In the Middle Ages, there stood a castle on Riberhus Castle Mound, of which ruins still remain. At one time, a four-winged building complex with towers and spires rose here, from which the king’s bailiff or fief holder managed the crown’s interests in the area.
The large mound with its water-filled moats is a well-preserved reminder of the castles that were located in many of the towns in the Middle Ages, but where all traces are usually gone today.
The Surroundings of the Castle
Formerly, Riberhus was surrounded by a large open area facing the town. On the sides away from the town, the castle was well protected by the river and the wet marsh. The open area was meant to ensure that attackers could not approach the castle unseen, but instead would be targets for fire from the castle’s defenders with both cannons and handheld weapons.
The entrance from the town to the castle area took place through a brick-built gate, Pillesport, which stood at the end of Grønnegade, but the exact location is unknown.
The access road to Riberhus was, as it is today, via Erik Menveds Vej and the gravel road. The castle’s cabbage garden lay between Erik Menveds Vej and the river, where villas are located today. Later, this area became a bleaching pond, where linen was spread out to bleach in the sun’s rays.
On the way to the castle, the visitor first came to the stable yard, which was situated on the elongated area north of Riberhus itself. Today there are allotment gardens here, but in the 15th and 16th centuries, there were a series of large half-timbered stables on the site.
As today, the original access road to the castle was on the north side. Previously there was a drawbridge with eight masonry pillars, which led to a gatehouse that gave access to a cobbled courtyard surrounded by the castle’s wings. Braunius’ prospect from 1585 probably provides a good impression of Riberhus’ appearance at that time.
From the top of the eight-meter-high castle mound, one can still experience the abrupt clash between town and country, which was previously a characteristic feature of market towns. There is a beautiful view over both Ribe River, the marsh and Ribe’s medieval town center dominated by the cathedral.
Medieval Riberhus
Riberhus was established in 1268 by King Erik Klipping. Excavations in the southern access canal have revealed edge protection consisting of driven oak posts, which were felled in the winter of 1268/69.
The castle was built at the same time as Koldinghus with the purpose of fortifying the kingdom’s border against the Duchy of Schleswig. As a royal castle, its purpose was to safeguard and manage the king’s interests in the area. Fees, taxes, and fines from citizens and farmers were collected from the castle, whose daily operations were managed by the lord of the fief, who in several cases is known to have been a local magnate.
Christian III’s Riberhus
Riberhus Castle was heavily modernized in the mid-1500s, when King Christian III transformed the medieval castle mound into its current square form. The mound measures 100×100 m and is surrounded by more than 20 m wide, water-filled moats.
At three of the four corners, circular extensions, so-called rondells, were placed, which were equipped with cannons. The rondells had thick brick walls, and the entire base of the mound was surrounded by a strong brick wall.
The castle mound received its current appearance after an excavation campaign in 1940-41, when the entirely overgrown moat was cleared, and a number of building remains were uncovered. Most visible is the so-called Scribe’s Tower, which may date all the way back to the castle’s founding in 1268.
After the Danish-Swedish wars in the 1600s, the castle fell out of use and deteriorated. Riberhus was demolished, and the materials were reused in other buildings. The king’s representative, now with the title of Diocesan Governor, moved to the former Knights Templar monastery, Korsbrødregaard, which today is the bishop’s residence.
Manor Farms
The castle also included a large manor farm, where the castle’s supplies were cultivated. In the Middle Ages, it was a large farm northwest of the town called Segeberg.
After the Reformation, the town’s former nunnery was assigned this role. The monastery was located just east of the railway station at the beginning of the Tange Quarter, which was previously called the Manor Farm’s Fields.
The castle also had an orchard with apple trees, which was located in the southern part of the town near the Southern Gate.
Queen Dagmar
At the bank’s southern corner, a bronze statue of Valdemar Sejr’s first queen, the Bohemian princess Dagmar, was erected in 1913 by the sculptor Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen. The reason for placing the statue here was the folk ballads’ dubious mention of the queen’s sickbed and death in the year 1212 in Ribe.
In 1906, the Danish author Thor Lange had the idea that Ribe should in some way erect a memorial to Queen Dagmar. His proposal was taken up by some women from Ribe, who formed a committee to raise funds for a memorial for Queen Dagmar. They contacted the sculptor Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen, as they wanted her to design the statue.
A few years earlier, Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen had made three bronze doors for Ribe Cathedral.
In 1913, the statue of Queen Dagmar was inaugurated at Slotsbanken. Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen and her husband, the composer Carl Nielsen, and their children were all present at the unveiling of the statue.
Every day at 12:00 and 15:00, the carillon in Ribe Cathedral plays the melody for the folk ballad about Queen Dagmar: ‘Queen Dagmar lies ill in Ribe’.