Jelling Mounds, Runic Stones and Church
Kongernes Jelling
A UNESCO World Heritage Site with two royal burial mounds from the 10th century and runestones inscribed with the name “Denmark”, often called Denmark’s “birth certificate”.
Jelling was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1994. The site includes two massive royal burial mounds, the white Jelling Church, and two runestones raised by King Gorm the Old and his son Harald Bluetooth. The larger Harald stone was carved around 965 AD. Its inscription is the first to mention “Denmark” and records the country’s conversion to Christianity, which is why it is called Denmark’s “birth certificate”. It is now protected by a glass cover. The outlines of a huge ship-shaped stone setting and palace enclosure are marked out with white posts, and you can climb the North Mound for views. The adjacent “Kongernes Jelling” museum is free to enter and uses multimedia to explain the history of the Viking kingdom. From Aarhus, take a train with a change at Vejle, a journey of about 1 hour and 15 minutes. It can be combined with LEGOLAND Billund on the same trip.
Opening hours
Ruins open all day; exhibition hall Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00 (shorter in winter)
Nearby sights
- Givskud Zoo – Zootopia
- The Wave & Vejle Fjord
- Koldinghus
- WOW Park Billund
- Lalandia Billund
- LEGOLAND Billund Resort
- LEGO House