Part 3 - Exploring the Bohemian Spirit of the Danish Abandoned Castle

Abandoned danish castle with just the right amount of neglect.

In this blog and ongoing series, you can follow Abandoned Nordic's urbex road trip as we journey from Finland to France along a longer route. The trip will take about a month, and along the way, various things happen. We are in Denmark now.

"I’m not sure you can use the word 'hippie'; it might come off as labeling." Kimmo doesn’t seem to mind and keeps referring to the place we’re heading to next as a 'hippie commune.' We’ve discovered that our next destination, an abandoned castle, is located in an area inhabited by a group of self-sufficient people living an alternative lifestyle, and it sounds very intriguing. And trust me, there aren’t many abandoned castles in Denmark, so this is an absolute killer combination. Let’s go!

The forestry road narrows as we get closer, so we park the car in a suitable spot and walk the rest of the way. If you've seen the horror movie Midsommar, you can imagine the kind of expectations we have as we approach. We spot maypoles with colorful streamers, traditional wooden buildings adorned with vibrant decorations, and various crops thriving in lush green yards. We walk through the entire area. It’s quite charming, though with a slightly unsettling vibe - especially if you’ve seen the movie. We don't see anyone anywhere; it's very quiet.

Then, through the trees, the castle emerges before us, impressive with just the right amount of neglect. We step into its garden and circle around it through the thick vegetation, searching for a way in but find none. We take some drone photos and decide to be content with just those this time.

As we head back the way we came, we suddenly spot a man who looks somewhat Indian, dressed in a loose, white linen outfit, strolling through the garden of one of the houses, which is dotted with small ponds. We approach him for a chat. He’s not the owner of the castle, as we hoped, but he offers to call the owner for us. Sigh - I was already mentally prepared to move on. Time passes. Finally, an old, slender man with long white hair tied in a ponytail arrives on a bicycle – he’s the owner. Sharp, charming, and speaking good English, he has an intriguing appearance with all his earrings. I wouldn’t call him a hippie, but Kimmo might. He’s a really nice guy, and we get along very well.

We tell him about our project, and then we head back to the castle together as he shares its history with us. He expresses deep regret over the drastic increase in vandalism over the last two years, with the castle’s windows regularly smashed. The interior has also suffered repeated damage, with large bookshelves toppled and thousands of books destroyed. The location was revealed on a Facebook urbex site, and he suspects this has attracted people with ill intentions to the castle. We both agree that the situation will only get worse now that Google Lens is becoming so effective. There will always be people who use information for the wrong purposes. He then asks if we’d like to see the inside of the castle, and of course, we do.

The sight inside is conflicting; there’s potential for great photos if it weren’t for all the destruction. The fate of the bookshelves is particularly harsh - books are scattered all over the floors, though the man tells us that some of the most valuable ones have been rescued and moved elsewhere. There are many old, beautiful pieces of furniture. The ornate white tiled stoves catch my eye, and I stay to photograph them while Kimmo continues the tour with the man.

I continue photographing on my own, and after a while, they return from upstairs. We agree to stay a bit longer to take more photos, and the man leaves to attend to other matters, but not before inviting us to see his garden before we go.

Kimmo later shares that the man provided some insight into why the building was abandoned. The area had once been home to people of various religions living harmoniously together - a bit like a hippie commune, if you will—which actually starts to sound quite legit. At some point in history, an Orthodox nun apparently lived in the castle and temporarily housed some of her friends. One evening, a guest left the tap running, possibly with vodka involved. The bathtub overflowed, and the water seeped through the upper floors, down to the lower levels, and into the basement. For some reason, this wasn’t noticed for days, by which time the basement had knee-deep water. The cost of repairs was too high, so everything was left as it was.

It’s strange - we rarely learn this much about the history of the places we visit, especially the human errors and unfortunate events that shaped them. I continue taking photos while Kimmo wanders around, inspecting details. He discovers an incredibly impressive mold growth, about a meter in size and thickness, on a bookshelf that has somehow escaped the vandals. I have a particular fondness for molds, which is why Kimmo immediately called me over to see it, and it’s the finest I’ve ever seen - absolutely stunning. We leisurely browse through old books, then head upstairs together to find the opium bed the man had shown Kimmo earlier. I photograph it too - it’s quite ornate

Finally, we leave the castle. The man had mentioned earlier that he would come to lock the door later, so we simply push it shut.

We head back toward the settlement but stop at the man’s house - the one with the ponds - and walk further into the yard. Behind the house, we find the man along with the Indian-looking man we met earlier, who is now introduced as a Tibetan priest - nice! There’s also an older woman, dressed in an unusual way and exuding a serene presence, smiling at us - great, what an eccentric backdrop this makes! All three seem to enjoy their homegrown quality products, as the air is thick with the smell of grass. They show us a rare aquatic plant rising from the center of one pond - it’s very striking and requires a lot of care in winter to prevent it from freezing. I don’t remember what the plant was, but its leaves were enormous. After a short while, we leave. Alright, it’s definitely a hippie commune, no doubt about it!

We’ve spent so much more time here than expected, so we slightly adjust our original plan and begin our journey north toward the lighthouse swallowed by dunes, aiming to get there by sunset. More about that later.