The Beach at Kystvejen on Røsnæs
By the steps from Kystvejen down to the beach on the south coast of Røsnæs, Lundbye Landmark 7 tells the story of the watercolour The Beach at Refsnæs from 1844 – the Golden Age painter’s image of longing for the Danish landscape, created from his favourite area near Kalundborg.
Where the path from Strandbakken meets Kystvejen on the western edge of Kalundborg, a flight of steps leads down to the beach on the south coast of Røsnæs. By the steps stands landmark 7 of Lundbye Landmarks, and the post tells the story of one of the best-known works by the Danish Golden Age painter J.Th. Lundbye: the watercolour Refsnæs from 1844, also known as The Beach at Refsnæs.
A picture of longing
The watercolour shows a lone wanderer leaning against a burial mound and looking out over the peninsula’s curving, bare coastal landscape. At the top of the picture Lundbye wrote verses from the folk ballad about Valdemar, son of Queen Dagmar, who according to the ballad was killed by a stray shot on Røsnæs. The motif is based on sketches and memories from a trip in August 1843, when Lundbye visited his brother Honoratius, who ran a farm at the far end of the peninsula. Lundbye himself called Røsnæs – or Refsnæs, as it was then known – his favourite area.
In 1845 Lundbye travelled to Italy, and for him the watercolour became an image of Denmark’s grandeur and of his longing for the Danish landscape. In Rome he gave it to the sculptor Jens Adolf Jerichau. Today the work belongs to the Royal Collection of Graphic Art (Den Danske Kobberstiksamling), and it graces the cover of the Lundbye Committee’s large guide to the painter’s Kalundborg.
The coast today
The exact spot where Lundbye stood cannot be pinpointed with certainty. The coast has changed a great deal since the 1840s, and the burial mound in the picture no longer exists. It fell into the sea as the waves ate into the slope, and the remains of its stones lie somewhere out in the water. Towards Kysthospitalet the slope is now protected with large boulders – a clear sign that the sea is still wearing away the coast.
From the steps and the beach there are views along the coast and across the fjord towards Asnæs. It is a good place to pause, bring up Lundbye’s watercolour and imagine what the landscape looked like when the young painter walked here.
Part of the Lundbye route
Landmark 7 is the last stop on the town walk of Lundbye Landmarks and lies close to the centre of Kalundborg, so it is easy to reach on foot or by bike. From here it is not far out to Røsnæs, where more landmarks await along the coast and on the slopes. Find more inspiration for nature and experiences in the area at destinationsjaelland.dk.
Last updated by:Destination Sjællandinfo@desj.dk
