Visit the historic burial mounds on Møn

The Sea Market Dilemma

On Stendyssevej east of Sømarke lies a particularly beautifully situated dolmen. The dolmen is built of 7 bearing stones and a large capping stone, and in ancient times was also covered with earth so that the burial chamber, which is now exposed, was covered entirely or partially by a mound.

The dolmen was built in the Neolithic Age in the period 3500-3200 BC, but the 458 bowl marks testify that it was used right up to the Bronze Age (1700-500 BC), i.e. up to several thousand years later! Bowl marks are round depressions of 5-10 cm in diameter, which are carved into stones or rock walls. They were sacred in the religious cult of the Bronze Age people, but what they exactly meant or represented is still a mystery.

Approximately 1,5 km north of Sømarkedyssen, three Bronze Age mounds lie beautifully aligned and with a view of the Baltic Sea, as seen from Liselundvej. It is reasonable to think that the founders of these mounds used the even older Sømarkedyssen as a cult site, while they built their own burial mounds for burials.

Where: Stendyssevej 10, 4791 Borre

The sample nozzle

This dolmen is located only about 100 meters south of King Asger's Mound. It represents the transitional form of the Funnel-Bearer culture between the smaller dolmen chambers reserved for individuals, and the giant's tombs with large chambers that could house several burials.

All the capstones above the passage are missing and have probably been reused for construction elsewhere before 1880. Therefore, one can walk along the now open chamber passage with two sets of bearing stones to the burial chamber of the large dolmen. The mound has been restored by the National Museum and the Danish Forest and Nature Agency.

Where: Orehældvej, 4780 Stege

King Asger's Hill

Kong Asgers Høj is one of the most beautiful and largest giant's mounds on Møn and among the finest in Denmark. It is located northwest of Sprove on West Møn, on a hilltop with a fantastic view.

A 10-meter-long passage with two pairs of stone pillars leads into the impressive 10-meter-long burial chamber. The chamber's headroom is so great that one can almost walk upright inside. During excavations in 1839, clay vessels and a battle axe were found, which are about 600 years younger than the mound itself. This shows that the mound was used for several centuries.

Where: Kong Asgers Vej, 4780 Stege

Barhøj

The Barhøj dolmen site is visible from Grønsundvej, west of Damme. It has been excavated from all sides, and was thus considerably larger in its original design. It was also much closer to the sea than it is today, with only 700 meters to the water's edge, since the water level was about 1 meter higher at the time.

The mound already had its present appearance before 1880, when the National Museum first described the site as a looped mound with remains of a burial chamber. They write that “Stone knives and pots were found and sold”, which indicates that grave robbers had been active at the site at some point in the past. The present structure appears to represent the inner core of the mound, but no actual archaeological investigation has taken place.

Where: Grønsundvej, 4792 Askeby

Bus market alley

Busemarke langdysse – or Skaglevadsdyssen – is located in the depression between Råby and Busemarke, and can be recognized from the road as a long dolmen with a tree on top. The dolmen is 26 meters long and 8 meters wide, with three impressive large stones at the western end and a small burial chamber in the middle. In the southeast corner there is also a lying stone with bowl marks from the Bronze Age. Access from Søndre Landevej.

Skaglevad = ford where the water reaches the skagle (i.e. a rope that connects a horse to a horse-drawn carriage or similar)

Where: Søndre Landevej 69, 4791 Borre

Friends' Hill

This beautiful stone tomb is far less known than many of the other burial mounds on Møn. However, it is extremely well preserved and is still covered by its earth mound, which is why it appears closer to its original form than many of its peers.

When Frenderupdyssen was built about 5200 years ago, there was a lake in what we now call the Maglemose basin. The lake was a narrowing of the fjord that, back in the early Stone Age, went far into the Vestmøn landscape. The dolmen functioned as a mass grave for the "Funnel Carrier People" of the time, and in the burial chamber were found the remains of 15 buried individuals, as well as potsherds from more than 40 clay vessels.

Where: Jættestuevej, 4780 Stege

The burial mounds in Klinteskoven

In the heavily hilly Klinteskov forest, there are several burial mounds located in groups around the forest. Since Klinteskov is a deciduous forest, it is easiest to spot the burial mounds in the winter months, when there are no leaves on the trees.

In the “Plant Gardens” at the western end of the forest, for example, you can experience 27 burial mounds of varying sizes. The largest are located most centrally and are probably the oldest, while they become smaller – and younger – outwards.

It is likely that the innermost and largest mounds are from the Dagger Age or Early Bronze Age, where people were buried in oak coffins, while the smaller mounds are from the Late Bronze Age, where the dead were cremated. However, none of the mounds have been excavated or dated.

In the old days, it was believed that "giants" or "giants" lived in such mounds, which is why they are known as "giants' mounds" or "giants' dens".

