Bedsted: Church, Lundbye Memorial and Nature

Bedsted as a travel destination

If you are looking for a hotel for a trip to Bedsted, knowing about the local points of interest can help you get your bearings. These include the church on the southern edge of town, the memorial to Johan Thomas Lundbye, with its monument and gravestone, and opportunities for walks in the countryside around Bedsted. The town’s historical division into three settlement areas is also part of its character. Thus, geographical orientation, local history, art and nature represent different interests; you can decide which of them will shape your travel plans.

Local history and the church

Bedsted’s historical layout was divided into three settlement areas. This describes the town’s former structure; the location of Bedsted Church is more precise when it comes to locating a specific building: it is on the southern edge of Bedsted. A street in the town is named after Johan Thomas Lundbye. His name thus appears both in local street names and in the memorials to him.

The church also has a Late Gothic winged altarpiece dating from around 1525. This connects the town’s layout with a precisely identified work of art: its location on the southern edge answers the question of where to find it in town, while the style and approximate date describe the altarpiece. If you are interested in historic furnishings, the altarpiece is a reason in its own right to see the church as a cultural point of interest.

The Lundbye memorials

A monument at Lundbyesplads commemorates Johan Thomas Lundbye. It was erected beside the road halfway between Arndrup Mølle and the church. It was created from a design by Professor E. Utzon-Frank and is crowned by a young stag collapsing after being shot. The design and the scene depicted give the memorial a specific artistic form: the stag is its striking motif, while the attribution identifies the designer.

Johan Thomas Lundbye’s gravestone in Bedsted cemetery is also described in detail: it is made of granite and bears a white marble plaque and a white marble cross. A stone for his mother, Cathrine Lundbye, stands beside it in the same burial plot. The two stones offer a different way of engaging with the Lundbye memorials than the monument: here, the focus is on the gravestone’s design and the shared burial plot.

According to a report from 2018, a bust was unveiled beside J. Th. Lundbye’s grave on September 1. This is another form of commemoration alongside the monument and gravestones.

Nature and travel planning

The countryside around Bedsted offers opportunities for walks. This is a different way to explore the area than through its history: the focus is on the landscape rather than an individual building or memorial. When planning your trip, you can therefore weigh two different interests against each other—historical points of interest such as the altarpiece and the Lundbye memorials, or time for walks in nature. Bedsted’s cultural connections and landscape can thus be considered as distinct focuses for a stay.

Discover more destinations: Østerby, Emmerlev, Ballum, Vinum, Toftlund, Højer, Agerskov, Brøns.

Go to the overview of the wider travel area: Tønder Municipality.