Sorø Municipality: Monastery history and lake scenery

A medieval round church, a lakeside monastery and paths through ancient beech forests give Sorø Municipality its distinctive character. Sorø offers green forests, deep lakes, meadows, marshes and open landscapes, along with a rich cultural history. Experiences range from historic buildings and museums to walks by the water and nature areas.

Churches, gardens and Danish cultural history

Bjernede Church is Zealand’s only round church and dates from around 1170. In Sorø, Klosterporten, a protected medieval gate dating from around 1200, forms the entrance to Sorø Academy, the monastery church and Academy Garden. The monastery church was built at the end of the 12th century as part of the Cistercian monastery founded by Bishop Absalon on the shore of Sorø Lake. It preserves more than 800 years of Danish history and houses the tombs of Danish kings and bishops. Academy Garden is designed as an English landscape garden, with green lawns, clusters of trees and solitary trees.

Sorø Museum is housed in Christian IV’s inn, one of Sorø’s oldest buildings, constructed in 1624–25. An indoor exhibition is devoted to B. S. Ingemann and the Danish Golden Age. Sorø Art Museum is known for its collection of Russian icons, modern art and well-curated special exhibitions. Its collection comprises around 2,500 works dating from the 18th century to the present day.

Fjenneslev Church also brings architecture and history together: its distinctive twin towers are associated with the noble Hvide family. The church preserves frescoes dating from around 1150, among the oldest medieval frescoes in Denmark. Tersløsegaard is the only surviving place known to have been home to Ludvig Holberg; it houses the Ludvig Holberg Museum. The museum will be closed during the 2026 and 2027 seasons due to restoration work.

Walking routes and lakeside scenery

Sorø Lake covers 153 hectares and is almost entirely surrounded by forest. Two routes around the lake offer different distances: the Sorø Lake Trail is an 8.5-kilometre loop through ancient beech forest and past Sorø Academy. It is mostly flat, with well-maintained paths and rest areas, and is suitable for families with children. At 3.5 kilometres, the Ingemann Poets’ Route is the shorter loop. Mobile audio stories accompany the walk. The route is named after the poet and writer Bernhard Severin Ingemann, who taught at Sorø Academy from 1822 until his death in 1862.

Tystrup-Bavelse is a landscape shaped by the Ice Age, with hills, ancient forest and lakes. Activities in the area include swimming, hiking, canoeing, birdwatching and fishing. In Suserup Forest, the woodland has been left to develop naturally since the end of the 19th century; visitors may only walk on the paths. This restriction is important to bear in mind when exploring the forest.

Kongskilde Nature Centre is housed in an old watermill and includes a nature exhibition and an aquarium, both open to visitors year-round. The path from the car park at Kongskilde Nature Centre to the bathing area, with its jetty on the shore of Frederikskilde Forest, is wheelchair accessible. Bus 615 from Sorø Station stops at Kongskilde; from the stop, it is about a three-minute walk to the entrance to the hiking area. Check the current timetable before travelling.

Cultural routes by bike

Four cultural cycling routes pass through Stone Age landscapes, by medieval monuments and to places associated with Holberg and Ingemann. A free app complements the routes with information about points of interest, audio readings about Holberg and four podcasts created specifically for the routes. This makes it possible to explore the area’s cultural history while cycling, while the walking routes around Sorø Lake offer a different perspective on the lake and forest.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Sorø, Fjenneslev, Alsted, Nyrup, Munke Bjergby, Ruds Vedby, Odsherred, Lolland.

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