Thrælborg, a refuge castle near Veerst

Thrælborg is a ring-shaped rampart with an outer dry moat. It probably dates from the time just before the Viking Age (AD 600-800).

The rampart is built partly of clay thrown up from the moat, partly of soil from the square within the rampart. A metre-high wooden palisade must have crowned the rampart. The ring rampart is probably a refuge, where inhabitants from the nearby villages sought protection in times of unrest. There have been no buildings within the rampart, and no one has lived there, but the rampart is built on top of the remains of a smaller building from the Iron Age, around the year 0. In Denmark there are only a few refuge castles, and they are mainly on Bornholm, but in Norway and Sweden it has been common in the more desolate areas. 

The ancient monument Trælborg is marked from the asphalt road Jordrupvej, and from the parking lot a small path leads to the rampart. There are tables and benches. The whole site is located in the middle of a piece of typical Danish beech forest. There is an information board at the site. 

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