Glimmingehus
Even more than Kivik and Backakra , this is the top attraction in the area. The somewhat Gothic castle, built between 1499 and 1505, appears much as it did at the time of its construction. Nearly all other such castles in Sweden are in ruins or else have been extensively tampered with -- so this one is for purists. This majestic edifice was constructed by Adam van Büren for a member of the Danish aristocracy, who demanded strong fortresslike walls and tiny windows. Naturally the fortress had a moat. In time, the aristocrats, finding the castle far too austere, moved out -- and the rats moved in. There were so many rats here at one time that Selma Lagerlöf, in her book The Wonderful Adventures of Nils, describes an epic battle between the gray and the black rats. Like a Pied Piper, the fictional Nils lures away the gray rats by playing from his enchanted pipe, plucked from a wise old owl who inhabited the tower of Lund Cathedral. Swedish schoolchildren still read this adventure story today.
Even more than Kivik and Backakra , this is the top attraction in the area. The somewhat Gothic castle, built between 1499 and 1505, appears much as it did at the time of its construction. Nearly all other such castles in Sweden are in ruins or else have been extensively tampered with -- so this one is for purists. This majestic edifice was constructed by Adam van Büren for a member of the Danish aristocracy, who demanded strong fortresslike walls and tiny windows. Naturally the fortress had a moat. In time, the aristocrats, finding the castle far too austere, moved out -- and the rats moved in. There were so many rats here at one time that Selma Lagerlöf, in her book The Wonderful Adventures of Nils, describes an epic battle between the gray and the black rats. Like a Pied Piper, the fictional Nils lures away the gray rats by playing from his enchanted pipe, plucked from a wise old owl who inhabited the tower of Lund Cathedral. Swedish schoolchildren still read this adventure story today.
Details
Bookstore
Available as paperback
and as e-book.
