Hover church /Hover kirke, Hind herred, Ringkøbing amt.

Hover Church, ab. 12 km northeast of Ringkøbing  
Hover sogn, Hind Herred, Ringkøbing amt.

The small church in Hover is often referred to as an almost unchanged Romanesque village church. The Romanesque building is built in granite ashlars, the south door is in use with decorations in the frame and a straight-edged cover stone. The bricked-up north door is also straight-edged and placed longer to the west than the south door. The choir has one window to the north, the nave two small round arched windows in use, while one in the south side of the nave is bricked-up as an inside niche. The inside of the church has ashlar walls and beamed ceilings, the choir arch has profiled kragbånd. The western gable of the nave was after a storm in 1771 re-walled and is supported by a heavy pillar. The white-washed porch at the south side is in ashlars and monk bricks, and the heavy walls indicate that it belongs to the reformation-period.


Upon the triumph wall are funny frescoes from the late 1500s, restored in 1910. The original communion table is walled in ashlars. A simple altarpiece with rests of a Renaissance altarpiece. Baroque brass-candelabres ab. 1650. Late Gothic priest- and parish clerk stool with large crucifers upon the gables. Upon the priest chair a Renaissance gable. A Romanesque granite font with arcade and rope ornamentation and rests of old paint. South German bowl from ab. 1575. Upon a pew gable a picture of a crossbow and the year 1575, the other pews are from 1930. A heavy, iron bound, probably late medieval church coffin. The small bell ,which hangs high upon the east gable, is probably late Gothic.


Hover Å

Names in the Middle Ages and 1600s:
Hover (1330-48 Houer); Muldbjerg (1449 Mulberg); Tovstrup (1618 Thoustrup); Kirkegårde (1610 Wed Kiercken); Hover Gårde (*1494 Hoffuergaard); Hjelm (1610 Hielmb); Tarp ( 1610 Taarp); Hoverdal (* 1473 Hoffuerdall); Hedegård (1610 Hiede); Vadstrup (1610 Wastruf); Gade (1664 Gaade).

In Muldbjerg is in 1533 mentioned Laurids Jensen, who probably was of nobility.

In 1578 is mentioned Ove Skram of Hovergård. In 1688 it was under Voldbjerg.

In the parish was a village Vesterby (1624 Westerbye), which in 1688 had 4 farms. Furthermore a farm Næsthusgård (1483 Nesthusgaard.)

Listed prehistorics: 39 hills, and the longhill Muldhøj at Muldbjerg. This last mentioned, which is 41 m long and 4 m high, is formed by a connection of two round hills. Here was in 1883 found an oak coffin from early Bronze Age with a well-preserved male dress, cape, shirt, cap and a sword, from the unburned body were only left hair and nails. To the west in the parish are Kvindhøjene, 7 hills of which one is rather large. It connects to the hills at Bratbjerg in Hee parish. North of Hover Church is a pretty group pf 3 hills (and 5 over-ploughed). In Omme bakker are 5 Ravnsbjerg hills.
Demolished or destroyed: 47 hills. In a hill at Tovstrup were found a war axe and 3 pretty clay vessels from dyssetid. (dysse=dolmen) In a document from 1808 is mentioned that there was a "jyndown" (=dolmen) probably at Hjelm.

Source: Trap Danmark, Ringkøbing amt, 1965.


One-man-car at Hover Church


Photo Hover kirke 2003/2006: grethe bachmann

Lysgård Church, Lysgård herred, Viborg amt

Lysgård Church, ab. 12 km south of Viborg
Lysgård sogn, Lysgård herred, Viborg amt.

The church is a Romanesque ashlar-building without a tower, it consist of choir and nave and a newer porch to the south. In the very re-walled building are few old details, like the straight-edged south door and the round choir arch with profiled kragbånd. In front of the porch lies a round arched tympanum from the north door and at the western dike of the church yard are three monolit cover stones from round arched windows. All roof gables are re-newed; the choir gable is half-timbered. The porch is white-washed, the rest stands in blank wall with small round arched iron windows from the 1800s; the church has plaster ceilings and tiled roofs.





Walled communion table. A simple altarpiece, probably from 1698 with a new painting. Altar chalice from 1750. Brass altar candelabres, given 1835 by C. Christensen in Neder Testrupgård. A Romanesque granite font with basin upon a square foot with human heads on the corners. South German baptismal bowl ab. 1575, a pewter baptismal jar ab.1600s with a relief on the lid. A small late Gothic crucifix ab. 1475 above the choir arch, with new cross and colours. A pulpit in Renaissance ab. 1600, (similar to Vium church). Neo Gothic pews from the end of the 1800s. A small money box with iron mounting. Late Romanesque church bell from 1200s, with strange relief-medaillons. Several memorial tablets from 1700s and 1800s.


Bindstow, St. St. Blicher Museum.