Where: Klinteskoven, 4791 Borre

The Green Room

Beautifully situated just south of Fanefjord Church lies one of Denmark's largest and best preserved long dolmens. Grønsalen, also known as Grønjægers Høj, is 102 metres long, 13 metres wide and two metres high. The dolmen is completely surrounded by large curbstones and contains three smaller stone coffins, one under a huge light-coloured capstone.

According to legend, King Green was the ruler of this part of Møn, while the King of Klinte ruled at Møns Klint. King Grøn – or Grønjæger –'s wife was named Fane, and from this came the names Grønsund and Fanefjord. Langdyssen is the precursor to the later giant caves, which Møn is so rich in.

The main difference between long mounds and giant tombs is that long mounds have individual, small burial chambers, while giant tombs have a large common burial chamber. It is assumed that long mounds were reserved for burials of particularly prominent individuals, in contrast to the common grave of a giant tomb. Up to 100 burials are known over time in the same burial chamber.

Where: Fanefjord Kirkevej 55, 4792 Askeby

Cave Hill

In Østerskov on Bogø, right across from the Forest Pavilion, there is a large, well-preserved and easily accessible giant's tomb. The passage is 5,5 meters long and the burial chamber 6,3 meters long.

The burial mound receives many visitors every year because you can drive right up to the mound. This means, among other things, that most of the grass on the sides of the mound is often worn down. At the same time, it is important that the tons of stones from which the tomb is built do not pose a danger to the many visitors. The National Museum therefore carried out a restoration of the site in 1994, where the old iron fittings that supported the burial chamber's large cover stone were replaced.

Jordehøj

Jordehøj is one of the country's best-studied giant caves. It is located between Neble and Stege, with access from Pedervej. An eight-meter-long passage leads into a 10-meter-long chamber.

In 1836, the chamber, like the Sparresmindestuen, was excavated by merchant Hage from Stege, who found 6-8 skeletons buried with flint tools, clay vessels, jewelry and bone chisels, as well as a wild boar's tooth. Everything was handed over to the National Museum, which restored the mound in 1988.

Where: Plejdervej 2-4, 4780 Stege

Hatching high

Klekkende høy is, like the nearby Kong Asger høy, both one of Møn's and one of Denmark's most beautiful giant's tombs. It is built as one of the very rare twin giant's tombs with two separate chambers, and is the only one of its kind on Møn. Two long corridors – one for each chamber – lead into the 9-meter-long burial chamber, which is divided in the middle by two large stones.

In the mound's two chambers, excavations found several clay vessels, flint axes, daggers and amber beads, which were handed over to the National Museum in 1807. The hatching mound was restored by the museum in 1987 and again in 2002. One chamber of the mound has now been re-arranged as a burial chamber with objects and bones displayed for the visitors' enjoyment.

Where: Klekkendevej 2, 4780 Stege

Råbydyssen

The stone mound at Råby Højt is located in a field west of Råbymagle, and is therefore also called Råbymagledyssen. It stands as a beautiful landmark in the landscape. Originally it was a long mound with two rows of stones around the mound, but today only the bearing stones and the huge capstone remain.

Viewer discretionThe Råbydyssen mound cannot be visited.

Where: Søndre Landevej 23-25, 4791 Borre

The Savings Room

Very well-preserved giant's hut located between Damsholte and Neble, with access from Sparresmindesvej.

The burial chamber has no less than 21 large bearing stones. It is narrowest in the middle at the mouth of the chamber passage, as is also seen in several other giant tombs on Møn.

The Sparresmindestuen was "excavated" by merchant Gustav Hage from Stege in the 1850s, but unfortunately neither the finds nor information from the excavation have been preserved. In the 1880s, however, the jættestuen was registered and protected by the National Museum.

Where: Sparresmindevej 6, 4780 Stege

Timmesøbjerg

On a 113 meter high hill near GeoCenter Møns Klint lies the remains of a triple wooden palisade, which was first thought to be a defensive structure from the Middle Ages. However, later analyses have shown that the structure dates back to the Bronze Age, and perhaps even older – to the Dagger Age, when the people of the area lived richly from the cliff's flint deposits.

Fortresses of this kind are not known from the Bronze Age, which is considered a peaceful period, and it is therefore unknown exactly how Timmesøbjerg was used. It is likely that the structure was used in several different periods of antiquity as protection against strangers who might come sailing from the water. In the Middle Ages, the castle may have been used as a defense against Wendish pirates, but in older periods it is not known who the enemy may have been.

Within the palisades, groups of stones the size of projectiles, burnt charcoal dated to the Bronze Age, and a small bronze disk whose chemical composition indicates that it dates from the Dagger Age at the end of the Neolithic Age have been found.

Where: Klinteskoven, 4791 Borre