Lilleborg is a ruined castle in the

Almindingen Almindingen ("the common") is one of the List of forests in Denmark, 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 grazi ...

forest in the centre of the Danish island of

Bornholm Bornholm () is a List of islands of Denmark, 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. I ...

."Lilleborg"
''Bornholm.net''. Retrieved 30 October 2012. It is situated close to the main road from

Rønne Rønne () is the largest town on the Denmark, Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. It has a population of 13,675 (1 January 2025). It was a municipality in its own right from 1970 until 2002, when Bornholm was a Bornholm County, county (D ...

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 easte ...

. Of the Danish fortresses built in the 12th century, Lilleborg most closely resembles those of Saxon architectural style.

History

The castle was probably built in the middle of the 12th century as a royal fortress. It appears to have replaced the much larger fortress of Gamleborg which was only away. The move could be explained by the fact that in 1149, three-fourths of Bornholm had been surrendered to

Eskil Eskil is a town in Aksaray Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey, situated on the southern shore of Lake Tuz. It is the seat of Eskil District Eskil District is a district of Aksaray Province of Turkey. Its seat is the town Eskil.< ...

archbishop of Lund List of (arch)bishops of Lund. Until the Reformation in Denmark, Danish Reformation the centre of a great Latin (arch)bishopric, Lund has been in Sweden since the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658. The Diocese of Lund is now one of thirteen in the Ch ...

. As a result, King

Sweyn III Sweyn III GratheFor the significance of the epithet, see (; – 23 October 1157) was the king of Denmark between 1146 and 1157, in shifting alliances with Canute V and his own cousin Valdemar I. In 1157, the three agreed to a tripartition of ...

wanted to establish his own seat of power on the remaining fourth of the island. While it could not be compared to the archbishop's

Hammershus Hammershus is a medieval era fortification at Hammeren on the northern tip of the Danish island of Bornholm. The fortress was partially demolished around 1750 and is now a ruin. It was partially restored around 1900. History Hammershus was Sc ...

, Lilleborg was nevertheless a fine stronghold and appears to have been easier to defend than the much larger Gamleborg. There is evidence suggesting the fortress burnt down in 1259 when Prince Jaromar of Rügen stormed and destroyed the "king's stronghold" on Bornholm. However, coins minted after that date have been found, indicating it was inhabited after its storming.

Architecture

Lilleborg's construction inland rather than on the coast has been compared to that of Refshaleborg on Borgø in Maribo lake. It had a large tower, square, protecting the entrance to the courtyard. Its walls were thick and from the top it was easy to hit anyone trying to attack. The fortress is further protected by a curtain wall which follows the cliff tops around the oval plateau. The interior was some long and wide. When its defenses were obsolete, the fort's stones were re-purposed for other buildings. From 2006 to 2011, restoration work was carried out at Lilleborg."Lilleborg"
''Den Store Danske''. Retrieved 30 October 2012.

Grounds

It was built on the top of a rocky hill, high and, at the time, completely surrounded by the Borresø lake. It was accessed via a wooden bridge on the south side of the hill which led to a steep path up to the fortress. Positioned away from the coast, as

hill fort A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...

s might be, Lilleborg was characterized as being suitable as a hiding place during sudden attacks, but not efficient for protecting the coastline.

References

{{Authority control Ruins in Denmark Forts in Denmark Castles in Denmark Buildings and structures in Bornholm