A part of every day life
For modern tourists the typical Danish inn provides a great way of getting to know Denmark. Many inns are the very thatched, half-timbered roadside idylls that we could hope to chance on, while others are slightly more modern, because times change – even in Denmark. But patrons will almost always have the sense that the inn is a part of everyday life for the Danes. For this is where the city folks get away to enjoy a beer and a snaps and is where special occasions are celebrated by the locals. The majority of inns also have rooms to let to tourists and other travellers.
Modern-day patrons would hardly expect to get a fresh team of horses or a flagon of the innkeeper’s home-brew, yet it was a different matter in the past. Inn-building started in Denmark as early as the 1100s when the chief object was to provide the king and his following with ”travel assistance”, i.e. board and lodgings and a respite for the horses.
An inn every third mile
The new inns were needed most in small villages where there were no other lodgings to be found, or at the many ferry stations where travellers might be obliged to await more clement weather. In fact, the Danish word for inn, kro, is cognate with Eng. ”crook”, suggesting the bend in the road where the inn was situated. In the year 1283 King Erik Klipping ruled that inns were to be established throughout the country for the benefit of travellers. In 1306 Queen Margrethe I decreed that travellers were never to endure more than a day’s travel between stops, and given the condition of the roads in those days, that meant 30km between the inns.
It would have been difficult to earn a living from innkeeping in the sparsely populated Danish villages, and the inn was typically run as a sideline by a farmer, a trader or artisan. The inn could also serve as a bakery, village shop, barber-shop or post office. The activities at the inn, such as the services provided and the prices were originally strictly regulated by royal decree.
In order to encourage the establishment of more inns, special privileges were accorded the owner: in return for providing shelter, food and fresh horses for the stage coaches the innkeeper was granted sole licence to produce and sell spirits and beer. The innkeeping trade was given a tremendous boost, yet so indeed was local intemperance. As of 1757 the sale of spirits out of the house was prohibited - a measure which not surprisingly led to a proliferation of illicit grog-shops (smugkro), such as depicted in the famous 18th century satire ”Jeppe on the Hill” by Danish playwright Ludvig Holberg.
Curious names
Holberg would appear to have found inspiration for his comical establishment from the licensed inn which today goes by the name of Skoemagerkroen (‘The Cobbler’s Inn’) in Kirke Såby, in central Zealand. The inns often took their names from the nearest place name, despite a royal order for the inns to find ”popular and convivial” appellations in the British tradition.
The name of the inn will sometimes also say something about the function and associations of the establishment, such as Færgekroen for the inn situated by a ferry station; Lodskroen (inn serving pilotage stations) or Postholdergården; (post master’s office) and Krebshuset named for the crabs it served. But there were also inns with more fanciful names such as Bi-Lidt and Hold-bi (’Stay-a-while’ and ’Bide-a-while’)intended to tempt the weary traveller, while the name Slukefter nods at the traditional ”art” of quenching the last burning thirst.
One of Denmark’s most famous inns is called Kryb-i-ly and is situated just outside the city of Fredericia in South Jutland. The name means ’Take Cover’ and according to tradition derives from one stormy night when King Christian VI came by in his carriage and saw the poor harvesters caught in the downpour. It is said that he shouted to his subjects: ”Take cover at the inn!”. For indeed this was a most gracious king. The last inn to be privileged with a royal licence was Brenderup on Funen in the year 1912.
Eat, drink and...
Many of the inns today have set themselves up as exclusive restaurants, while others have laid out golf courses and conferencing facilities. Yet all of them set great store by their heritage, particularly those that trace their roots back to ”proper” Royal Licence inns.
Travellers wishing to eat and drink both well and in the Danish tradition might like to order a few rounds of the open sandwiches called smørrebrød – smothered in rullepølse, peeled prawns, fresh fish or home-made pâté – or sample classics such as Dyrlægens Natmad (’Veterinarian’s Nite-bite’) washed down with the local beer.
Depending on the standard of service, a night at an inn costs from around DKK 450 / EUR 54 to DKK 3000 / EUR 403 for two people sharing a double room, with breakfast and service included. A scheme operated Danish Inns & Hotels, an affiliation of 81 inns and hotels, enables visitors to buy Inn Cheques in advance from their local travel agent or shipping agent. The Inn Cheques are available for couples and for families and cost from DKK 650 / EUR 88 (two adults) to DKK 850 / EUR 115 (two adults + two children + extra beds) per night, including breakfast. All the inns affiliated to Danish Inns & Hotels serve a Dan Menu consisting of two courses - priced from DKK 135 / EUR 19 to DKK 175 / EUR 24.
Visitors would be hard pressed to find a better way of getting to know Denmark than at its many inns. Although there is no longer an inn every third mile along the roads of Denmark, they are rarely so far apart that they can’t be used for planning a bicycle touring holiday. And this means of travel will of course be an excellent opportunity to burn off a few of the extra pounds you will put on during a country inn holiday!
Danish Inns & Hotels