Upon the large Lyshøj, from which is a magnificent view across the parish, was in 1883 put up a memorial stone in granite for St. St. Blicher, who was priest in Torning-Lysgård 1819-25. A small half-timbered house close to the church is a museum for St. St. Blicher.

Names in the Middle Ages and 1600s:
Lysgård (* 1452 Lyusgardt); Sjørup (* 1470 Siørup); Bisballe(*1513 Biszballe); Katballe (*1467 Katballe); Knækkeborg (1580 Kneckeborig Lund, 1664 Knecheborg); Over Testrup (* 1513 Testrup, 1546 Offuer Testrvp); Neder Testrup (* 1513 Testrup, 1577 Neder Thestrup); Ballehus (1683 Ballehusz).

Listed prehistorics: 14 hills, of which several are rather large; just north of Lysgård upon the highest point of the parish is the large Lyshøj with the Blicher-monument; other large hills are Rishøj at Over Testrup, 2 hills at Katballe and one northwest of Lysgård.
Demolished or destroyed: 26 hills, a large part of them were in the high area, which goes from Skelhøje down to the group in Havredal plantation; a part of these hills are excavated and contained mainly Stone Age's single graves.

Source: Trap Danmark, Viborg amt, 1962


photo Lysgård kirke/Bindstow 2002: grethe bachmann

Frederiks church / Frederiks kirke, Lysgård herred , Viborg amt.

Frederiks Church, 17 km southwest of Viborg
Frederiks sogn, Lysgård herred, Viborg amt.

The church was built in 1766 as a longhouse, in 1866 it was equipped with a roof gable to the west with a bricked-up bell gallow and a porch. The building is white washed with iron windows, red tiled roofs and a plaster loft between the beams.
The communion table is walled. A Baroque altar piece with free pillars between postament- and friezes and with top-consols with the year 1766 and a restoration in 1930. Altar candelabres 1766. New altar rails. A monstrous granite baptismal font replaced in 1949 the earlier zink-font. A pewter baptismal bowl and jar from 1758. A simple pulpit from 1766 with a contemparory entrance and sounding board. Pews from the end of the 1800s. A small iron bound money coffin (like in Sjørslev Church). The church yard is marked by German family names .



Names in the Middle Ages: Årestrup (* 1414 Aarestrup).

The real Alhede (the old Jutland Heath) is in the parishes Frederiks, Karup, Resen and in some of Thorning parish, even though the name also is used about the large heaths on both sides of Karup Aa, and about the large heaths in Haderup and Groue parish in Ringkøbing amt. In 1759 the Danish government sent for about 1000 people (265 families) from the areas around Rhinen and Main, to cultivate Alheden. After the heather was burnt, buckwheat was sowed first, later rye and then potatoes. The situation was difficult for the families in general, and many went back to Germany. In 1768 were only 49 families left (241 people), living in the towns Havredal and Grønhøj. With economic support from the Danish State they succeeded in taking care of themselves. They grew famous for their potatoes and were named Kartoffeltyskerne. The church language in the parish was German until 1856 and since 1870 only Danish. The colonists became independent since 1852, and many were fairly wealthy people; they gave up the German language and became an integrated part of the population.

Listed prehistorics: 57 hills, and the long dolmen Jens Langknivs Hule in Ulvedal plantage; the dolmen is 34 m long and has two chambers and 66 edge stones, it contained a flint dagger and a heavy bronze bracelet. A couple of the hills are rather large: Store Ståhøj, the most southern of the group in Havredal Plantage, and Tinghøj south of Årestrup. In Havredal Plantage is a long group of 32 hills, mainly single grave hills from Stone Age.
Demolished or destroyed: 58 hills, of which a large part was stretching from Skelhøje through Lysgård parish to the mentioned group in Havredal Plantage; many are excavated and they mainly contained single graves from Stone Age.

Source: Trap Danmark, Viborg amt, 1962


photo Frederiks kirke 2003: grethe bachmann

Dollerup church / Dollerup kirke and Hald, Nørlyng herred, Viborg amt.

Dollerup church, 10 km south of Viborg
Dollerup sogn, Nørlyng herred, Viborg amt.

Interior


Late Gothic crucifix


The church yard


The church bell cast by Borchard Gellgieter 1601


Dollerup church upon the hill

Dollerup Church is high and lonely situated in a hilly area in the middle of the broad system of roads Hærvejen which runs through Jutland to the border. East of the church was earlier a square place surrrounded by earth banks where only one bank is preserved today, supposedly a fold for the cattle when resting.

Dollerups history dates back to the late Viking period, and the Romanesque building is from ab. 1200 in granite ashlars. Nave and chorus were extended later and a porch from the beginning af the 1600s was added to the gable where the church bell is placed high upon the wall. The church bell was cast by Borchard Gellgieter in 1601. A thympanum from an old portal is since 1876 walled-in on the south wall, and remains from another portal are now in the north side of the porch at the present entrance to the church. The church yard has heavy stone dikes, the earliest part is a half prehistoric field.

