Discover Emborg

Emborg can be explored through several specific interests: the history of Øm Monastery, a reconstructed monastery garden, nature by Mossø, and routes on foot, by bike or by boat. If you are looking for a hotel in Emborg, you can first decide whether cultural history, birdwatching or the routes themselves will shape your stay.

Øm Monastery, Museum and Garden

The former Cistercian monastery of Øm is now home to a monastery museum. The museum building presents the history of the monastery, as well as finds and skeletons from the excavations. The museum brings together the monastery’s history and tangible archaeological finds.

The monastery garden adds plants and their historical uses to the story. The museum has reconstructed elements of the monastery’s medicinal herb and brewing gardens. The garden contains 63 square beds and a total of 80 cultivated plants that were used in the Middle Ages as medicinal plants, culinary herbs or for household purposes. The beds divide the garden into sections, and the plants represent different uses.

The brewing garden includes hops, barley for malt and bog myrtle, all used in brewing beer. Medicinal plants, culinary herbs and brewing plants thus represent different aspects of the garden. Another archaeological trace is the Munkekanalen: the straight canal runs about one kilometre east of Øm Monastery. It is 1.5 kilometres long and 8 metres wide, and is still partly visible.

Nature by Mossø and Emborg Odde

Emborg Odde is a bird sanctuary where a colony of black-headed gulls breeds. Hulbakken, a natural area with scattered trees, is also located near Emborg. The terrain slopes down towards Mossø and offers a good view of the Emborg Odde bird sanctuary.

The “Mossø, Lindholm Hoved” hike also combines nature and birdwatching: it runs along willow and alder thickets to a birdwatching tower at the foot of Lindholm Hoved. From there, you can observe Mossø’s diverse birdlife. The nature highlights therefore include both a breeding area and opportunities to watch birds by the lake.

Walking and Cycling Routes

The Gudenå Trail is now a route between Voervadsbro and Emborg Bro. The section from Emborg Bro is signposted as the Aarhus–Silkeborg hiking route. Along the Gudenå Trail, the path is a narrow track between a stream and steep slopes.

An approximately 2-kilometre circular route, “Mossø, Emborg Vestermark–Dalgård,” passes through open conifer plantations, afforested agricultural land and the grazing areas by Gudensø. The 28-kilometre cycling route “Around Mossø” passes through protected and characteristic natural areas. Near Emborg, it passes the former Cistercian monastery of Øm, which is now home to a monastery museum. The different route lengths give you a concrete point of reference when choosing between a short loop and a longer cycling tour.

By Boat on the Gudenå River

The “Gudenå River: Klostermølle–Silkeborg” boat route is about 30 kilometres long. At Gudensø, travellers can go ashore at the Dalgaard landing stage. It is about 300 metres to the right of the inlet to the lake; Øm Monastery can be seen from there.

Discover more destinations: Skovby, Låsby, Hårby, Skanderborg, Alken, Hørning.

Go to the main travel overview: Skanderborg.