Købelev – Garden Art, Church Culture and Archaeology

Købelev brings together a Japanese garden, a well-preserved ecclesiastical cultural environment and archaeological traces. This gives visitors several points of interest to consider when choosing a destination: landscaped garden spaces, art and furnishings in Købelev Kirke, and finds that point to high-status Vikings in the area around the present-day village. You can weigh these different themes according to which one you want to shape your stay.

Købelevhaven and its garden spaces

Købelevhaven is a botanical Japanese garden at Oddevej 116 in Købelev. Prydhaven takes up the largest part of the grounds and is also the oldest section of the garden. The 200 m² Zenhaven has a different focus: this Japanese dry garden is intended for meditation and laid out according to authentic Japanese principles. Thus, a large, older area and a clearly defined meditation garden sit alongside each other within the same garden.

The planting also creates its own distinctive feature. Around 70 different magnolias grow throughout the garden. If you are interested in plants, you can use this collection, together with the different garden areas, as a guide to your visit. Købelevhaven also has a plant shop offering a selected range of interesting perennials, trees and shrubs. There is an area with gazebos, tables and benches in pleasant surroundings where you can enjoy your own food and drinks. Check the latest information about these offerings before setting off.

Købelev Kirke: building history and furnishings

Købelev Præstegård and Købelev Kirke form a well-preserved cultural environment, with intact visual connections and a link between their gardens. An opening in the church wall provides access to the church and churchyard. The church and the vicarage are connected not only by their sightlines; the garden link is also part of their historic relationship.

The church brings together works of art and historic furnishings from different periods. The altarpiece, dating from 1841, features an oil painting of the Last Supper by C. W. Eckersberg. It is joined by a Renaissance pulpit from 1593. One of the very few surviving Gudme organs is also part of the furnishings. These pieces offer different points of interest if you are interested in the church’s art and architectural history.

Other details bring the history into focus at specific locations: one of the church pews bears the name of the peasant leader Otto Kuld and the year 1646. Several gravestones from the 17th century and the first half of the 18th century are located in the tower room and outside the western tower door. The church was restored in 1883, 1970 and 2016. Taken together, these dates span the pulpit from the late 16th century, the inscription on the pew and the gravestones, the restorations, and the 19th-century altarpiece.

Archaeological traces near Købelev

Finds from the archaeological site near Købelev suggest that Vikings of exceptionally high status lived close to the present-day village. The objects found there include fragments of silver pins and a die for making costume buckles. The interpretation of the finds relates to the people who lived near present-day Købelev; the objects mentioned provide different material clues about them.

Another find is a runic Thor’s hammer discovered near Købelev with a metal detector. The church offers a different perspective through its building history and surviving furnishings. The garden can be explored through its design, meditation garden and magnolia collection. These differences can help you decide which themes matter most for your stay before looking for a hotel in Købelev.

Discover more destinations: Hyldtofte, Harpelunde, Langø, Sakskøbing, Fejø, Vesterborg Sogn, Torrig, Våbensted.

For the overview of the wider area: Lolland.