Story
The story of Jelling stones
In 1997 a photo of the larger stone in front of you inspired the name of a wireless technology: Bluetooth. The Jelling stones are massive carved runestones from the 10th century. The older one was raised by King Gorm the Old in memory of his wife Thyra.
The larger one was raised by their son, Harald Bluetooth, in memory of his parents, celebrating his conquest of Denmark and Norway and his conversion of the Danes to Christianity. Both inscriptions mention the name Denmark, and the larger stone, with its figure of the crucified Christ, is popularly called Denmark's baptismal certificate. After a thousand years in the open, cracks began to show, so today the stones stand in glass cases that keep them at a steady temperature and humidity; the design was chosen from 157 entries.
In 1994 the stones, the mounds and the church joined the UNESCO World Heritage List. Look for Harald's Christ again inside Danish passports.
This story is compiled from Wikipedia and other open sources; dates and numbers are checked against the source. The text is shared under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Source ↗
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More highlights in Billund
- Kongernes JellingMuseum and visitor centre next to the Jelling Monuments, telling the story of the time when Jelling, under Gorm the Old and Harald Bluetooth, was the centre of Danish history.
- Jelling ChurchTravertine church from the early 12th century between the two great burial mounds in Jelling; part of the Jelling Monuments, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Lalandia BillundHoliday resort in Billund near Legoland Billund Resort, opened on 24 April 2009.
- Givskud ZooGivskud Zoo is a zoo and safari park in Givskud, 20 kilometres (12 mi) north west of Vejle in Denmark. The park opened in 1969 under the name of "Løveparken" (the lion park) with lions as the only animals.
- Legoland BillundLegoland Billund Resort (also known as Legoland Denmark), the original Legoland park, opened on 7 June 1968 in Billund, Denmark. The park is located next to the original Lego factory and Billund Airport, Denmark's second-busiest airport.
- Lego HouseLego House is a 12,000-square metre building filled with 25 million Lego bricks in Billund, Denmark, located near Legoland and the headquarters of The Lego Group.