Fredericia Ramparts

Seventeenth Century Earth Ramparts, Among The Best Preserved In Northern Europe, Ringing The Planned Fortress Town Of Fredericia And The 1849 Battle Site · Fredericia, Region of Southern Denmark

The ramparts of Fredericia are a ring of grassy earth walls, bastions and moats around the old town of Fredericia, a planned fortress town on the Little Belt in south-east Jutland. King Frederik III ordered the fortress in about 1650 to guard the crossing between Jutland and Funen, and the town inside was laid out on a straight grid of streets. The ramparts are often described as among the best-preserved of their kind in northern Europe, and they run for roughly 4-5 km, now a free public park with paths on top, old gates, cannons and views over the water. The site is best known for the battle of Fredericia on 6 July 1849, when the Danish garrison broke out of the besieged fortress and defeated the Schleswig-Holstein army; the day is still marked each year, and the soldier statue Landsoldaten stands by one of the gates. People come for an easy, free historic walk that breaks a journey across Denmark. The honest caveat: this is grass and earthworks, not stone castles, so it suits walkers and history fans more than visitors looking for grand sights.

The ramparts of Fredericia, around the old fortress town on the Little Belt, Fredericia, Region of Southern Denmark, Denmark

Open at all times and free: the ramparts are a public park with no gates or tickets, walkable day and evening all year. Fredericia Museum and the churches in town keep their own hours, often shorter off season and sometimes closed Mondays - confirm current times. By train, Fredericia is a main rail junction: roughly 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours from Copenhagen by intercity, about 1 hour from Aarhus and 20-30 minutes from Odense; the station is a 15-20 minute walk from the ramparts. By car it is about 230 km from Copenhagen over the Great Belt Bridge (toll) and the Little Belt. Nothing needs booking except guided tours and seats at the 6 July events.

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