Torkilstrup, also Torkildstrup, is a little village some southeast of

Nørre Alslev Nørre Alslev () is a town with a population of 2,363 (1 January 2025) ...

Falster Falster () is an island in south-eastern Denmark with an area of and 43,398 inhabitants as of 1 January 2010.

. It is best known for

Torkilstrup Church Torkilstrup Church () is located in the village of Torkilstrup some 7 km (4 mi) southeast of Nørre Alslev, on the Denmark, Danish island of Falster. It is built of hewn fieldstone rather than brick, indicating it is one of the oldest ch ...

, one of the island's oldest churches, built before 1160.Kirsten Weber-Andersen, Otto Norn, Aage Roussell, Gertrud Købke Knudsen, "Tingsted Kirke"
''Danmarks kirker: Maribo amt, Volume 8'', 1951, Nationalmuseet, pages 1130–1147. Retrieved 27 November 2012. The adjacent Torkilstrup Rectory and Torkilstrup Windmill are both on the Danish registry of protected buildings and places.

History

Torkilstrup is one of several villages, or ''torper'', which were established between 1000 and 1250 to accommodate populations from neighbouring villages. There are 15 such villages in the region that originally had names ending in ''-torp'', which over time evolved to ''-rup'' or ''trup''.Sven Thorsen, "375 - 43 Torkilstrup landsby"
, Museum-Online. Retrieved 3 December 2012. With sections dating from the second half of the 12th century, Torkilstrup Church is well furnished. It is built of limestone and boulders, and is surrounded by a churchyard. It is located close to Gundslevmagle from where Torkilstrup's inhabitants first came. In the mid-13th century, more than half of Torkilstrup belonged to one man, probably already living in Torkilstrupgård, which was first documented in 1452. It burnt down in 1662 although sections of its moat can still be seen. From 1662, the Crown owned all the farms in the village. After they were sold into private ownership in 1766, Torkilstrup came under Skørringe. Torkilstrup is a good example of an irregular roadside community, whereas Gundslevmagle is an excellent example of a fully regular roadside village. The village has three important 18th-century buildings: the riding school (1722), the

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, p ...

(1763) and the

post mill The post mill is the earliest type of European windmill. Its defining feature is that the whole body of the mill that houses the machinery is mounted on a single central vertical post. The vertical post is supported by four quarter bars. These ar ...

(first documented 1655, rebuilt 1743), the last two being listed. The riding school was built during the time of Frederick IV on the crown's equestrian grounds.

The village today

Three of the old farmhouses with their outhouses can still be seen on Torkilstrupvej. Most of the other buildings date from the end of the 19th century. The

windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

is one of only ten

s in Denmark which still stand in their original setting. Constructed in the mid 17th century, the post mill windmill was rebuilt in 1743, and was in service until 1945; it now serves as a windmill museum. The old bakery and the food store have now both closed. The village still has a community centre (''forsamlingshus'') from 1903.

Notable people

* Hans Munch (1654 in Torkilstrup - 1712) a Danish-Norwegian theologian and priest. *

Bernhard Severin Ingemann Bernhard Severin Ingemann (28 May 1789 – 24 February 1862) was a Danish novelist and poet. Biography Ingemann was born in Torkilstrup, on the island of Falster, Denmark. The son of a vicar, he was left fatherless in his youth. He atten ...

(1789 in Torkilstrup – 1862), novelist and poet.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Torkilstrup Falster Villages in Guldborgsund Municipality