Ribe Viking Center and other Ribe, Denmark Things to Do Tips

Because of Ribe's historical importance, I'd highly recommend Ribe Viking Center, which details the progress of this fascinating village as well as its importance on Danish life when it was one of Denmark's largest cities 500 to 1000 years ago.

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Begun in 1150 the Cathedral in Ribe, as you can gather from the photo, is an amalgamation of clashing building styles, making for an eclectic-looking building consisting of two towers. The tower to the left is a stone spire, built in the 1200s, and the tower to the right is made of brick and built in 1333, which replaced what was a second stone tower.

Climbing the tower you get a great view of the surrounding countryside. Looking around throughout Ribe, in certain directions the medieval town ends right where farmland begins with nothing "modern" in between, making for a unique view.

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Just about every street in Ribe is well-preserved and the half-timbered homes and brightly-painted doors are in abundance. Few homes were built after the 1700s within the town center area. The narrow streets lined with one-story homes have an intimate feel, so much that you feel guilty being a tourist because people's windows are merely 3 to 6 feet away when you take a picture. It makes you feel a bit sorry for the residents, some of whom are probably thinking of selling of their homes to antique dealers and kitsch merchants. But , what the hell, go on then, and sneak a few photos in.

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Another building with interesting history, the Town Hall was built for commerce around 1500, later was a residence, and was converted into a Town Hall in 1709. The building functions as a town hall--I did not get a chance to visit inside because it was February and visiting hours were short, but even without going inside you could feel its impact on the architectural landscape.

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Visiting this street is important in terms of understanding Ribe. The town started as an inland port and was founded roughly in 700, and for many years was used as a port, until around the 1600s or so, when apparently the river had sanded up. The narrow width of the river and the declining need to have a port inland may have also contributed to its demise.

The wharf is lined with 17th century homes, many of which were built after the great fire of 1580.

Some of the old cranes used to haul merchandise have been left in tact.

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