Sorø Akademi

Zealand


The town's historical and academic soul is shaded with tall oaks and throws together buildings old and new, pretty and banal, though it's nowhere near as grand as you might imagine from the history. Once one of Denmark's richest monasteries (founded in 1142 and much expanded after 1161), post-Reformation it became a school, and from 1623 developed under King Christian IV the elite Sorø Academy of Knights, educating sons of the nobility in the arts of hunting, behaviour and manners.

Although its intake is a little less exclusive these days, Sorø Akademi remains a prominent Danish school. Visitors are welcome to stroll through the extensive lakeside grounds.

The main buildings were entirely rebuilt in the mid-18th century and again after an 1813 fire, but near the Klosterporten, the former monastery's medieval gatehouse, are 17th-century Renaissance structures including the Boldhuset (today's library) and the Ridehuset, originally built to stable horses and hunting dogs. Picturesque walking trails lead west to the Sorø Sø waterside, passing a statue of Ludvig Holberg, the school's great 18th-century playwright-benefactor.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Zealand attractions

1. Klosterporten

0.03 MILES

Klosterporten is said to be the oldest still-inhabited gatehouse in Denmark. Once the portal to the Sorø monastery and now the northern entrance to Sorø…

2. Ridehuset

0.04 MILES

Immediately west of Klosterporten, Ridehuset is one of the Sorø Akademi site's original buildings, first erected by Christian IV to stable the horses and…

3. Sorø Kirke

0.05 MILES

Interring several Danish royals, this church within the Sorø Akademi grounds has a simple, harmonious interior brightened by medieval frescoes and…

4. Ludvig Holberg Statue

0.12 MILES

Stroll Sorø Akademi's western gardens to find a tricorn-hatted bronze figure whose plinth rises above two toga-sporting thespian nymphs. The statue…

5. Sorø Kunstmuseum

0.16 MILES

Flaunting an award-winning extension by Copenhagen-based architects Lundgaard & Tranberg, Sorø Kunstmuseum has regularly changing exhibitions of art both…

6. Sorø Museum

0.2 MILES

Housed in a handsome half-timbered former inn dating from 1625, Sorø Museum showcases an eclectic booty of regional artefacts, including ancient pottery…

7. Sankt Bendts Kirke

9.15 MILES

Justifying a visit to otherwise forgettable Ringsted, this huge church is packed with fascinating features, which the remarkably knowledgeable caretaker…

8. Løve Mølle

11.01 MILES

If you've been to Hell (Norway), Bum (Azerbaijan) and Silly (Belgium), why not get more positive and take a town-sign selfie with your beloved at Løve, in…