Borre, Denmark
Encyclopedia
Borre is a village on the island of Møn
in south-eastern Denmark
. It is located in the eastern part of the island at the foot of a hill leading up to Møns Klint
and Liselund
. With a population of 319 as of 1 January 2011, it is the third largest community on the island after Stege
and Store Damme
. Now part of Vordingborg Municipality, it belongs to Region Zealand.
In the Middle Ages
, Borre was a market town
which owed its prosperity to the herring fishing industry. The drained area now referred to as Borre Sømose was then a navigable inlet
connected to the sea.
with rounded arches. It is probably one of the oldest churches on the island as parts of the nave
and choir are from the first half of the 13th century. The late-Gothic tower, porch and sacristy
from about 1517 are built of brick.
Borre received its privileges as a market town
in 1460. They were reconfirmed in 1488 and 1514.
The first historical reference to Borre is from 1510 when it was plundered by the Lübeck
ers from northern Germany. They burnt down many of the houses and set fire to the church with the result that all its timberwork was destroyed leaving only the bare walls. In 1648, King Frederick III
renewed Borre's privileges as a market town although it had already lost its importance as a trading centre. The herring fishing industry had declined as most of the fish had left the area and the fjord was filling up with sand.
Like many other villages on Møn, at the beginning of the 21st century Borre had a post office, a bank and several shops. The shops have now mostly been taken over by handicraft artists and antique dealers. In Ny Borre, or Holme as it is known locally, there used to be a sugar beet
plant where the raw sugar juice was extracted and sent to the sugar factory in Stege by pipe. There was also an 11-km-long narrow-gauge railway which transported the sugar beets to Borre from the surrounding area with branches to Busemarke, Mandemarke and Råbymagle.
Møn
-Location:Møn is located just off the south-eastern tip of Zealand from which it is separated by the waters of the Hølen strait between Kalvehave and the island of Nyord, at the northern end of Møn. Further south is Stege Bugt...
in south-eastern Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. It is located in the eastern part of the island at the foot of a hill leading up to Møns Klint
Møns Klint
Møns Klint, , is a striking landmark and tourist attraction along the eastern coast of the Danish island of Møn in the Baltic Sea. The bright chalk cliffs stretch some 6 km from the park of in the north to the in the south. Some of the cliffs fall a sheer 120 m to the sea below...
and Liselund
Liselund
Liselund is an 18th-century aesthetically landscaped park, complete with several exotic buildings and monuments. Located close to Møns Klint on the north-eastern corner of the Danish island of Møn, it is deemed to be one of the finest examples in Scandinavia of Romantic English gardening...
. With a population of 319 as of 1 January 2011, it is the third largest community on the island after Stege
Stege
Strege may refer to:*Stege, Denmark*Richard Stege*Stege Creek an alternate name for Baxter Creek, used especially in the Booker T. Washington Park and Stege Marsh areas.*Stege Marsh a wetlands area in Richmond, California...
and Store Damme
Store Damme
Store Damme is a village in Fanefjord Parish on the western part of the Danish island of Møn, Vordingborg Municipality. With a population of 639 it is the second largest community on the island after Stege....
. Now part of Vordingborg Municipality, it belongs to Region Zealand.
In the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, Borre was a market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
which owed its prosperity to the herring fishing industry. The drained area now referred to as Borre Sømose was then a navigable inlet
Inlet
An inlet is a narrow body of water between islands or leading inland from a larger body of water, often leading to an enclosed body of water, such as a sound, bay, lagoon or marsh. In sea coasts an inlet usually refers to the actual connection between a bay and the ocean and is often called an...
connected to the sea.
History
Borre Church was built at the beginning of the 13th century in the Romanesque styleRomanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
with rounded arches. It is probably one of the oldest churches on the island as parts of the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and choir are from the first half of the 13th century. The late-Gothic tower, porch and sacristy
Sacristy
A sacristy is a room for keeping vestments and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.The sacristy is usually located inside the church, but in some cases it is an annex or separate building...
from about 1517 are built of brick.
Borre received its privileges as a market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
in 1460. They were reconfirmed in 1488 and 1514.
The first historical reference to Borre is from 1510 when it was plundered by the Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
ers from northern Germany. They burnt down many of the houses and set fire to the church with the result that all its timberwork was destroyed leaving only the bare walls. In 1648, King Frederick III
Frederick III of Denmark
Frederick III was king of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death. He instituted absolute monarchy in Denmark and Norway in 1660, confirmed by law in 1665 as the first in western historiography. He was born the second-eldest son of Christian IV of Denmark and Anne Catherine of Brandenburg...
renewed Borre's privileges as a market town although it had already lost its importance as a trading centre. The herring fishing industry had declined as most of the fish had left the area and the fjord was filling up with sand.
Like many other villages on Møn, at the beginning of the 21st century Borre had a post office, a bank and several shops. The shops have now mostly been taken over by handicraft artists and antique dealers. In Ny Borre, or Holme as it is known locally, there used to be a sugar beet
Sugar beet
Sugar beet, a cultivated plant of Beta vulgaris, is a plant whose tuber contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production. Sugar beets and other B...
plant where the raw sugar juice was extracted and sent to the sugar factory in Stege by pipe. There was also an 11-km-long narrow-gauge railway which transported the sugar beets to Borre from the surrounding area with branches to Busemarke, Mandemarke and Råbymagle.