Kalundborg Poster

Description

Bring the special charm of Kalundborg into your home with this atmospheric poster celebrating the town’s history, nature and iconic landmarks.

This poster is the result of a lot of time and love for the history of the town.

The first pencil sketch was drawn at Den Blå Elefant, a highly recommended, authentic Thai restaurant by the harbour, after a day around town.

The story behind the Kalundborg poster

1. The five-towered church (Church of Our Lady) sits prominently on the poster. The church was built in the early half of the 13th century.
2. The statue in front of the church is Esbern Snare (1127–1204), the founder of the town who built the western castle in the 12th century. The statue was made by the sculptor Erik Varming in 1997.
3. West of the town lies the Røsnæs peninsula. At its tip stands Røsnæs Lighthouse, built in 1846, about 16–17 km from the town centre. In 1998 Røsnæs got its first vineyard, Røsnæs Vingård, and since then 4 more have joined. The vineyards on the poster represent them – the 5 vineyards are Dyrehøj Vingård, Røsnæs Vingård, Stub Vingaard, Kongstrup Vin and Barfod Vin.
4. Following the poster clockwise we reach Møllebakken (Mill Hill). From the founding of the town until the end of the 19th century the hill was home to windmills. Today it is a park in the middle of town. This is also where you find Kalundborg Water Tower, built in 1933. The 16-metre tower was drained in 2014.
5. The chimney is part of the old hospital, built in 1923. It was used as a hospital until 2012 and has since been converted into, among other things, student housing. Parts of the hospital are used today as a medical and emergency clinic.
6. The small yellow building is an old toll house, used to collect duty from traders going in and out of town. It was built in 1794 and marked the town boundary at the time. On a walk around town you will find it at the top of Sct. Jørgensbjerg.
7. Continuing clockwise around the poster, we find a bit of the town’s and the area’s wildlife. The birds were not chosen at random: the town’s name, Kalundborg, comes from the crow birds known today as jackdaws. When the town was founded they were called Ka or Kaa. The name Kalundborg can be ‘translated’ into modern English as “The grove with jackdaws where a castle stands”.
8. Houget is the innermost part of the fjord, a nature reserve that is home to many coots, ducks and sometimes swans.
9. The headland with the radio mast is Gisseløre. The radio mast represents two long-distance radio masts built by the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) in 1927 and taken out of service in 2023. At the tip of Gisseløre you will find Gisseløre Lighthouse, believed to have been built in 1835. It is also known as “the Candy Tower”.
10. The blue and white ferry in the bottom right corner of the poster is the new electric ferry Tyrfing, with daily departures to Samsø for pedestrians and drivers. The ferry was completed in 2026 and required a rebuild of the ferry berth. Besides the route to Samsø, from the Viking Age until 2013 there was also a ferry from Kalundborg to Aarhus.
11. Last but not least there are some small details: a fisherman on the coast – especially garfish are plentiful in season. In front of the town name is a group of cyclists representing the many active cycling groups in and around the town, and the fact that Kalundborg was part of the Tour de France in Denmark in 2022.