Ribe

Ribe is a small town in southwestern Jutland, Denmark. Until 2007, it was the capital of the homonymous province and municipality, but that same year it was incorporated into the municipality of Esbjerg, within the region of Southern Denmark.

Ribe’s history dates back to the years between 704 and 710, at the beginning of the Viking era, when it was established as a commercial center. In 860 St. Oscar, Bishop of Hamburg-Bremen, in his Evangelical Mission, asked King Horik II that the first church of the Nordic countries be built in Ribe.
since at that time it was one of the main Nordic commercial cities, with a good river port with connection to the North Sea, and with the presence of metal smelting, ceramic factories, industry textile,In the Middle Ages received several privileges from the monarchy, including the right of merchants and artisans to work freely both in Denmark and in the Duchy of Schleswig. In addition to the cathedral, there were six parish churches, four monasteries and a hospital of the Order of the Holy Spirit.

The city was also famous for its anti-witchcraft processes, which included the burning of several people until 1652, when the Protestant reform had already been introduced in the country,In 1460, the Treaty of Ribe was signed in the city, which established the indivisibility of the ducats of Schleswig and Holstein and which in the long run proved to be harmful to Denmark.
Ribe was occupied by French troops during the Napoleonic Wars in 1808, and would also be occupied during the wars of the ducats. With the loss of Schleswig and Holstein in 1864, Ribe was temporarily left as a small isolated town in the southwest of the country and maritime trade was finally lost with the founding of the great port of Esbjerg in 1868. In 1874 the railway between Ribe and Esbjerg.

Ribe has been one of the most important ports in the North Sea. Although it has now lost its influence, it has retained the charm of its many fishermen’s houses and shops, and still has a remarkable architectural heritage with, in particular, the Riberhus, its cathedral. is a wonderful holiday destination and a favourite  place to visit.

Access : Coordinates: 55.328333, 8.762222 / By car From Germany : From Hamburg ( Germany ) on the A 7 to Handewitt. Continue on B 199 and B 5 to the Danish border. Continue on Route 11 and then to the destination./
From Sweden : By Swedish motorway E20, through the Oresund Bridge, the Great Belt Bridge and the Little Belt Bridge. / Trains run to Ribe hourly from Esbjerg and Tonder, during the day /

Get around
Ribe is a small town. The old parts are practically all pedestrian streets, so the best way  a  for getting around is on foot.

Highlights :