Inside are beamed ceilings. The altar piece and pulpit are Renaissance. A brickwork projection in the south east corner of the nave was possibly a side altar but is now supporting the pulpit. In the south wall of the chorus is a niche possibly once used for a relique or as an outlet for the holy water. A money chest is now placed in the niche. Upon the wall hangs a late Gothic crucifix. The church was renovated in 1958. The Romanesque granite font is marked by a bad cut up in 1879. It has a plain basin upon a profiled foot with male heads in four corners.

Dollerup church was once in danger of being demolished together with the church in Finderup. Godsejeren ( Lord of the Manor) upon Hald 'The Mad Schinkel' wanted to build a new church by his manor instead. He was then allowed to close down the two churches on condition that he built them again in a better state of repair. Luckily this did not happen. (Instead he extended Finderup church and gave it a tower. see Finderup church)

Hald

The fourth Hald, bishop Jørgen Friis' Hald
Dollerup sogn, Nørlyng herred, Viborg amt.

Names in the Middle Ages and 1600s:
Dollerup (1516-18 Doldrvp, Doldrop); Fallesgårde (1664 Fallinds Gaard, 1688 Falleds Gaard); Stanghede (1525 Stange Hee); Nonbo (1516-18 Noyndbo(o), 1538 Nundboo); Hald (* 1346 Hald); Non Mølle (1516-18 Noyndbo mølle), 1541 Nwnmølle); Dollerup Mølle( 1594 Dolerup Mølle).

Hald Manor, one of the Danish manors with a long and dramatic history. Hald was owned by hr. Ludwig Albertsen (Eberstein) (+1328), whose daughter Margrethe sold her part of Hald to her brother Peder Ludwigsen Eberstein. In 1345 Peder pawned his 2 parts of Hald to Ridder Niels Bugge (+1359) and Niels Bugge bought 1346 the whole estate. Valdemar Atterdag bought Hald from Niels Bugge's son-in-law Ridder Gottskalk Skarpenberg. Hald was pawned to Timme Limbek from whom Queen Margrethe redeemed it in 1387. She gave Hald Castle and Estate to the bishop in Viborg with the provision that the castle had to be demolished and the materials used for the cathedral in Viborg. Hald Castle was rebuilt by bishop Jørgen Friis. After the reformation Hald Castle and Estate went to the Crown and was a seat for the vassals on Hald. Today it is an international education center.

There are three important medieval castle banks at Hald.
1) The earliest, Brattingsborg is placed upon a slope field at the lake Hald sø. No ruins.
2) The second Hald, named Niels Bugge's Hald is placed by the coast of the lake south west of the present manor. No ruins.
3) The third Hald was built by bishop Jørgen Friis and is placed upon a foreland in the lake east of the present manor and below the first Hald. There is a tower and some ruins at Jørgen Friis' Hald.

In the garden south of the present main building were found rests of the fourth Hald built in the beginning of 1700 by Gregers Daa.

The fifth Hald, the present main building was built in 1789 in red bricks in a simple neo classic style.

Listed prehistorics: 37 hills of which several are rather large: a hill west of and two southwest of Stanghede and Oleshøj at Skelhøje, where were once a large group of 22 hills, now only two hills left.
Demolished or destroyed: A stone cist in Guldborgland Plantage, now moved to Viborg Museum, and 85 hills, of which a large part belonged to a row of hills from east of Fallesgård, passing Skelhøje down through Frederiks and Lysgård parish. Another row of hills goes through Viborg Hedeplantage and through Finderup and Ravnstrup parish and forms the beginning of the large prehistoric road which reaches the North Sea south of Bovbjerg.

Source: Trap Danmark, Viborg amt. 1962.


A view to the lake Hald Sø from Dollerup Bakker

Dollerup Bakker is a very popular recreation area with nature paths winding through hills and forests and with some magnificent view points. The whole area around Hald Sø is listed. Most of the Danish forest types are seen here, the special Hald Egeskov (oak) with crooked old trees and a beautiful old beech forest upon Inderøen, (the inner island) by the lake. The hills are grazed by cattle, horse and sheep. Hill, meadow, heather, forest, lake, river valley and lots of winding nature paths. At Hald Hovedgaard is in the big barn an exhibition showing the nature and culture of the area. The barn also functions as a resting place for hikers and there are possibilities for fishing at the lake. Opposite the second Hald, Niels Bugges Hald which is seen as a circular fortification system is Niels Bugges Kro (the Inn) with a good kitchen. (where they sell fishing cards for the lake). Close to the road between Hald and Dollerup village is the Ice House in the hills, where there's both food, drinks and ice etc. Have a nice trip!


photo Hald 1999 & Dollerup kirke May 2006: grethe bachmann