Bøstrup: Church Art, Grundtvig and Literature

For travelers who also consider cultural history when choosing a place to stay, Bøstrup offers several specific themes. The town’s history ranges from Bøstrup Church and its works of art to Grundtvig’s connection to the church, literary salons and a former dairy. These connections have different focuses: sacred architectural and art history, literature, and the local dairy industry.

Church, Art and Grundtvig

Bøstrup Church was originally built in the 13th century. In the 14th and 15th centuries, it was the district church for Langeland’s Nørreherred, a role that extends the perspective beyond the individual town. The granite baptismal font of the so-called Storebælt type dates from around 1200. The church therefore brings together different historical points of reference: its age, its ecclesiastical function and a specifically identified furnishing. The distinction is useful for understanding them: the construction date and district-church function relate to the building and its regional role, while the baptismal font is a single object.

Bøstrup Church has an unusually large number of carved stones with depictions, known as Romanesque image stones. Among them, on the north wall of the nave, is a lion devouring a person. The term groups the carved image stones together; the lion scene identifies one specific motif within that group. This makes it possible to distinguish the furnishings as a whole from one specific pictorial detail.

The pulpit in Bøstrup Church is a Baroque work carved by Hans Gudewerth the Younger in 1634. Grundtvig delivered some of his first sermons from this pulpit. Thus, a specific work brings together the history of craftsmanship and an early chapter in Grundtvig’s preaching career. Bøstrup Churchyard also has a connection to Grundtvig: one of the cemetery gates is called “Grundtvigs låge.” Grundtvig used this gate when he went to services at Bøstrup Church. The pulpit and the gate point to two different moments in the same historical connection—his sermons and his journey to church services.

Literary History and the Dairy

Bøstrup Rectory, also called “Møllehavehuset,” was the setting for literary salons. Møllehavehuset is also a nationwide literary association based in Bøstrup, whose main aim is to promote Danish literature and related arts. The salons refer to literary gatherings; the association’s purpose and nationwide scope are its main focus. For a thematic overview, it is therefore worth distinguishing between the venue for the salons and the association’s purpose.

The dairy in Bøstrup is also part of the town’s history. It operated until 1990 and was the last dairy on Langeland. This aspect shifts the focus from church and literature to the local dairy industry. The year marks when the dairy ceased operating. Its history thus complements the sacred, artistic and literary connections with an economic-historical focus.

Discover more destinations: Helsned, Hov, Rudkøbing, Ore, Lejbølle, Dageløkke, Østerhuse, Søndenbro.

For the broader travel overview: Langeland.