•  Old towm : Attractions in Ribe worth a visit include the Det Gamle Radhus (Old Town Hall) and Radhussamlingen (Town Hall Collection), as well as the Kannikegaarden and Taarnborg buildings./ Maren Splids Hus , house of one of the Danish women being burnt as a witch. / Sct. Catharinae Fountain , outside the church of the same name./ Hans Tavsens Hus , a small gallery in the main square of Ribe oposite the cathedral. Nice old building / Hans Adolf Brorson Statue ,located just outside Ribe Cathedral./
  Ambrosius Stub , relief outside Sct. Catharinae Church / Toldboden , Overdammen 12 , Small exhibition hall where photos from the city are displayed, exciting to see new as old parties from the city or people.
• Ribe Domkirke – Ribe Cathedral, Torvet, Ribe, The cathedral is dedicated to Our Lady, or the Virgin Mary. Its construction began approx. 1150 and was completed 100 years later in approx. 1250. It replaced an older stone church in the same place. Christian graves from the mid-800s have recently been found just south of the Cathedral.
• Ribe Vikinge Center , Lustrupvej 4, Ribe, Open : 11:00 am – 5:00 pm , The Viking Centre/Museum is an open air insight in to Viking life , you can see how the Vikings lived and worked.Employees and some volunteers dress in period costumes and demonstrate activities of the times, kids challenge, a kind of treasure map finding letters in different places to make up a place name to find a treasure.Smacks-coffe,fun kids play area.
• Ribe Kunstmuseum – Ribe Art Museum , Sct Nicolaj Gade 10, open : 11am – 5pm , entry fee : 80.00 DKK , The collection is based on works by Jens Juel and Nicolai Abildgaard. From here, it moves through the Golden Age and the modern breakthrough. With classic Danish modernism, it sets its mark. And with a chronological suspension, visitors can explore the ways in which art has changed – in a pleasing, critical and enlightening way.
• Kammerslusen , Kammerslusevej 20 , Hvor Kammerslusevej moder Bjerrumvej ved Ribe A’s udlob, Open : 12:00 am – 10:59 pm , sluice located at the outlet of Ribe A in the Wadden Sea. It was built in 1912 in connection with the construction of a seawall 1911-1915 that was erected after several storm rivers with water levels up to 4.41 meters above daily water in Ribe; The 15 km long ditch, which went from the Roborghus charging station at Tj?reborg in the north, to Vester Vedsted in the south, was to secure the low lying areas behind against flood and storm surge , Parking and toilets available next to the sluis
• Vadehavscentret – Wadden Sea – National Park and World Heritage Site , Okholmvej 5 | Vester Vedsted, THE WADDAY CENTER is right on the Wadden Sea, which is Denmark’s largest, flatest and wettest National Park. It is a unique natural area in Denmark, which was named National Park in 2010. But the Wadden Sea is not only unique in Denmark – it has the status of World Heritage. In total, the waters stretch 500 km along the Danish, German and Dutch coasts.
• Flood Column in Ribe , Skibbroen 13, it’s a wooden pole with brass rings on it denoting great floods right next to the river. Located in a picturesque erea and short walk from the main street of Ribe. photo opportunity spot
• Ribes Vikinger – The Museum Ribe’s Vikings , Odins Plads 1, Open : 10:00 am – 5:00 pm , Explore Ribe’s history by taking a stroll down the market place in the year 800 and step aboard a reconstructed Viking ship like a true Viking setting out to explore the world.museum shop or visit the activity room “Dagmar and Valdemar”, where you can dress up in costumes, joust like a medieval knight or step into a medieval home. Children under 18 years free admission.
• Sct. Catharinae Kirke Og Kloster – St. Catharine Church and Monastery , Sct Catharinae Plads 1, Sct. Catharin? Church and Monastery was founded by the Dominican monks around 1228 and together with the Cathedral are the only remaining churches and monasteries in Ribe from before the 1536 Reformation.The church is named after Sct. Catharina, a learned Egyptian princess who suffered martyrdom in the year 307.Access to the church and Klostergarden only in the absence of ecclesiastical acts.
• Naturudstilling Mando – Nature Exhibition Mando ,Vestervej 1, a pebbled stony track across tidal mudflats , You can also find information about the storm rivers on Mando, the bottom animals in the Wadden Sea, the birds on the island and the raft and the nature of the island.Nature adventures – guided tours , From the Wadden Sea Center you can Hike , or take the tractor-style “bus” car to the Isle of that goes across regularly in the day .Mando Island is situated in the middle of the Wadden Sea National Park and offers a wealth of unique nature experiences such as bird tours, seal tours
• Riberhus Slotsbanke – Ribe Castle and queen Dagmar Erik Menveds Vej, The castle Riberhus was erected by King Niels in the early 1100s and was a favorite abode of the Danish kings over the following centuries. In the 1400s it went into disrepair, but remained the center of many historical events. With the Swedish wars in the mid-1600s, its role was played out and it was torn down. See how the topographers Georg Braunius and Frans Hogenberg in 1598 imagined that Ribe looked before the demolition of the city’s many parish churches in 1536-37.
• Stormflodssojlen ved Vester Vedsted – The storm river column at Vester Vedsted , Mandovej | Vester Vedsted, Ribe, Historical landmark, can read the different waterleves regarding flooding of Ribe Town from the old days and up till now -it free standing at the riverbank/habou Nice place to be reminded of the forces of nature.
• Jacob A. Riis Museum , Sortebrodregade 1 , The Jacob A. Riis Museum tells the fascinating tale of the boy from Ribe who emigrated to America in 1870. Of the man, whose hard-hitting articles and photos of New York’s wretched slums were an eye-opener for the middle classes.
• The Night Watchman in Ribe. Every evening from 1st of May until 29th of October you may accompany the night watchman in Ribe on his route through the old, winding streets, while he is singing to alert citizens about bedtime approaching. Along the way he will tell you tales about witches, floods and fires
• Black Sun.”. Visit Ribe in Spring and Autumn – huge numbers of starlings land in the marshes at the Wadden Sea. They are looking for daddy long legs and garden chafer grubs in the wet meadows. At such time you can observe a fascinating panorama called “Black Sun”.
• Kannikegaarden , Torvet 13/15, Ribe, Kannikegarden is a new house for Ribe parish’s parochial church council, built on the square in Ribe, just across the cathedral , Was built there in 2015, where used to be the old cotton factory that burned down in 2000 , Behind the glass of the lowest floor are the ruins of probably the oldest brick building in Denmark, a Kannike monastery from 1145. The bricks are about the same size as they are used today.
• Ansgar-statue , Torvet 19, Ribe, staue of a 9th century German monk – Ansgar who built the first Danish church. the New Carlsberg Foundation’s gift for the newly built square around the cathedral in Denmark’s oldest city,
• Statue Hans Tausen , Torvet 15, At the entrance of Ribe Cathedral statue of Hans Tavsen, one of the main reforms of the Danish Reformation, which from 1541 to 1561 was the second Lutheran bishop in Ribe.
• Dyrehaven Ribelund , Pile Alle 2, small zoo with tables and benches both outdoors and covered , small playground , lunch area -free entrance.
• The Phenomenon Starling Magic , The Phenomenon Starling Magic is a fantastic experience when 100.000 and, yes, even 400.000 starlings dance ballet in the sky over the Ribe Marsh.

Activities : Oyster Safari / Experience the Wadden Sea National Park through one of our public tours / Seal safari on Koresand / photo opportunities / Adventures on Mando / Ghostwalk , The tour starts in front of the Museum Ribe’s Vikings / public town walks /

Events : Classic cars – every tuesday from April to 25 September / The Night Watchman in Ribe ,From May to October and the week 7 and Easter / Art Tour South West Jutland – 19.-21.04 2019 / International Viking Market – 29.04-05.05 2019 / Ribe By Night – 29. May 2019 /
Childrens market day – every wednesday 03.07-07.08 2019 / Lamb Festival – 1.-15. June 2019 / Folk Music in Ribe – 8. June 2019 / Medieval Market – 8.-9. June 2019 / Midsummer in Ribe and region – 23. June 2019 / Maritime Day – 6. July 2019 / Ribe Jazz Festival – 25.-28. July 2019 /
Viking Warriors at Ribe VikingeCenter – 29.07-04.08 / Ribe Wine Festival – 30.-31.08 2019

Go next : Experience the Danish archipelago / Wadden Sea National Park / Mando Island Mando Island nature reserve / Silkeborg / Kolding / Herning / Esbjerg