Lilleborg on Bornholm - a 16-meter-high rock formation

The castle ruin Lilleborg in Almindingen on Bornholm is mainly built of boulders and is located on a 16-meter-high rock formation surrounded by the now partially dried-up Borresø lake. Lilleborg was surrounded by a heavy wall, remains of which can still be seen, and the lower part of the tower has also been preserved, as well as foundations of other buildings.

When the castle ruin Lilleborg was built on Bornholm, the rock was surrounded by water and marsh on all sides, and there was only a single access road from the east. Compared to Gamleborg, the new castle was thus much easier to defend and therefore did not require such a large crew

The foundation for the establishment of Hammershus was laid

In 1149, King Svend Grathe (1146-57) gave most of Bornholm to the church. Three of Bornholm's four counties passed to the Archbishop of Lund and the king's influence and possessions were then limited to the western part of the island with the county of Rønne. This laid the foundation for the subsequent establishment of the archbishop's large castle Hammershus from the beginning of the 13th century on the northern tip of the island. It is in this light that the transfer of the king's castle from Gamleborg to Lilleborg must be seen.

With a castle area of 2,600 m2, Lilleborg was only about 1/10 as large as its predecessor Gamleborg. Despite the castle's small size, many exciting finds have been made from archaeological excavations in 1820-22, in the period 1887-1928 and most recently in 1954-57.

Lilleborg today

A solid ring wall along Lilleborg was only in use for about 100 years. In 1259 the castle was captured and burned down as a result of the power struggle between the royal power and the church. Today you can see the remains of the ring wall, the lower part of the tower and the foundations of other buildings.