HOTELS. Missionshotellet, Set Mathiasgade 5, 74 Senderse Motel, Randersvej 2, 65 b. (on the lake); Grand, Jernbanegade 22, 44 Afholdshotellet, Gravene 18-20, 24 b. YOUTH HOSTEL CAMP SITES: two at Tjele (16 km (10 miles) N E) and one at Monsted (1 5 km (10 miles) W).
RESTAURANTS. Palee, Set Mathiasgade 78, Salonen, Ved Borgvold (April to October); Steak-house, Set Mathiasgade 76.
EVENTS. Haervejsmarchen, the oldest and the biggest of the marches” so popular in Denmark, a two-day walk along the old Military Way (30-50 km (20-30 miles) each day).
SPORTS and RECREATION. Canoe trips on the lakes to GudenS and Randers (45 km 28 miles); fishing in many lakes and streams.
Viborg, one of the oldest towns in Denmark, grew up at the intersection of the old roads from E to W and from N to S, in the heart of Jutland. In addition to its Cathedral, Viborg’s attraction is in the beautiful country surrounding it, a region of forests, lakes and expanses of moorland.
HISTORY. Archaeological investigation has shown that there was a settlement in the Viborg area about Viborg Cathedral the year 700. Although little is known about its size or importance, Viborg vies with Ribe as Denmark’s oldest town.
The town was originally known as Wibjerg (sacred hill), and is thought to have been a pagan cult site, Travel from london to Scandinavia which gave rise to trading activity and so to the growth of a settlement. After the coming of Christianity, Viborg became a religious focal point, and in 1 065 the see of a bishop. At this period, it was the capital of Jutland, and the Danish kings were still elected in Viborg until 1 340; for another 300 years it remained the place where the Estates paid homage to the newly elected king. Until 1650, it was the largest town in Jutland, and until 1805 the meeting-place of the Landsting (Provincial Assembly). Between 1525 and 1 529, the preacher, Hans Tausen, made Viborg a headquarters ofthe Reformation. Most of the town’s old buildings were destroyed by great fires in 1567 and 1726, and of its churches, only the Cathedral (rebuilt in the 19th c.) and the Dominican church survived. Viborg, attractively situated on two lakes, is now primarily a commercial and industrial town.
SIGHTS. The Cathedral is a copy, built between 1864 and 1874, of the original 13th c. Romanesque church of granite ashlar, which fell into decay after the Reformation and by 1862, after a number of fires and some clumsy restoration work, was so dilapidated that it had to be closed. Under the direction of Niels Sigfred Nebelong and later Hermann Braagoe, it was torn down to its foundations; only the Romanesque crypt was preserved. The radical restoration which was then carried out gave rise to much controversy, and many people believed and still believe that the distinctive character of the original building was lost in the reconstruction. In defence, it must be said that the poor condition ofthe old building had made a radical renewal of the structure essential.
