Gamleborg, also known as Gamleborg Viking Fortress, was the first

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

on the Danish island of

Bornholm Bornholm () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. It has usually been ruled by ...

. Built around 750 AD, it was the seat of the kings of Bornholm during the

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

age (750–1050) and early

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

(1050–1150). The massive fortress is long from north to south and wide from east to west, with gates to the north and southwest. Around 1100, significant alterations were made and it was reinforced, but it was abandoned soon afterwards in favour of the fortification of

Lilleborg Lilleborg AS is a major hygiene and Washing, cleaning article company in Norway, owned by the Orkla Group. It was established in 1833, and was one of the first companies in Norway to start manufacturing brand, brand name products. It currently o ...

, roughly to the northeast.

History

The fortress is Bornholm's oldest defence works. Its builder is unknown, but an account of the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

travels of

Wulfstan of Hedeby Wulfstan of Hedeby was a late ninth century traveller and trader. His travel accounts, as well as those of another trader, Ohthere of Hålogaland, were included in the ''Old English Orosius''. It is unclear if Wulfstan was English or indeed if h ...

in 890 tells us that Bornholm already had its own king at the time."Gamleborg"
''Kulturarv.dk''. Retrieved 16 October 2012. There is, however, firm evidence that the fortress was in use during the reigns of

Harald Bluetooth Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson ( non, Haraldr Blátǫnn Gormsson; da, Harald Blåtand Gormsen, died c. 985/86) was a king of Denmark and Norway. He was the son of King Gorm the Old and of Thyra Dannebod. Harald ruled as king of Denmark from c. 95 ...

(940–986) and

Canute IV Canute IV ( – 10 July 1086), later known as Canute the Holy ( da, Knud IV den Hellige) or Saint Canute (''Sankt Knud''), was King of Denmark from 1080 until 1086. Canute was an ambitious king who sought to strengthen the Danish monarchy, ...

(1080–1086)."Gammelborg og Lillebord"
''Naturstyrelsen''. Retrieved 16 October 2012. Gamleborg was used as refuge during the tenth century against Viking raids. Gamleborg was abandoned in 1150, the occupants moving to Lilleborg, only to the northwest. It is not known why the move was made but it does not appear to have been the result of hostilities. Excavations in the 1950s showed the fortifications originated in the Viking period although there is evidence the site was used as a hideout in the Iron Age. The ruins that can be seen today are mainly the result of reconstruction work completed in about 1100.

Architecture

The fortress is in size. Part of the wall, built of rocks and boulders set in clay, is still in good condition, and the outline of the fort is still remarkably clear given its age. The fortress at one time had a moat and outer wall, and the walls on the north and south side were higher, around in height.

Grounds

The fort is located on a hill almost in the centre of the island, part of the

Almindingen Almindingen ("the common") is one of the largest forests in Denmark. It is located in the centre of the island of Bornholm. The forest covers , making it Denmark's third largest. Though it was at one time common grazing land for cattle, it was ...

forest. It is several hundred yards off the main road from

Rønne Rønne ( sv, Rönne) is the largest town on the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. It has a population of 13,807 (1 January 2022). It was a municipality in its own right from 1970 until 2002, when Bornholm was a county (Danish: ''Bornh ...

Svaneke Svaneke (''Swencke'' in 1410, from old Danish ''swan'' swan and ''*wīka'' inlet) is a small town on the eastern coast of the Baltic island of Bornholm, Denmark. It lies mainly in Svaneke parish and partly in Ibsker parish. It is Denmark's east ...

. The site is naturally protected by cliffs, especially on the south side, which are up to in height. A water pool, located on the northwestern side was the main water supply to the fortress. The ruins are situated in mounds. The defences first consisted of huge ramparts built of large boulders, consolidated with earth and clay. There were initially gates to the north and south with additional protection from moats and outer ramparts. There were several buildings for the occupants and their stores. Two stone lined embankments can still be seen aside the west entrance. Outside the old western rampart, the site was fortified with a solid stone wall, long, wide and up to high. The north gate was significantly widened and there was probably a watchtower on the northwest corner of the rampart. The old south gate was walled up and replaced by a larger entrance on the southwest corner.

References

{{Castles in Denmark 750 Buildings and structures completed in the 8th century Ruins in Denmark Forts in Denmark Castles in Denmark Germanic archaeological sites Archaeological sites in Denmark Viking buildings and structures Buildings and structures in Bornholm