Since 1198

In 1283 King Erik Klipping put out an order for inns to be established along the so-called “King’s Highways” and by the ferries used by the kings as they travelled around the country in their official capacity. In 1396 Queen Margrethe I ruled that there was to be an inn every 4th mile, and in 1522 this was changed to every 2nd mile.

Privileges

After the reformation in 1536 the number of Royal Licence Inns increased and the last three were granted their licences in 1912. The innkeeper’s reward for always providing a bed and a meal for wayfarers was a tax-exemptive licence to brew beer, distil spirits and bake bread, for both his own use on the inn and for sale to the public. In addition, he was exempted from having to provide a billet for soldiers.

Inns of today

There are some 100 Royal Licence Inns still standing in Denmark. A few are preserved much as they were for centuries, while others were perhaps burnt down and rebuilt, or moved to the other side of the road; some are solely catering establishments, while others offer both lodgings and catering.

A piece of history

The times have caught up with the many Royal Licence Inns that once existed, as some of these have been put to different uses altogether, others burnt down and were never rebuilt, while some have chosen to cater exclusively to private functions and provide no daily, public access – but all told, the remaining 100 or so active inns make up a special chapter in the history of Danish innkeeping, since these establishments have maintained an unbroken tradition of hospitality ever since they were granted their Royal Licences. Denmark is the only county in the world that has these Royal Licence Inns.