken i Skærlund (a branch church) built 1895-96 in red bricks. Altar decoration a simple wooden cross. A South German baptismal dish from ab. 1550-75 with the coat of arms of Habsburg.

Filialkirken i Uhre,  (a branch church),  built 1917-20 in red bricks. Inventory in typical skønvirke-stil ( art Noveau).  

Brandholm was owned by Peder Terkelsen Væbner, who got it with his wife Else Juul. He died in 1587 the last male of his family, and B. was inherited by his paternal cousin's son Claus Strangesen of Nørholm (+ 1596), who was also the last male of his family. His son-in-law Hans Lange of Lunderup sold B. to Bendix Rantzau (+ ab. 1616), who was written of the farm in 1608-09. In 1608 his father-in-law Albert Skeel killed the manager of the farm,  and he was executed in 1609, his daughter Kirsten Skeel later married Peder Bille of Lindved, she owned in 1610 part of B. The farm went to Jørgen Below of Hastrup (+ childless 1628), whose sister Sophie Below (+ 1641) in 1631 sold it to her son-in-law Otte Gøye, who at once exchanged it to his brother Eskil Gøye for his part in Tureby. In 1638 the farm still belonged to Eskil Gøye, but in 1641 to Herluf Mormand, who in 1647 had to pawn it to his children Henrik, Sibylle and Birgitte Gøye, the last mentioned's husband Henning Quitzow and the two first mentioned got in 1661 deed on it from Claus Sparre of St. Tanggård. B. had been demolished during the war. (Swedish wars) Henrik Gøye died unmarried in 1668, Henning Quitzow was judged from the farm because of tax debt, but he got it back in 1670 from the king, and his widow laid it in 1682 out to her sister Sibylle Gøye and her husband Conrad v Hövelen, who also had it judged from him. They got it back in 1687 and gave it at once to their son-in-law Niels Parsberg (+ 1710), whose son Preben Parsberg still owned it in 1717.
Later owners: Christen Nielsen of Assersbøl, Jens Nielsen Skjærlund, Claus Cordtsen, Johan Arensberg in Hvejsel, Jens Risom in Brande, Christen Handrup, Niels Pedersen Hvidberg, Laurids Jensen Brande, Niels Jensen Kiersgaard, Otte Arrevad, Th. Chr. Christensen (the last mentioned in 1860.)

Hr. Lars Jonsen (Panter) gave in 1329 the farm Lund for a præbende to Ribe domkirke. (Ribe cathedral)
(præbende = income).

Peder Esgersen (Bryning) deeded in 1420 the farm Dørslund to the bishopric in Ribe. 

Brande town with vicarage almost burnt down in 1780.

 old lignite deposits

at the old power station

Near Brande are large lignite deposits.

Listed prehistorics: 101 hills and 4 longhills; several hills are large, at Brandlund lies the 5 m high Store Stendalshøj and 3 other large hills. Upon the top of Sandfeld Bjerge (a hillside) is a large hill in Hundehøj plantation called Hundehøj, at Dørslund the hill Sortehøj; south of Uhre Brogårdshøj and Pasbjerg, at Flø Heath a large flat hill in a group of 17 hills. Northwest of Dørslund lies a group of 11 hills, and at Lundfod close to the eastern parish  border a group of 6 hills.

Demolished or destroyed: 142 hills, a big part of these hills were single graves, several have been excavated.

At Uhre was found an amber jewelry from Stone Age. From Pedersborg origins a Bronze Age sacrifice jewelry find: brosche and hængekar (for the belt).

Names from the Middle Ages and 1600s:
Brande (1329 Brynied, ab. 1330 Brvnld, late 1300s Brønyld, 1438 Brunlæ, 1567 Brandle); St. Langkær (1524 Langker Mark, 1610 Langkier); Skærlund (1638 Skierlund); Uhre (1329 Vræ, 1610 Wffre); Brandlund (1329 Lund, 1610 Brandlund); Dørslund (1420 Dysling, Døseling); Flø (1610 Fløe); Blæsbjerg (1664 Bleszbierre); Lundfod (1632 Lundtfoed); Arvad (1638 Arrevad); Grarup (1488 Graarup); Skerris (1573 Skerrits); Nørre Askær (1610 Askier, 1683 Nørre Askier); Sønder Askær (1683 Synder Arszkier); Hyvild (1578 Hyffuitgaard, 1638 Hyvild); Risbjerg (1524 Riisberre Mark, 1610 Riisberj); Tarp (1638 Tarp, 1664 Thorp); Sandfeld (1610 Sandfeild); Sandfeld Bjerge (1664 Bierre, 1683 Sandfeld bierge); Brande Harrild (1352 Harride, 1610 Harild, 1664 Wester Harild); Lille Langkær (1638 Lill Langkier); Alkærlund (1664 Algierlundt); Kragsighuse (1329 Braksuk, late 1300s Kraaksik); Brandholm (1638 Braandholm); Usseltoft (1664 Wszelltofft); Husumgård (1664 Huszum); Brogård (1664 Brødgaard, 1683 Broegaard).  
   
Source: Trap Danmark, Vejle amt, 1964.

3 x photo Brande 2006: grethe bachmann
1 x photo from Google Earth.