Stories from the past. Ribe's old and dramatic history

In Ribe you can experience the Viking age, the		Middle Ages and the Renaissance

• Ribe Cathedral. Denmark's first church was built in Ribe, while Vikings ruled Denmark. Both Vikings and Christianity in Ribe made history. The Cathedral has a story all its own.
• Town Walk through medieval Ribe. Sightseeing town walking on your own. 
  A walk through Ribe is like a walk through Ribe's and Denmark's history.
• Queen Dagmar was married to King Valdemar the Victorious, and according to legend she became ill and died at Riberhus Castle.
• Maren Spliid a witch in Ribe. Maren was accused of witchcraft and was burned at the stake on Ribe Gallows.
• Ribe’s Night Watchman. The Night Watchman took care of the Ribe town locals for hundreds of years. Nowadays the Night Watchman tradition has become a tourist attraction. It’s free to join him through Ribe’s old cobblestoned alleys and streets
• Storm surges. Many storm surges have, through time, flooded Ribe. At regular intervals the marshes have been flooded and houses and roads destroyed. It is understandable why the citizens of Ribe fear storm surges, The North Sea  - and global warming and climate change .
• The pirate Morten Thode. In 1555, he and all his men were beheaded. To create fear and to also warn others, the pirate’s heads were put on stakes and placed in Hovedengen. Danhostel Ribe Youth and Family Hostel is situated in the middle of Hovedengen (the Head Meadow).